Leicestershire 155 for 3 (Budinger 50, Chohan 2-32) beat Yorkshire 151 for 7 (Masood 45, Hull 3-28) by seven wickets
Leicestershire Foxes launched their Vitality Blast season in spectacular style with a thumping seven-wicket win over Yorkshire Vikings at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.
Vikings had themselves started the season strongly with an eight-wicket win over Worcestershire Rapids the previous evening but were brought crashing back to earth in the East Midlands. They totalled a below-par 151 for 7, captain Shan Masood's 45 off 32 balls standing out amid a bitty team effort which was heavily damaged by Josh Hull's fiery 3 for 28.
The moderate target soon appeared minuscule after Foxes openers Sol Budinger (50 off 22) and Rishi Patel (30 off 18) smashed six sixes and six fours in the first five overs. Their stand of 79 in 36 balls turned the chase into a cruise as Foxes galloped to 155 for 3 from 14.1 overs.
After Foxes chose to bowl, Hull deployed his size 15s to excellent effect in a first over which cost just one run and brought the wicket of Dawid Malan, whose off stump was trimmed by a lovely ball. Ian Holland's opening over also went for just a single in a sedate start by Vikings.
Former Yorkshire allrounder Ben Mike struck first ball when he took a return catch from a spliced slog by Adam Lyth. That brought Joe Root to the crease for the 659th time in senior cricket and it isn't a knock he will remember - three from nine balls before lifting Holland to long-on.
Masood and Donovan Ferreira added 50 in 35 balls before Hull came back on to dismiss both in his first five balls. Ferreira gloved an attempted pull high to wicketkeeper Ben Cox and Masood top-edged a return catch. Both wickets owed something to the batters being surprised by pace in a highly impressive spell by the 6ft 7in left-armer.
When Hull added a smart catch at short fine leg to dismiss Dom Bess off Scott Currie, Vikings were 116 for 7. Jordan Thompson smote Mike for successive sixes but Vikings' bowlers were left with a tall task on a good batting pitch.
They were hit by an immediate onslaught from Patel and Budinger who thrashed 50 from the first 22 balls. Patel lifted Dan Moriarty for successive sixes before the fourth over, from Thompson, went for 30 including three sixes for Budinger.
Both openers perished in five balls went Patel skied Bess to long-on and Budinger sliced Jafer Chohan to backward point but they had left their side needing a comfy 67 from 80 balls. Louis Kimber and Wiaan Milder kept the momentum high with vibrant cameos and Foxes skipper Peter Handscomb was able to watch contently from the non-striker's end as his side cruised home.
