White delight at Steelbacks’ great night

The County will now be one of four sides taking place in the showpiece event at Edgbaston a week on Saturday after they completed a 36-run win over Durham in front of packed house at Wantage Road.

And it was man-of-the-match White who played a key role as he hit 58 not out from 32 balls to help post an above-par score of 183.

“It was a great night for the club in front of a full house and it was really nice to contribute on a personal level,” White said.

“I think the platform was set by the guys who opened the batting, David Willey and Kyle Coetzer, which enabled the rest of us to come in and play with some freedom.

“It allowed us to set a target which the bowlers defended really well.

“We always say around about 150 is a good score here so we knew 180 was a good one.

“But these games are obviously very competitive and they are a good side so there was work to do.

“I think we’ve had some funny pitches this season - not necessarily ones I’ve found it particularly easy to bat on - and that was one of the best ones.

“Seven an over is a lot of time a winning score.”

White also reflected on a crucial over in which he hit Gareth Breese for three sixes and gave the innings real momentum at a crucial time.

He added: “I’d faced a few balls and had a look and with the off-spinner to the short side I thought it was time to have a go.

“Luckily I got a couple away. One just got over the rope and then two more went off pretty well.

“We can now look forward to the finals night - the boys are already buzzing for it.

“I had a good time here last year. The time dynamic and the performance level was bit different but still had a good time. It’s been no different this year.”