Cool Handscomb stars in memorable county win

Peter Handscomb is doing his hopes of making Australia's Ashes team the world of good in England.

The 31-year-old Victorian guided his new county Leicestershire to their maiden county championship victory in 19 months after following up his first-innings century against Yorkshire with a match-winning unbeaten 68 at Headingley on Sunday.

Leicestershire pulled off the second-biggest run chase in their history, overhauling their target of 389 with just three wickets and seven balls to spare.

Handscomb's coolness in the denouement was instrumental in the triumph after Rishi Patel's 125 and Colin Ackermann's 72 had underpinned the chase.

The visitors still needed 28 off the last three overs, with Handscomb bludgeoning Ben Coad for six and No.9 Chris Wright clattering five fours in nine deliveries to give Leicestershire a first championship triumph since they beat Sussex in September 2021.

Title favourites Yorkshire, who had amassed a huge 517 in their first innings, last lost at Headingley to Leicestershire in a first-class match in 1910.

Handscomb, who had been dropped on 41 in the first innings before going on to make 112, should have been out for two after tea on Sunday when Yorkshire skipper Adam Lyth spilled one at first slip off Dom Bess.

Handscomb's coolness under pressure came to the fore with Leicestershire 7-327 in the 78th over, still needing 62 more, as he came together with Wright for the game-clinching 65 partnership in eight overs.

Elsewhere, Cameron Bancroft was dismissed without scoring in the second innings of Somerset's drawn Division 1 clash against Warwickshire, while Matthew Kuhnemann's 4-70 was not enough to see Durham hold off Sussex, who wrapped up a two-wicket win. 

Australians in the County Championship 

Durham: Matthew Kuhnemann

Essex: Daniel Sams (T20s only)

Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser

Gloucestershire: Marcus Harris

Hampshire: Nathan Ellis, Ben McDermott (both T20s only)

Kent: Kane Richardson (T20s)

Leicestershire: Peter Handscomb (April and May)

Northamptonshire: Lance Morris (May 4-21), Chris Tremain (April 6-23), Sam Whiteman (until August), Chris Lynn (T20s), Andrew Tye (T20s)

Somerset: Peter Siddle (until July), Cameron Bancroft (until May 7)

Surrey: Sean Abbott (until July), Dan Worrall (UK passport)

Sussex: Nathan McAndrew (until July), Steve Smith (May 4-21)

Warwickshire: Glenn Maxwell (T20s)

Yorkshire: Mickey Edwards (UK passport)