Middlesex beat Leicestershire to win One-Day Cup

Middlesex secured the Metro Bank Men's One-Day Cup with a 31‑run win over Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. After being put in to bat by Leicestershire captain Stephen Eskinazi, Middlesex slumped to 71‑5 in the 22nd over before Ryan Higgins and Harry Duke resurrected the innings. Higgins, 31, struck nine fours in a 115‑ball century, while Duke contributed 55. Their 135‑run partnership for the sixth wicket lifted Middlesex to 231 all out in 49.5 overs. Ian Holland returned figures of 5‑36 for Leicestershire, and Rehan Ahmed added 3‑55. In reply, Leicestershire lost early wickets as Toby Roland‑Jones bowled ten consecutive overs for 3‑27. New Zealand international Nick Kelly anchored the chase with an unbeaten 103 off 103 balls, taking his side to a strong position. However, after Kelly reached his century, Tom Helm struck, removing Higgins at mid‑wicket and leaving Leicestershire eight down. Helm later dismissed Ajaz Patel, and Tom Scriven skied a delivery from Naavya Sharma, with skipper Ben Geddes taking the catch that sealed the victory. Leicestershire were bowled out for 200 in 44.2 overs, falling short by 31 runs. The triumph marks Middlesex’s first white‑ball trophy since their T20 Blast win in 2008 and their first silverware of any kind since the County Championship title in 2016.