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    Howell beats fellow pros to T20 fantasy cricket prize

    27 August 2014

    Benny Howell and Jack Taylor say their fierce rivalry was the secret to finishing as the top two professional players to enter the ECB’s NatWest T20 Blast Fantasy Cricket game.

    The allrounders – who are also housemates - beat 98 fellow county cricketers with Benny edging Jack to top spot.

    And the champion has decided to donate his £500 winnings to the newly-formed Gloucestershire Cricket Trust, the charity that promotes cricket in the county and uses it to strengthen local communities.

    Benny said: “I think the fact that me and Jack were playing against each other meant that we ended up taking it quite seriously. We are both competitive and although we were only playing for pride that was the main thing that kept us going.”

    The pair finished ahead of teammate Tom Smith (10th), ex-Glos spinner Ed Young (6th) and Durham’s Gordon Muchall (3rd)– brother of former Glos allrounder Paul. The top 10 also included Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire), Darryl Mitchell (Worcestershire) and Tymal Mills (Essex).

    Benny said: “I think one of the main reasons we did well was we looked at the games ahead. Sometimes you had teams playing two or three times in a week so you would bring in players from those clubs. We also tried to pick batsmen that could bowl and bowlers that could bat to maximise the number of allrounders in the team.

    “We even looked at what grounds they were playing at and whether they would good for batting or bowling – it got quite mathematical!”

    Both players picked themselves but refused to pick each other, Jack claiming Benny was “too expensive” and Benny saying Jack “wasn’t a frontline spinner”.

    They said their best selections included Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams and Will Smith and Derbyshire’s Will Porterfield.

    Benny added: “It is great to finish top but even better to beat Jack. I am delighted to be able to donate the money to the Gloucestershire Cricket Trust. They do great work supporting the development of young players, helping grass-roots cricket and using cricket to strengthen communities.”

    In total more than 18,000 fans from across the country played the NatWest T20 Blast Fantasy Cricket game. The top fantasy managers from each county won £500, with George Dolling scooping the Gloucestershire prize.

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