Middlesex beat Leicestershire at Trent Bridge to win Metro Bank Men's One-Day Cup on 20 September 2026
Middlesex defeated Leicestershire by 31 runs to lift the Metro Bank Men's One-Day Cup at Trent Bridge on 20 September 2026, winning the final after posting 231 and restricting Leicestershire to 200. The full scoreline read Middlesex 231 (49.5 overs): Higgins 100, Duke 55; Holland 5-36; Leicestershire 200 (44.2 overs): Kelly 103; Roland-Jones 3-27, Helm 3-32.
Put into bat by Leicestershire captain Stephen Eskinazi, Middlesex recovered from 71-5 to reach 231 before being bowled out in the final over of their innings. Ryan Higgins provided the backbone of the recovery with a century, while on-loan Yorkshire wicketkeeper Harry Duke contributed 55 in a crucial sixth-wicket stand. The Foxes' Ian Holland finished with 5-36, described in the report as his second-best List-A figures, and England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed took 3-55.
Higgins, 31, made 100 from 115 balls with nine fours, his innings coming after Middlesex slumped to 71-5 in the 22nd over. He and Duke added 135 for the sixth wicket, a partnership that shifted momentum and gave Middlesex something to defend. It was recorded as Higgins' first List-A hundred.
Leicestershire's new ball attack set an early tone in Middlesex's innings, with Holland removing Nathan Fernandes and Max Holden cheaply. Tom Scriven claimed two wickets during the middle phase, and wicketkeeper Ben Cox took the first five catches to fall in the innings, including a catch to remove Josh De Caires for 26. Those returns contributed to Middlesex being under pressure before the Higgins–Duke recovery.
In reply, former England seamer Toby Roland-Jones bowled a containing opening spell of 10 overs for 3-27 as Leicestershire also lost early wickets. New Zealand international Nick Kelly responded with his own century, reaching 103 off 103 deliveries and striking 10 fours and three sixes while keeping his side in the chase. The match shifted after Kelly reached his hundred when, in the following over, he lofted Tom Helm to Higgins on the mid-wicket fence and Leicestershire were left eight down.
Tom Helm then removed Ajaz Patel, and Tom Scriven was involved in the late action when Naavya Sharma took a straight catch to leave Middlesex requiring one more wicket; Ben Geddes, Middlesex's captain, took the catch that sealed the victory. The report notes one contentious moment when Rehan Ahmed was given out lbw off Roland-Jones and did not review, with replays suggesting the ball would have missed leg stump. Leicestershire's supporters continued to back the side throughout, despite their team falling short.
Middlesex's victory ended a long wait for silverware: their most recent county success had been the County Championship in 2016 and they had not won a white-ball trophy since lifting the T20 Blast in 2008, making this Metro Bank Men's One-Day Cup triumph their first white-ball title since 2008.