Left-arm spinner Matt Bampton has been an influential figure in past Old Tauntonians & Romsey successes with ball in hand - but seldom has he been a match winner with the bat !
But he was OTs go-to man – and hero – when his side needed one run to beat St Cross Symondians off the final ball of a dramatic Southern Premier Division 2 match at the Green Jackets.
There didn’t appear to be any need for panic when Lewis Allen (30) and Gus Flack steered OTs to 226-6 and within two runs of overhauling Symondians’ 227 all out.
But then three wickets fell in three balls – Radley College ace George O’Connor (3-52) having Flack then Allen caught by Matt Swann.
In between, Harry Appleton ran himself out going for a second run, but having completed the first managed to tie the scores at 227 each.
Bampton (left above) didn’t expect to bat but suddenly found himself thrust into the limelight facing the final ball of the match from a rampant O’Connor, the OTs tailender knowing all too well the pressure he was under.
“We knew Andover had already won, so I had to score the winning runs to keep us up with them in the promotion race,” Bampton explained.
But Bampton didn’t let his team-mates down – far from it, guiding that crucial last ball to the vacant third-man boundary for the winning runs.
The one-wicket ensured that OTs remained three points behind Andover (227) in the SPL2 promotion race, Andover having had a close run affair with Waterlooville.
Earlier at the Green Jackets, Swann (69) and Simon Beetham (37) top scored for St Cross Symondians, with Harry Tulk adding to a 3-42 return with 46 for OTs, for whom Liam Poolman (33) and Hakim Peruzi (32) also shone.
Waterlooville’s outside promotion hopes were dented in a tense one-wicket defeat against Andover at London Road.
Asked to chase Ville’s 207-7, Andover were still 33 runs adrift when their eighth wicket fell.
But John Nyumbu - who played two Tests for Zimbabwe in the 2010s and now skippers the Lions - hit 17 off 15 balls, sharing a 30-run ninth wicket stand with Nathan Birks (35 not out).
That left last man Mike Adams to hit the winning run off the penultimate ball of the penultimate over. Charlie Ayers (45) top scored for the hosts.
Ville openers Archie Reynolds (5) and Kiwi Josh McGregor (6) were out cheaply.
Josh McCoy top scored with 55 before Jon Hudson (43 not out) and Tim Jackson (41) added 82 for the sixth wicket after Ville had tumbled to 91-5.
But he was OTs go-to man – and hero – when his side needed one run to beat St Cross Symondians off the final ball of a dramatic Southern Premier Division 2 match at the Green Jackets.
There didn’t appear to be any need for panic when Lewis Allen (30) and Gus Flack steered OTs to 226-6 and within two runs of overhauling Symondians’ 227 all out.
But then three wickets fell in three balls – Radley College ace George O’Connor (3-52) having Flack then Allen caught by Matt Swann.
In between, Harry Appleton ran himself out going for a second run, but having completed the first managed to tie the scores at 227 each.
Bampton (left above) didn’t expect to bat but suddenly found himself thrust into the limelight facing the final ball of the match from a rampant O’Connor, the OTs tailender knowing all too well the pressure he was under.
“We knew Andover had already won, so I had to score the winning runs to keep us up with them in the promotion race,” Bampton explained.
But Bampton didn’t let his team-mates down – far from it, guiding that crucial last ball to the vacant third-man boundary for the winning runs.
The one-wicket ensured that OTs remained three points behind Andover (227) in the SPL2 promotion race, Andover having had a close run affair with Waterlooville.
Earlier at the Green Jackets, Swann (69) and Simon Beetham (37) top scored for St Cross Symondians, with Harry Tulk adding to a 3-42 return with 46 for OTs, for whom Liam Poolman (33) and Hakim Peruzi (32) also shone.
Waterlooville’s outside promotion hopes were dented in a tense one-wicket defeat against Andover at London Road.
Asked to chase Ville’s 207-7, Andover were still 33 runs adrift when their eighth wicket fell.
But John Nyumbu - who played two Tests for Zimbabwe in the 2010s and now skippers the Lions - hit 17 off 15 balls, sharing a 30-run ninth wicket stand with Nathan Birks (35 not out).
That left last man Mike Adams to hit the winning run off the penultimate ball of the penultimate over. Charlie Ayers (45) top scored for the hosts.
Ville openers Archie Reynolds (5) and Kiwi Josh McGregor (6) were out cheaply.
Josh McCoy top scored with 55 before Jon Hudson (43 not out) and Tim Jackson (41) added 82 for the sixth wicket after Ville had tumbled to 91-5.
