NEW MILTON, New Forest CCA President's Cup winners
Back (from left): Nick Gossip (NFCA President), Lee Beck, Joe Hall, Jack Humphrey, Toby Edwards, Ed Bartlett, Ben Griffiths, Steve Watts (Scorer). Front: Harry Beck, Ryan Beck, George Watts (Cpt), Joe Wooster, Ed Wooster.
Back (from left): Nick Gossip (NFCA President), Lee Beck, Joe Hall, Jack Humphrey, Toby Edwards, Ed Bartlett, Ben Griffiths, Steve Watts (Scorer). Front: Harry Beck, Ryan Beck, George Watts (Cpt), Joe Wooster, Ed Wooster.
The New Forest CCA's President's Cup final between New Milton and 2021 winners Fawley ended in a tie with both sides scoring 116 in 18 overs - the Green & Golds lifting the trophy by virtue of losing fewer wickets.
New Milton posted a challenging but below par 116-7 off the allotted 18 overs at Holbury. Fawley managed to equal their score off the last ball, but were eight wickets down..
Lee Beck (40) and Jack Humphrey (35), were the only Milton batsmen to score double figures with extras coming in at 20.
Fawley’s opening left arm attack Adam Freeman (1-13) and Bailey Parratt (2-19) bowled two quality opening spells, with Sufian Munir (4-14) keeping the visitors in check along the way and was largely responsible for giving his team a lowish total to chase.
Fawley were in early trouble early with George Watts (4-16) getting two lbw decisions and along with Lee Beck (1-22) reducing Fawley to 29-3 off seven overs.
A battling knock by Brad Merritt (53n.o.) wasn’t quite enough to get the Oilers home. Merritt, supported only by Earl (10), and Parratt (17), was fighting a loan battle, but managed to get it down to requiring 14 to win off the last two overs with only five wickets down.
Watts returned to bowl the penultimate over and only conceded four runs, but more importantly captured two more wickets. That left Ryan Beck to bowl the last over with 10 runs now needed. It came down to Merritt needing a four to tie the match or a six to win it. He struck a boundary to bring up a richly deserved fifty, but New Milton had won it, albeit by the slenderest of margins ...
Anne Craft, retired Hampshire Cricket League secretary, presented George Watts with the Edmund De Rothchild Trophy.
New Milton posted a challenging but below par 116-7 off the allotted 18 overs at Holbury. Fawley managed to equal their score off the last ball, but were eight wickets down..
Lee Beck (40) and Jack Humphrey (35), were the only Milton batsmen to score double figures with extras coming in at 20.
Fawley’s opening left arm attack Adam Freeman (1-13) and Bailey Parratt (2-19) bowled two quality opening spells, with Sufian Munir (4-14) keeping the visitors in check along the way and was largely responsible for giving his team a lowish total to chase.
Fawley were in early trouble early with George Watts (4-16) getting two lbw decisions and along with Lee Beck (1-22) reducing Fawley to 29-3 off seven overs.
A battling knock by Brad Merritt (53n.o.) wasn’t quite enough to get the Oilers home. Merritt, supported only by Earl (10), and Parratt (17), was fighting a loan battle, but managed to get it down to requiring 14 to win off the last two overs with only five wickets down.
Watts returned to bowl the penultimate over and only conceded four runs, but more importantly captured two more wickets. That left Ryan Beck to bowl the last over with 10 runs now needed. It came down to Merritt needing a four to tie the match or a six to win it. He struck a boundary to bring up a richly deserved fifty, but New Milton had won it, albeit by the slenderest of margins ...
Anne Craft, retired Hampshire Cricket League secretary, presented George Watts with the Edmund De Rothchild Trophy.