 Harry Foyle |  Steve Harris [Dave Vokes] |
Coming off the back of two defeats, St Cross Symondians II needed to bounce back against Langley Manor to revive their Southern Premier League Division 2 promotion hopes.
A 30-minute delayed start due to morning rain meant a very important toss – which relegation threatened Langley Manor won and sent second placed St Cross into bat on a tricky Green Jackets surface with favourable overhead bowling conditions.
The Manor bowled excellent early lines and with the ball swinging it made batting difficult and both openers were lost early to leave St Cross 8-2.
Skipper Dave Orchard joined Harry Trussler and slowly tried to find a way through the new ball and to keep the scoreboard ticking.
They reached 48 before losing Trussler (17) to the spin of Nick Doubell (3-25). Matt Howarth came and went as St Cross struggled to wrest any momentum from Langley Manor who continued to bowl with discipline.
With around 35 overs gone St Cross were only on 85 when Orchard went for a hard fought 19, but with wickets in hand and a good lower order and knowing Langley Manor had bowled out their best bowlers they stood a chance of posting a challenging total.
Runs and partnerships developed from Harry Foyle (39), Robbie Hadfield 38) and James Allen (32), which got them to 186 and a quick 11 off 6 balls from Jack Good saw St Cross to 199 all out off the last ball of the 50th over.
James Allen and the debutant 16-year old Jake Nicholls took the new ball and bowled very good areas with the early wicket of Conor Browne falling leg before to James Allen with the score on 4.
Langley Manor made it slowly to 44 before the influential Harry Foyle picked up three wickets and Harry Trussler one leaving Langley Manor 68-5.
Steve Harris joined Langley’s skipper Jack Budd to push the score to 90 before Toby Zapp picked him up stumped followed by another leaving Langley Manor 106-7. Game over ?
Matt Musgrove helped Steve Harris by rotating the strike and Steve punished any bad balls getting Langley Manor to 143-8 before Musgrove was caught one handed by Steven Hirst.
Jamie Brown came in and did the same job for Steve Harris and slowly Langley Manor moved towards the target.
Fifty were needed off five overs, 36 off four, 30 off three, and 20 off the last two.
James Allen bowled the penultimate over, only to be hit for a huge straight 6 over the sightscreen. A couple of 2’s and a streaky boundary off the last ball left Langley Manor with only five to win. Game over?
Captain Orchard had the last over and set the field to try and stop 2’s and put pressure on the Langley batsmen. A single off the first ball [4 off 5]. A dot ball [4 off 4]. Then a single [3 off 3]. Another single, so two runs to win off the final two deliveries.
Steve Harris decided the best call now was to hit over the top and seal the game but as he charged down the wicket he missed the (probably non turning) delivery from Orchard and Robbie Hadfield gratefully received the ball behind the stumps to him for a brilliant 72 off 81 balls.
Ben Morgan came in for the final ball needing one to tie and two runs to win. He hit the ball to James Allen (at mid-wicket), who picked up the ball and it was a race to the line between Allen and Morgan and Allen won by two yards, running Morgan out. Langley Manor 198 all out. St Cross won by one run.
A 30-minute delayed start due to morning rain meant a very important toss – which relegation threatened Langley Manor won and sent second placed St Cross into bat on a tricky Green Jackets surface with favourable overhead bowling conditions.
The Manor bowled excellent early lines and with the ball swinging it made batting difficult and both openers were lost early to leave St Cross 8-2.
Skipper Dave Orchard joined Harry Trussler and slowly tried to find a way through the new ball and to keep the scoreboard ticking.
They reached 48 before losing Trussler (17) to the spin of Nick Doubell (3-25). Matt Howarth came and went as St Cross struggled to wrest any momentum from Langley Manor who continued to bowl with discipline.
With around 35 overs gone St Cross were only on 85 when Orchard went for a hard fought 19, but with wickets in hand and a good lower order and knowing Langley Manor had bowled out their best bowlers they stood a chance of posting a challenging total.
Runs and partnerships developed from Harry Foyle (39), Robbie Hadfield 38) and James Allen (32), which got them to 186 and a quick 11 off 6 balls from Jack Good saw St Cross to 199 all out off the last ball of the 50th over.
James Allen and the debutant 16-year old Jake Nicholls took the new ball and bowled very good areas with the early wicket of Conor Browne falling leg before to James Allen with the score on 4.
Langley Manor made it slowly to 44 before the influential Harry Foyle picked up three wickets and Harry Trussler one leaving Langley Manor 68-5.
Steve Harris joined Langley’s skipper Jack Budd to push the score to 90 before Toby Zapp picked him up stumped followed by another leaving Langley Manor 106-7. Game over ?
Matt Musgrove helped Steve Harris by rotating the strike and Steve punished any bad balls getting Langley Manor to 143-8 before Musgrove was caught one handed by Steven Hirst.
Jamie Brown came in and did the same job for Steve Harris and slowly Langley Manor moved towards the target.
Fifty were needed off five overs, 36 off four, 30 off three, and 20 off the last two.
James Allen bowled the penultimate over, only to be hit for a huge straight 6 over the sightscreen. A couple of 2’s and a streaky boundary off the last ball left Langley Manor with only five to win. Game over?
Captain Orchard had the last over and set the field to try and stop 2’s and put pressure on the Langley batsmen. A single off the first ball [4 off 5]. A dot ball [4 off 4]. Then a single [3 off 3]. Another single, so two runs to win off the final two deliveries.
Steve Harris decided the best call now was to hit over the top and seal the game but as he charged down the wicket he missed the (probably non turning) delivery from Orchard and Robbie Hadfield gratefully received the ball behind the stumps to him for a brilliant 72 off 81 balls.
Ben Morgan came in for the final ball needing one to tie and two runs to win. He hit the ball to James Allen (at mid-wicket), who picked up the ball and it was a race to the line between Allen and Morgan and Allen won by two yards, running Morgan out. Langley Manor 198 all out. St Cross won by one run.
- St Cross Symondians victory celebrations were dulled when they were deducted five points for fielding an unregistered player. They lie second behind Totton & Eling, who enjoy a 38 point lead with five games to go.
