Horspath foiled by Ogden's super show in T20 finals

HORSPATH'S hopes of becoming the Home Counties Premier League's Twenty20 champions were dashed with a 14-run defeat by Harefield in the semi-finals at Burnham. With one pitch unplayable due to rain, the games were reduced to ten overs per side. Harefield chose to bat on a damp surface and were indebted to a spectacular innings from Dan Ogden, who helped them reach 82-5. Ogden, who survived an early chance, smashed five sixes and two fours in an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls with his half-century being made out of the first 54 runs. Leg spinner Tom Coleman took 2-21, but the pick of the Horspath attack was left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher with 1-7 from his two overs, while there was a wicket apiece for Tom Cosford and Graham Beer. Horspath's reply got off to a flying start as Coleman hit the first two balls for fours, before Cosford launched a huge six over long on as the pair took 17 off the first over. They had moved the score on to 35 in the fourth over when Coleman was caught at extra cover by Tom Crick off Jordan McLeod for 20. Cosford had reached 20 with an audacious shot down to fine leg for four when he skied an attempted straight hit, and George Shiel ran in to take a superb low catch at mid-on off Crick to make it 42-2. Mark Jefferson and Stephen Green took the score on to 58 only for three wickets fell for the addition of just two runs. A cracking yorker from McLeod accounted for Jefferson. And in the next over, bowled by Syed Tahir Kazmi, Jamil Faruq was caught at short third man by Crick, before Ogden pulled off a brilliant catch at long off diving to his right to dismiss Green for a lively 14. With James Fitzjohn adjudged lbw to Crick it was 65-6 and Horspath suddenly needed 18 off the last over to snatch an unlikely victory - the target proving too many as they closed on 68-6. Crick (2-8), McLeod (2-11) and Kazmi (2-13) shared the wickets, while Doug King conceded just nine runs from his two overs. Henley, who had defeated High Wycombe by ten wickets in the other semi-final, went on to lift the trophy with a nine-wicket win over Harefield in the final.

Posted by: Russ