HORSPATH pulled off a great escape in Home Counties Premier League Division 1 with a dramatic ten-wicket victory at relegation rivals Great & Little Tew, which sent their shell-shocked opponents down. Going into the last game of the season trailing Tew by 16 points and knowing they not only had to win, but also stop the hosts getting five points, Horspath's Houdini heroes defied the odds in style as the home side were shot out for 107. Skipper Will Eason's escapology act began by crucially winning the toss and putting Tew in to bat on a greenish pitch before his bowlers stepped up to the plate in stunning fashion. Ian Slatcher's impressive opening spell was rewarded with the breakthrough when he bowled Tew captain Harry Smith with the score on 11. Eason, meanwhile, shrugged off a troublesome side strain to deliver a superb spell of 1-10 from ten overs with five maidens, including the important wicket of Jordan Garrett as Jamil Faruq dived to his right to take a great catch at mid-off and make it 30-2. Faruq then made an instant impact when he was introduced into the attack, taking two wickets in his first over without addition to the score on the way to returning match-winning figures of 5-15 from ten terrific overs. He had Joe White caught behind by Robbie Eason with his first ball, and then Henry Woodward, who had just survived a big appeal for a similar dismissal, was adjudged lbw. Tew were finding Faruq unplayable as he swung the ball both ways at a lively pace, and the Horspath seamer struck again when Tom Price was caught at square leg by Mark Skelton to make it 37-5. Horspath were rampant and Faruq claimed his fourth victim when he bowled Lloyd Brock, leaving Tew in disarray at 40-6. Andy Harris and Jancan Adams held up the visitors by putting on 49 for the seventh wicket, before Faruq returned to the attack to have the former caught behind for 20 and complete his five-wicket haul. In the next over, Adams came down the wicket to the first ball of a new spell from off-spinner Tom Cosford and was bowled for 26 to make it 91-8. One run later, Lawrence Brock got a leading edge to a delivery from left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher and was caught by Skelton. Tew's last pair took them past the 100-mark to pick up one point, before Cosford parried a drive off his own bowling to Will Eason, whose throw to his brother, Robbie, ran out Ollie Price to complete the rout. It had been a fantastic all-round bowling display by Horspath, spearheaded by Faruq, who was well supported by Will Eason, Belcher (1-19), Slatcher (1-20), Cosford (1-20) and Jason Cardy, who bowled a tidy five-over spell at a cost of 19 runs. Horspath had restricted Tew to just one batting point, which meant the visitors could afford to lose six wickets and still leapfrog their rivals to secure their top-flight status. But there were no such alarms as openers Tom Coleman and Robbie Eason proceeded to play chanceless innings to steer the visitors to 108-0. Coleman was the more fluent of the pair while Eason was at his most rock-solid in his determination to snuff out any hopes Tews may have harboured of staging a fightback. And the improbable victory was sealed by Coleman with a four through the covers as he finished unbeaten on 69 from 101 balls with 13 boundaries, while Eason was undefeated on 27 to spark Horspath celebrations which went on long into the night. It meant Horspath had stayed up by three points - a truly remarkable end to the league season.
Posted by: Russ
No comments:
Post a Comment