Greys Green secure win from final delivery of match

VISITORS GREYS GREEN ran out winners off the final ball in their friendly clash at HAMBLEDEN on Sunday.

The hosts won the toss and elected to bat. Phil Rosier faced opening bowler Barkat Ahmed (2-17), opening his account with a boundary. His partner Dan Reading then faced Luke Jenkins (2-33) only to be bowled on the final ball of the over.

Jenkins took his second wicket in his next over, having Ollie Grant caught on four at point by Simon Stranger. Martin Calder joined Rosier and the pair took the score to 35 before Calder was bowled on 13 by Stranger (3-40).

Stranger took the wicket of Ian McDonough for 0 in his next over, leaving Hambleden struggling at 46-4 from 15 overs.

Matt Murton now joined Rosier and the score rose to 73 before Andrew Rugg took Murton’s wicket, caught by Stranger on nine.

Chris Sanders came to the crease and he and Rosier doubled the score before Rosier finally fell to the returning opener Barkat on 57, in the 37th over, caught by Ibrahim Zafur at fly-slip.

Tim Cross had a brief spell without reward and Mohammed Shafqat also went unrewarded during his longer spell. However, three more wickets went down as Ahmed bowled Sanders on 44, Stranger bowled James Grant on 10 and Bobby Paul was run out on his first ball with two balls to go. Captain Nick Arnold and Paul Richards survived the final over, Hambleden finishing on 164-9. Greys Green opening batsmen Ahmed and Shafqat hit a partnership of 91 as Hambleden’s opening bowlers James Grant (4-14) and McDonough, then first change bowlers Rosier and Sanders laboured to find a breakthrough.

Rosier almost took the wicket of Ahmed, who survived a close stumping and was then dropped in the slips, going on to score 72.

The first wicket finally fell to Paul who bowled Shafqat on 42 in the 25th over. Ibrahim Zafur joined Ahmed and the pair added a further 58 runs, James Grant breaking the partnership by bowling Zafur on 33.

With four overs left Greys Green required 16 runs to win. Reading replaced Paul, for three overs, but it was Grant who produced a fine finish, firstly bowling Ahmed in his penultimate over then had Matt Skillator caught on the next ball at mid-off by Sanders. Greys Green required two more runs to win from the final over, but lost Nick Holroyd on eight on the first ball. Jenkins hit a single on Grant’s penultimate ball, tying the
scores.

Grant’s final ball was missed by Cross but the batsmen went for the run. Keeper Richards had stopped the ball but only managed to hit the striker’s wicket with Jenkins already safely in from the final ball.