THIS week's Worcestershire County League match between Barnards Green 2nd X1 and Romsley 2nd X1 disproved the commonly held opinion that the only exciting cricket games are those dominated by the batsmen, reaching a thrilling climax in the final over.

ROMSLEY II v BARNARDS GREEN II

Stand in skipper Jez Clarke won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat on a wicket which had been affected by heavy midweek rain but was drying rapidly in the hot sunshine.

Brown and Ahktar started slowly as both Rich Brown and Brad Adams got the ball to move in the air and off the wicket and it soon became clear that making runs was going to be a difficult challenge. Brown was the first to go, miscuing a forcing shot to Jez Clarke at mid off to give Adams his first wicket. After 20 overs the score had only reached 37 for 3, Adams having clean bowled both Pestridge and Ahktar, and no boundaries had been scored. Boyce and Patel then put together on of the best partnerships of the game until Patel was bowled by Jamie Longmore and Doughty joined the attack, moving the ball in both directions to trouble all the batsmen and dismiss top scorer Boyce for a patient 16. Allen and Turner added some useful runs but once they were removed Doughty and Drinkwater quickly polished off the tail ending up with three cheap wickets each as Romsley collapsed to 101 all out in the 45th over, leaving the Green to score 102 off 55 overs - a task which appeared simple at the time! For the second week running extras finished as the highest scorer for the opposition - 27 runs.

In reply Jez Clarke struck a lovely leg side boundary off Turner's second ball but was then trapped lbw by Patel without adding to his score. Sherliker also started well, opening his account with a couple of boundaries through the covers.

The score mounted slowly and in the 20th over Sherliker pushed a simple catch to Pestridge at midwicket to be dismissed for 23 - remarkably the highest individual score in the game! Paul Drinkwater soon became Beaumont's second victim but Brian Hancock spent 12 overs at the crease with the dogged Keith Middleton to take the score into the 60s before trying an over ambitious shot and losing his leg stump to Wall for 13. Spencer became Patel's second victim and opener Keith Middleton was finally dismissed by a brillant slip catch having spent two and three quarter hours at the crease while making an invaluable 13 runs. Robbie Lewis made 7 runs before being bowled by Painter and Adams became the sixth lbw victim of the match to leave the Green 27 runs short with just two wickets remaining.

Jud Doughty and Rich Brown approached the task sensibly and with 6 runs to win Doughty went for the glory shot - a pull off a short ball from Beaumont which he only managed to hit straight up into the air. In came the last man, young Jamie Longmore, who showed no nerves as he struck a ball from Patel through midwicket for a couple of vital runs. The final over - two needed to win - Rich Brown to take strike - the tension still mounting! No runs were scored off the first four deliveries but Brown managed to swing the 5th ball away behind square on the leg side and had already made up his mind to go for the risky second run as the ball was fielded. The return was a good one, right by the stumps but the Romsley keeper failed to gather the ball cleanly and Brown scrambled home for the winning run.

Our thanks to match sponsors Vaughan Albone