Tutbury 243-4, Newtown Linford 244-8 – Newtown Linford won by two wickets
Newtown Linford captain Steve Armson scored an unbeaten half-century to see his side over the line off the final ball against Tutbury in the first round of the Voneus Village Cup.
Chasing 243, Newtown Linford lost three wickets to slip to 66 for 3 inside 12 overs.
Armson and Duncan Kingham shared a 77-run fourth-wicket stand to get their side back on track, before the latter was pinned lbw by Sam Stuart for 32 in the 24th over. And two further wickets from George Morgan left them needing 58 runs off the final 9.4 overs with just four wickets in hand.
With two overs remaining, they required 19 runs off 12 balls before a 10-run over, featuring a four and six from Paul Felton, reduced the equation to nine off six.
A single from Armson and a fourth four from Felton had the home side on the brink of victory before Tom Bowring removed Felton for 34 (caught Shaiem Amin). A wide and a single followed before Nathan Davies was runout by Owen Bowring to take the game into the final ball.
But Armson held his nerve, running two to seal a place in round two for his side and finishing the match unbeaten on 80 (77 balls).
Miles Hayhurst was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for 21 from his eight overs.
A fantastic and enthralling game. Our second team just edged home thanks to the efforts of our skipper @StephenArmson 👏🏏 https://t.co/pDP8UeIT5e
— Newtown Linford CC (@NewtownLCC) April 24, 2022
Earlier, Bradley Elson made a strong start at the top of the order, scoring 40 runs off 64 balls, before a 155-run stand between Hayhurst and Morgan put Tutbury in the control.
Armson (1 for 76) and Felton (1 for 61), later the heroes with the bat, in particular, were punished by the third-wicket duo before the latter eventually removed Morgan for a blistering 63-ball 96 (11 fours, five sixes) at the start of the penultimate over – a crucial piece of damage limitation by the bowler which ensured the chase stayed below 250.
Tutbury added a further 13 runs off the remaining 11 deliveries as well as losing the wicket of Hayhurst (66 off 82) to close on 243 for 4.
Kingham was the standout bowler for Newtown Linford, posting figures of 0 for 26 from his eight overs, while Sam Chambers contributed an economical 0 for 32.
Newtown Linford host Calverton in round two of an East Midlands group which is anyone’s to play for. Last year’s regional champions Clipstone & Bilsthorpe have not entered the competition while regional finalists Castor & Ailsworth lost to Lowdham by nine runs in round one.
We would like to thank our sponsors BOLA for their support of our Voneus Village Cup coverage. To find out more click here.
