By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE
WHAT a finish! Last man Ollie Clifford-Bourne smashed the ball out of the ground to clinch an unlikely win for Bovey Tracey 2ndXI in the final of the Aaron Printers Cup.
Torquay appeared to be cruising to victory in the final at South Devon CC after making 137 for six then restricting Bovey to 92 for eight with four overs to go.
Bovey’s Will Christophers had just been bowled for 50 by Aaron Hearn and that looked to be that as far as Bovey’s hopes of retaining the cup they won last year were concerned.
At that point Bovey’s batters had obtained very little change out of Torquay spinners Harry Baxendale (2-33) and Harry Passenger (2-22).
Turn the clock back a year to Bovey’s win over Paignton in the 2021 final and the man of the match was Charlie Hill, who won it for his bowling.
Hill did not know this particular game was up and it was his assault on the Torquay bowling that put the match back in the balance.
Hill pummelled the Torquay bowling for 31 off 13 balls – three fours, two sixes – as the target came down.
Chris Yabsley tipped and ran for a dozen at the other end and one eight-ball over from Torquay captain Harry Baxendale that produced 23 runs edged Bovey closer.
Left-armer Baxendale had bowled his first three overs for just 10 runs and claimed the wickets of Jack Kessell and Sam Harvey.
Bovey hurried to 131 for eight with an over to go, which meant seven to win from the last six balls, to be bowled by Torquay’s Ruben Stanley.
A single to Stanley brought the target down to six, which Hill tried to get in one hit. He was caught out on the boundary by Harry Passenger.
Four balls go, six still needed and Yabsley back on strike. The next delivery cannoned into Yabsley’s pads and the batters scrambled a leg bye.
Three balls left, five needed and number 11 Clifford-Bourne is facing the bowling. Stanley runs in and bowls, Clifford-Bourne takes a swing at the ball which disappears over the scorebox at deep mid-wicket and was last seen rolling around the car park next door!
Things can change quickly in Twenty20 cricket.
Bovey could not have won without Hill’s rapid runs that made up for lost time, but the memory of the final will always be Clifford-Bourne’s six to win it from the only ball he faced. That’s why he was awarded man of the match by adjudicator Keith Wakeham from Ipplepen CC.
Torquay, who went into the final depleted by injury and illness problems, were 72 for two at the halfway stage and will have been disappointed not to make more than 137 for six.
Spinners Will Christophers (1-15) and Clifford-Bourne (1-19) offered very little to hit in the second set of 10 overs after Yabsley (3-24) had chipped away at the top five.
Jono Colegate (36) top scored for Torquay and after extras (22) the next best from the bat was Harry Passenger’s 16.
Torquay 137-6 ( J Colegate 36, H Passenger 16; C Yabsley 3-24), Bovey Tracey 2ndXI 139-9 (W Christophers 50, C Hill 31; H Baxendale 2-22, H Passenger 2-22). Bovey Tracey bt Torquay by 1 wkt.
