Magpies’ teenager pulls off a miracle
WITH a bruising blow off the final ball of the innings, Wests 15-year-old all-rounder Ben Ramsbotham became a local cricket hero.
Ramsbotham, who had to wear borrowed kit and swung with an opposition player’s bat after leaving his at another ground, smashed an unbeaten half-century and his side to an impossible victory in Townsville Cricket C Grade.
Ramsbotham arrived at the crease with four-and-a-half overs remaining and with his Wests side needing 67 runs for victory.
But it was the final two overs of the game when the young batsman turned the contest on its head.
He smashed five fours along with four byes in the penultimate over, before hitting two twos and two sixes in the final over.
The last of his sixes came with six runs needed off the final ball.
“When I heard the captain say 40 off two overs, I was not expecting to win the game,” he said. “After hitting a couple of boundaries, I thought it was maybe a slight chance.
“The ball just came off the bat really well and I seemed to be finding the gaps. I knew we still needed a fair few in that final over and I thought I would try to stay on strike and keep the new batsman at the non-strikers (end).
“I said to myself keep doing what I am doing, get bat on ball and run hard.
“(The last ball) just came on nicely, I stepped down a little bit and met it on the half volley and sent it back over his head. To be honest I tried not to feel pressure and just let myself hit it. I knew it was six the moment it left the bat.”
Ramsbotham finished with 51 off 18 deliveries, but he said the half-century was secondary to getting his team home in an epic finish.
Sub Parks Green batsman Jassi Thind had the highest score of the competition’s second round after he smashed 81 from 49 deliveries in the side’s win over Brothers Blue.