Vale 1st snatch last-ball win, while U11’s clinch title
CRICKET London Maccabi Vale 1st recorded a dramatic last-ball victory to defeat Harrow Town in a pulsating contest at Rowley Lane.
A scampered single off the final delivery of the match secured a onewicket win for Vale, their second in three league matches this season. But that barely scrapes the surface of a feisty, nail-biting encounter.
A match of several twists and turns – and plenty of incident – saw Harrow get off to a flying start, before captain Neil Lederman (3-37) led the Vale fightback with the ball. A superb second half to the innings from Vale’s bowlers restricted the visitors to a belowpar score, with Adam Brand, Benjamin Lederman, Simeon Cohen and Steven Allweis all chipping in with vital wickets, supported by excellent catching.
Set a target of 211 to win, Vale looked on course with Adam Brand (62), Ben Kohler (34) and Alex Haffner (31) all in fine touch – but a highly contentious decision by the opposition’s umpire to give Brand out LBW reignited the visitors’ hopes.
After further controversy with the umpire, bowlers’ actions and issues with the scoring, it came down to six required off the final over to win and then five needed off three balls, with two wickets in hand.
Under intense pressure, an audacious ramp shot by Steven Allweis sailed away for four runs – but he was dismissed off the penultimate ball with the scores level.
In hobbled Jonny Gould at no. 11. Normally a top-order batsman, Gould had suffered an injury in the field and required the assistance of a runner. However, given the spirit in which the game had been played, it was no surprise that Harrow Town refused that request. For Vale, it made victory all the sweeter.
Gould crashed the ball straight to one of Harrow Town’s close fielders, but a fumble by him and then another by the wicketkeeper allowed Rayno Greenwall-Cohen to scamper home just in time to seal a memorable win for Vale.
Vale are celebrating their first-ever colts title after the club’s under-11 team won the Middlesex Association Division Four crown.
An impressive victory over Totteridge secured the league title for Vale who amassed 163-2 before dismissing their hosts for just 38.
Vale U11 manager Anthony Wise commented: “We are thrilled to have won the league. The boys were outstanding – the fielding was exceptional and is a reward for all the hard work put in during training.
“We took nine catches, some of them spectacular, and the tenth wicket was a run-out. The improvement in the our the colts teams augers well for next season.”