Chipping Sodbury 1st XI Gain Promotion After Dramatic Final Match!
Article Date: 5th September 2011
Chipping Sodbury witnessed cricket history at the Ridings as their cricket team beat Frenchay by 36 runs to snatch the league title in a dramatic final game.
Sodbury lost the toss and were asked to bat but fittingly saved their finest batting performance of the season for when it really mattered.
After losing Bryan Jater (8) with the score on 22, Jamie Wakefield and Rich Howell set about steadying Sodbury nerves.
After a cautious start both men took the attack to the visitors with a flurry of boundaries. Howell was in particularly devastating form as he raced to a run a ball fifty.
When he was eventually clean bowled for 63 the pair had added 111 and given Sodbury the perfect platform to post a challenging total.
Wakefield soon passed his half century before he was also bowled for 51. The on form Harry Webb came to the crease and picked up the pace cracking seven boundaries in his 44.
It was then left to the old heads of Craig Scully (17 not out) and Andrew Neal (13) to guide Sodbury to their final total of 239 for 7 from their 45 overs with the help of 38 extras.
Sodbury were desperate to keep the pressure on the Frenchay batsmen but they raced to 24 from 11 balls before Jon Toghill picked up a vital wicket with the final ball of his first over.
Veteran Jay Penfold then also got in on the act as the visitors wobbled at 37 for 2. Frenchay regrouped and progressed the score to 71 before skipper Jamie Rendell entered the fray.
He picked up two quick wickets with his wily spin to turn the game in Sodbury’s favour. Frenchay somehow found the resolve to gather themselves once more but were struggling to contain the ever increasing run rate.
The turning point in the game came as skipper Rendell handed 16 year old Chris Willoughby the ball. The young left arm quickie showed nerves of steel to produce a title winning spell.
He ripped through the visitor’s lower order taking 4 for 32. Rendell also showed his class with an imperious spell of 4 for 46 as the pair bowled superbly in tandem.
As Willoughby clean bowled the visitors danger man to give Sodbury their victory, the bumper crowd erupted and celebrations at The Ridings ran long into the night.
Leave Comments
