Ottery St Mary 2nd XI were involved in an extraordinary tied encounter with visiting Bideford, Littleham & Westward Ho! 2nd XI which saw the two teams share no less than 526 runs! Writes Ian Townsend.
The home side appeared to be well placed as they posted an all-out total of 263 with opener Dan Flower crafting a rapid 53, Henry Mutter, in his first innings of the season, a fluent 61, and Tom Jeacock 33.
When the visitors then slumped to 74-4 in reply, victory appeared to be within the Otters' grasp but two stubborn middle order partnerships then transformed the contest.
After Kevin Berry (59) added 82 in the company of Chris Luxton (43), a subsequent stand with Martin Stanbury (44*) reduced the target to 14 from the final over. Mutter drew the short straw and with a single ball of his over remaining, Bideford required two runs to pull off a remarkable win.
However, the batsmen could only scramble a bye as the visitors closed on 263-7. A thrilling climax but a frustrating outcome for the home side who were left to rue delivering an eye-watering 43 wides.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here