Timsbury's hopes of a second visit to Lords ended in agonising fashion when they were beaten by one wicket with just two balls remaining at home to Berkshire Champions, Wraysbury, in the Davidstow Village Cup. The game was an excellent advertisement for the competition with fortunes ebbing one way and then the other with a grandstand finish.
Having opted to bat first, Timsbury got off to a confident start before Mark Sage, who had been given one life, was caught by Wraysbury Skipper, Gordon Morgan, for sixteen. Greg Passingham soon followed, but Andrew Carter was then joined by Paul Cracknell and together they added 92 crucial runs before Carter was bowled for a superb 88. It was his third successive half-century for the club in an innings that oozed with class. Dave Filer then lasted just two balls and when Cracknell's fine knock ended on 35, Timsbury struggled to develop what had been a strong position on 145–2 and it needed two fours from Sam Hoddinott off the last two balls of the innings to take them to 193. Spinner, Polalzai, who grabbed the vital wicket of Carter, was Wraysbury's most successful bowler with 3–32.
Mark Smith and Ellis Hancock made early inroads when the Berkshire visitors batted, but 46 from Mohan and 43 from Grosvenor established some control for the visitors who became favourites at 106–3. Two quick wickets suddenly redressed the balance and when Neil Hucker took a superb catch to dismiss Grosvenor, it was anybody's game. Two further wickets saw Wraysbury under pressure at 160–8, but a quickfire knock from Singh, including three fours in an over, took the visitors to 193–8 in the last over. Then, in a dramatic finish, Jon Strand bowled Ali and another wicket would see Timsbury through having lost less wickets. A mix-up in running almost handed Timsbury the match, before last man, Etteridge, scrambled the winning run off the fourth ball of the last over.
Andrew Carter was awarded the Trophies of Radstock Man of the Match award for his excellent knock.
Malcolm Tucker