Back
Sat 26 May 2018 · Premier Division - 3rd XI
3rd XISpencer CC, Surrey - 3rd XI
216/6
215
3s hold nerve to clinch thrilling 1 run win over champs Spencer
Antony Ireland29 May 2018 - 10:21
Share via
By Antony Ireland
The Llama 3s gave their title hopes a major boost with a trilling one run win over champions Spencer at St. Albans Rd on Saturday. RPCC set the visitors a testing target of 217 thanks to a superb exhibition of concentration from RGS keeper-batsman Ashwin Bhat, who anchored the innings at number three for more than 45 overs for his 82 not out.
Action-man allrounder Nick Rotsey (21) got the innings off to a quick start, but Spencer chipped away with regular wickets to keep the run-rate in check. U17 Will Dahl (23) looked impressive on his 3s debut, putting on a 50+ partnership with Bhat for the fourth wicket before falling at 107-4 in the 30th over. Ant Ireland (12) and Nick Gavigan (13) chipped in with Bhat but Spencer’s veteran dobbler Aquib Sidhu did what he always did and tied up an end, and by the 40th over, hopes of a 200+ score were slipping.
When Gavigan fell at around 150-6, Ireland sent frustrated all-rounder Shayne Cossey (23*) - originally slated to bat 11 due to a ridiculously good tail – up the order with a licence to thrill, and he and Bhat immediately shifted gears.
The pair chanced their arms, ran well and forced Spencer to start making some uncharacteristic mistakes. When their young seamer lost the plot and conceded 22 in an over, including a waist high no-ball dispatched for four and five wides, all could sense the momentum had shifted and the Llamas tucked into one of the best teas in recent times the happier of the two sides having set 217.
Priory set about defending their score well, Steve Cross (2-43) and Mobeen Tahir (1-33) getting the better of Spencer’s decent quality top four, with the help of a rare Rotsey runout (usually the throw flies 80ft over the keeper for four). At 60-4, Spencer were in trouble and the Llamas sniffed blood. With better catching it could have quickly been game over and Crossy could have had four or five, having bowled with venom but little luck.
However, Spencer’s skipper James Lipscombe dug in with a patient 57 and the game began to drift. Despite five very tight overs from Nick Gavigan for next to nothing, runs leaked at the other end and Spencer slowly manoeuvred into a decent position.
By the 30th, Ireland had turned to the reliable duo of Rotsey (3-40) and Cossey (2-45) – spoiler alert – to close out the game. But on a flat deck, Spencer kept their heads and soon the chase was well within their grasp with less than 50 needed from the last 10 overs and two batsmen set.
Rotsey and Cossey didn’t concede much off the bat, but standards slipped a little from the Llamas – wides, misfields, a dropped catch and a distinct lack of energy were making a frustrating Spencer win increasingly likely.
However, pressure does funny things at the business end, and when Spencer’s plucky number 8 Matt Glover inexplicably skied one to Ireland at mid-off (who is still seeing stars having somehow caught the ball straight out of the blazing sun), the Llamas seized the initiative.
Lipscome marshalled the strike well from there and appeared to have got his side home. With three overs to go, Spencer were hot favourites needing 9 runs with 3 wickets in hand.
All the Llamas could do was keep a tight ring field and hope to build pressure through dots. It worked. Rotsey and Cossey kept it tight, the dots accumulated, and when Lipscombe followed Glover by mistiming a drive to Ireland at mid-off the pressure suddenly shifted onto the tail.
Rotsey and Cossey’s experience shone through, Llama energy levels went up five notches and suddenly runs were very hard to come by. Again Spencer appeared to have crept home, but Cossey took the ninth wicket in the 49th over with just two needed – only to be devastated to realise it was the last ball of the over. With Rotsey having completed his 10 in the 48th, the ball was flung back to Gavigan. Tactical genius? Bad maths? No-one but Ireland will ever know.
Under huge pressure, Gavigan, hoping to establish himself in the side after a strong season last year for the Pirates, summoned balls of steel and more importantly an off stump yorker with his first ball to splatter the stumps and break Spencer’s hearts, one run shy of the home side’s total.
Gavigan (1-7 from 5.1) released a primal roar, arms aloft, and was duly swamped by a hoard of screaming Llamas in one of the bounciest squeezes in recent memory. Given the margin of victory and the quality of opposition, this must go down as one of the 3s’ great wins.
Spencer had cocked it up, but the Llamas had lifted their game just in the nick of time, and full credit goes to the seamers who all put in a great shift.
The result was all the sweeter given Spencer had whipped last year’s title out of our grasp by outplaying us at their ground in the last game of the season.
There is a long way to go and Wimbledon are already out in front in the table, but the win remedied some pain from last year’s disappointment and showed the Llamas are serious contenders for the title once again this year.
Two wins on the bounce brings us back into the top four and with momentum behind us we are keen for our visit to Old Whitgiftians for the first timed game next week.
Action-man allrounder Nick Rotsey (21) got the innings off to a quick start, but Spencer chipped away with regular wickets to keep the run-rate in check. U17 Will Dahl (23) looked impressive on his 3s debut, putting on a 50+ partnership with Bhat for the fourth wicket before falling at 107-4 in the 30th over. Ant Ireland (12) and Nick Gavigan (13) chipped in with Bhat but Spencer’s veteran dobbler Aquib Sidhu did what he always did and tied up an end, and by the 40th over, hopes of a 200+ score were slipping.
When Gavigan fell at around 150-6, Ireland sent frustrated all-rounder Shayne Cossey (23*) - originally slated to bat 11 due to a ridiculously good tail – up the order with a licence to thrill, and he and Bhat immediately shifted gears.
The pair chanced their arms, ran well and forced Spencer to start making some uncharacteristic mistakes. When their young seamer lost the plot and conceded 22 in an over, including a waist high no-ball dispatched for four and five wides, all could sense the momentum had shifted and the Llamas tucked into one of the best teas in recent times the happier of the two sides having set 217.
Priory set about defending their score well, Steve Cross (2-43) and Mobeen Tahir (1-33) getting the better of Spencer’s decent quality top four, with the help of a rare Rotsey runout (usually the throw flies 80ft over the keeper for four). At 60-4, Spencer were in trouble and the Llamas sniffed blood. With better catching it could have quickly been game over and Crossy could have had four or five, having bowled with venom but little luck.
However, Spencer’s skipper James Lipscombe dug in with a patient 57 and the game began to drift. Despite five very tight overs from Nick Gavigan for next to nothing, runs leaked at the other end and Spencer slowly manoeuvred into a decent position.
By the 30th, Ireland had turned to the reliable duo of Rotsey (3-40) and Cossey (2-45) – spoiler alert – to close out the game. But on a flat deck, Spencer kept their heads and soon the chase was well within their grasp with less than 50 needed from the last 10 overs and two batsmen set.
Rotsey and Cossey didn’t concede much off the bat, but standards slipped a little from the Llamas – wides, misfields, a dropped catch and a distinct lack of energy were making a frustrating Spencer win increasingly likely.
However, pressure does funny things at the business end, and when Spencer’s plucky number 8 Matt Glover inexplicably skied one to Ireland at mid-off (who is still seeing stars having somehow caught the ball straight out of the blazing sun), the Llamas seized the initiative.
Lipscome marshalled the strike well from there and appeared to have got his side home. With three overs to go, Spencer were hot favourites needing 9 runs with 3 wickets in hand.
All the Llamas could do was keep a tight ring field and hope to build pressure through dots. It worked. Rotsey and Cossey kept it tight, the dots accumulated, and when Lipscombe followed Glover by mistiming a drive to Ireland at mid-off the pressure suddenly shifted onto the tail.
Rotsey and Cossey’s experience shone through, Llama energy levels went up five notches and suddenly runs were very hard to come by. Again Spencer appeared to have crept home, but Cossey took the ninth wicket in the 49th over with just two needed – only to be devastated to realise it was the last ball of the over. With Rotsey having completed his 10 in the 48th, the ball was flung back to Gavigan. Tactical genius? Bad maths? No-one but Ireland will ever know.
Under huge pressure, Gavigan, hoping to establish himself in the side after a strong season last year for the Pirates, summoned balls of steel and more importantly an off stump yorker with his first ball to splatter the stumps and break Spencer’s hearts, one run shy of the home side’s total.
Gavigan (1-7 from 5.1) released a primal roar, arms aloft, and was duly swamped by a hoard of screaming Llamas in one of the bounciest squeezes in recent memory. Given the margin of victory and the quality of opposition, this must go down as one of the 3s’ great wins.
Spencer had cocked it up, but the Llamas had lifted their game just in the nick of time, and full credit goes to the seamers who all put in a great shift.
The result was all the sweeter given Spencer had whipped last year’s title out of our grasp by outplaying us at their ground in the last game of the season.
There is a long way to go and Wimbledon are already out in front in the table, but the win remedied some pain from last year’s disappointment and showed the Llamas are serious contenders for the title once again this year.
Two wins on the bounce brings us back into the top four and with momentum behind us we are keen for our visit to Old Whitgiftians for the first timed game next week.
Further reading
Team Sponsors
