Downs hold nerve in last-ball thrilller (From Witney Gazette)

Downs hold nerve in last-ball thrilller

10:00am Wednesday 25th July 2012 in Cricket

Oxford Downs scored the winning runs at Leighton Buzzard Town off the last ball of the final over to clinch a thrilling two-wicket win in Cherwell League Division 1 on Saturday.

In a match that had everything, Will Sandbach had already bagged a hat-trick on his way to capturing 4-38 as Town were all out for 177.

All-rounder Dan Scott hit 53 for the home side.

Wasim Mehmood (38), And-rew Buckingham (34) and the tail scrambled the required runs as Downs reached 183-8.

l Leighton Buzzard Town 11pts, Oxford Downs 25 Oxford Downs 2nd skittled Tiddington for just 60 on the way to a seven-wicket victory in Division 2.

Jack Sopett snapped up 3-8 and Steve Roberts 3-16 as the visitors’ innings was wrapped up inside 34 overs.

George Sandbach (36no) steered Downs to victory in only 8.3 overs.

Tiddington won their first three matches, but have not tasted victory since.

l Oxford Downs 2nd 25pts, Tiddington 3 Shipton-under-Wychwood 2nd went down to a one-wicket defeat against Cropredy in a Division 3 thriller.

Shipton posted 181-5, tha-nks to Shane Duff (44) and Ian Lewis (41), while Adam Good-way wheeled away for 19 overs to take 3-59.

Tom King (3-45) and Anth-ony Prior-Wandesforde (3-44) kept Shipton in the game.

But Ed Somerton (62) and Joe Fox (39) counter-attacked and Cropredy reached 182-9 off the penultimate ball of the final over.

It saw Cropredy take over at the top as a result.

l Cropredy 25, Shipton 2nd 12 Witney Mills’ Pete Clar-idge smashed 54 as his side reached 195-7 at Kingston Bagpuize.

He was then eclipsed by Robbie Keates (57) as King-ston came up just short on 183-7.

That was despite Dave Ward’s knock of 38. Cham-inda Wimalarathana captured 3-42.

l Kingston Bagpuize 8, Witney Mills 15