MILL HILL SCHOOL 243 FOR 5 BEAT SPAIN 242 FOR 6 BY ONE RUN
Spain suffered heartbreak at the hands of Mill Hill this weekend when they just failed by one run in their quest to chase down the formidable total of 243 for 6 set by the Middlesex school.
After a short delay for rain early in the morning, Spain won the toss and put Mill Hill into bat. The Spaniards opened their bowling attack with the normally reliable Sunderland and Garside. Sunderland was failing to find his usual line and length and Garside was replaced after one over by Munoz, after being called for three wides by the Mill Hill umpire.
The Mill Hill openers looked reasonably untroubled until Munoz got one to nip away and the England Under 15 player Rossington snicked it to the keeper. Unfortunately, Seekings was unable to hold onto the sharp chance and Mill Hill`s star player had been given a lifeline. Munoz was continuing to ball well and he got his reward when the other opener Selley was caught at slip by Brook with score on 41.
Woodhead joined Rossington at the crease and proved to be a willing foil for Rossington, who was now begining to make the Spaniards pay for the dropped chance when he had only scored 23. Together the put on 64 for the second wicket before Woodhead was caught behind by Seekings for 20 runs.Chopra came and went quickly, and then Shah joined Rossington in another substantial partnership of 130 with the latter falling one short of 50 to a smart catch by Seekings off the bowling of Smith.
It looked like Rossington was going to carry is bat but with 3 balls left and just 9 short of 150 he was caught on the midwicket boundary by Hersh. The openers class was recognised by players and spectators alike and he got a deserved round of applause from everyone watching the game.
Mill Hill added a couple of more runs before the close of their 40 overs and finished with the mammoth total of 243 for 5 off 40 overs.
The Spanish youngsters have never chased down such a total before, and coach Porter spent all the interval instilling confidence and self belief into the youngsters. They started their reply positively, with both Brook and Seekings looking in aggressive form. The openers punished some wayward bowling and they had moved comfortably onto 29 when Seekings got a legside edge to a ball from Davda and the chance was taken expertly by the wicket keeper Rossington, who was standing up to the medium pacer.
Munoz hit an exquisite 4 to get off the mark but then was trapped lbw by Hughes and when Brook holed out on the bounday with the score on 54 things did not look good for the hosts. The new batsmen Garside and Hersh set about consolidating the situation for the first ten overs and as their confidence grew the shots and the score started to flow. Garside was playing sublimely, and Hersh, playing against his fathers alma mater, was playing a mature innings well beyond his 13 years.
The pair turned the game around and at put on 112 for the 4th wicket when contoversy struck. Garside played and missed a square cut off Ray.The wicket keeper whipped off the bails and appealed to the Mill Hill umpire for a stumping. Despite having his back foot inside the crease it was adjudged by the official that it was in the air and he was given out, having scored a splendid 70.
Hersh took up the mantle, and plundered runs to all corners of the ground, in what was undoubtedly his best innings for Spain. Ably supported by Smith, they took the score to 233 with one over to go. Rossington relinquished the gloves and came on to bowl the last over for Mill Hill.
Hersh hit 2 from the first ball and 4 from the next to have the Spanish supporters in raptures. Unfortunately, he skied the third ball to cover and Chopra did well to hold onto the pressure catch. Smith, fresh from a week at the ICC School of Excellence gave the Spaniards renewed hope with a straight drive for 4 and then he and Daley scrambled a single from the fifth ball.
This left Daley to face the last ball needing one for a draw and two for victory. Rossington showed all his experience and kept his nerve to remove Daley´s off stump to see the Middlesex outfit home by one run. A dejected Spanish team left the field rueing what could have been, but they can be proud of their efforts and the way they have represented Spain throughout the tournament.
Special thanks to Chris Porter, Alan Hancock and Neil Brook for all their hard work during the week and for making the festival such a success for all concerned.
MILL HILL
A Rossington Ct Hersh Bowled Garside 141
B Selley Ct Brook Bowled Munoz 12
H Woodhead Ct Seekings Bowled Smith 20
A Chopra Ct Seekings Bowled Smith 4
P Shah Ct Smith Bowled Munoz 49
C Hughes Not Out 1
C Worsley Not Out 1
A Roach Dnb
S Jacobs Dnb
A Harahan Dnb
Zaman Dnb
Extras 15 Total 243 for 5
FOW 1-42, 2-105, 3-111, 4-241, 5-241
BOWLING
J Sunderland 8-0-56-0
M Garside 7-0-37-1
C Munoz 6-0-8-2
A Daley 8-0-30-0
M Smith 5-0-38-2
B Seekings 5-0-35-0
T Vine 1-0-6-0
SPAIN
J Brook Ct Jacobs Bowled A Chopra 25
B Seekings Ct Rossington Bowled Davda 14
C Munoz Lbw Hughes 4
J Hersh Ct A Chopra Bowled Rossington 73
M Garside Stumped Rossington Bowled Ray 70
M Smith Not Out 39
A Daley Bowled Rossington 0
C Johnston Dnb
R Engleman Dnb
J Sunderland Dnb
T Vine Dnb
Extras 17 Total 242 for 6
FOW 1-29, 2-45, 3-54, 4-166, 5-237, 6-241
BOWLING
M Hughes 8-1-26-1
P Davda 8-0-52-1
A Chopra 9-0-35-1
L Roach 3-0-20-0
Zaman 1-0-10-0
K Chopra 3-0-27-0
J Ray 5-0-43-1
C Worsley 2-0-12-0
A Rossington 1-0-11-2
MILL HILL WON BY 1 RUN.