North Runcton suffer play-off heartache against Sawston and Babraham North Runcton 107 all out Sawston & Babraham 111-4
Sawston and Babraham, unbeaten all season, were too strong for North Runcton in the play-off final for promotion to the East Anglia Premier League.
Playing at the hosts’ ground Runcton won the toss and elected to bat.
Openers Jack Major and George Rawlings looked comfortable making a good start before Major played down the wrong line and was bowled for 12.
Mark Skipper made eight, Nick Freeman came and went and then Rawlings was caught behind for 17 with the score at 54-4.
Ben Coote tried hard to rescue the situation, but at 61 Harry Lankfer went leg-before-wicket without scoring.
Coote went next for 20 trying to force one and was caught at extra-cover.
Andrew Barrett and Ben Skipper provided a stubborn resistance before Barrett was bowled for eight off 40 balls.
Ben Skipper with 25 off 68 balls gave the Runcton barmy army something to cheer but he was the ninth wicket down caught at deep-square.
Tom Tansley and Josh Ring were eighth and last out respectively, both leg-before-wicket, as the Runcton innings came to an end for 107 in the 42nd over.
Sawston bowlers shared the wickets in an exhibition of accuracy by all.
In reply the openers Matthew Hague and Waqas Hussain, with batting averages in excess of 60, punished their respective first balls with hard hit fours.
The scoring rate was high but, to Runcton’s credit, they took the prized wickets of both Hague for 19, leg-before-wicket to Josh Ring (1-40) and Aussie Hussain for 42, caught at long-on by Ben Skipper off Jack Major.
George Rawlings neatly stumped Alex Stafford to give Major a deserved second wicket (2-28).
Michael Annakin brought into the fray with only a handful of runs left to play with bowled well, straight and into the block hole to clean bowl Callum Guest and finish with 1-8.
Sawston completed victory on 111-4.
Although defeated it was a great experience for the team against a Sawston and Babraham side that if they keep together will prove a very strong addition to the EAPL.
