The Second Eleven had an absolute thriller at Preston Nomads this weekend, winning by a margin of 9 runs although each of the three results was possible entering the last over.

Cuckfield won the toss and elected to bat. Progress at the start of the innings was slow but solid as Cheg Abraham and Furrakh Mirza set about building a platform. Having put on 60 for the first wicket Abraham was then bowled trying to increase the scoring rate. Kristian Pilot then came to the wicket and played a superbly controlled innings, well supported by an increasingly attacking Mirza. After Mirza fell for a well compiled half century, the rest of the Cuckfield batting then ably supported Pilot in the latter stages of the innings. Cuckfield closed at 218-6 in their 53 overs. Pilot was undefeated with 89, having played some wonderful stokes, seemingly scoring at will at the end of the innings. Preston Nomads had 47 overs to reach their target of 219.

At the start of the Nomad’s innings Tom Flower and Peter Collins kept a disciplined line and length. Both were rewarded with wickets and Cuckfield kept the Nomads down to a scoring rate of around 3 an over in the first 15 overs. Gough Baker and Jack Denier replaced the opening bowlers and both took a wicket which seemed to leave Cuckfield in an extremely strong position: The Nomads required 8 an over for the last 10 overs. However two Nomad batsmen batted very well and using the large pitch they succeeded in accumalating runs at a steady rate while scoring the occasional boundary also. By the end of the 45th over The Nomads had managed to reach 208-5. They required 11 runs to win from 12 balls with 5 wickets in hand. Cuckfield had allowed their advantage to slip and defeat was looming.

Gough Baker then bowled a remarkable over in which he took two wickets for one run. Cuckfield also managed a run out. Both of the Nomads danger men who had batted so well had been dismissed and there were two new batsmen at the crease. At the end of the 46th over The Nomads were 209-8, needing 10 runs to win with 2 wickets in hand.

In an amazing reversal of circumstance, Cuckfield now had the momentum and the pressure was on The Nomads. Peter Collins bowled the last over and took the two wickets required in his first 4 balls (both caught). No further runs had been scored. Nomads had collapsed from 208 for 5 to 209 all out in the space of 10 balls. Cuckfield had won by 9 runs. When the last catch was taken by Tommy Watson both teams congratulated each other on a great game of cricket that had produced such drama.