National Village Knock-out Cup

Liphook and Ripsley 210-8 lost to Rockhampton 211-8 by one run

ROCKHAMPON have squeezed into the next round of the National Village Knock-out Cup by the tightest of margins as they travelled to Liphook and Riplsey CC in Hampshire and returned with a one run victory.

Rarely will the Rams win a match by such a narrow score and every run counted in the end.

Rockhampton won the toss and batted first with opener Matt Tyler back to form after his disappointing three runs in the league game a day earlier.

Fellow opener Harry Collins departed for three with the score on 17 but Tyler and number three Guy Brothwood struck up a top partnership that added 99 runs to the total before Tyler was out for fifty.

A run later, Brothwood followed the opener to the pavilion with a contribution of 58.

But Rockhampton were not over yet as Will Tyler got going again to smash eight fours and two sixes in a knock of 68 from fifty balls before he was run out with the total on 210.

Bob Belbin, Simon Hore and Chris Willoughby had all come and gone before Will Tyler and it was left to Jack Spence and Sam Nichols to try and finish the innings, but Nichols was run out for a duck with the last ball of the forty overs.

The total included nine extras and Liphook and Ripsley did not realise at the time how crucial those giveaway runs would be in the final countdown with Rockhampton ending on 211-8.

In reply, Liphook and Ripsley lost wickets at regular intervals but their opener Suman Ganguly refused to budge.

The opener was there as Willoughby took the wicket of wicket keeper Richard Covey for four, and when Nichols grabbed a caught and bowled to dismiss home captain Giles Cover for two.

Spence caught a Dave McCabe delivery to get rid of number four Richard Williams for eight to put the Hampshire team on 52-3. But they had to wait another 59 runs before Belbin caught a delivery from Brothwood to dismiss number five Grant Rouse.

All the time, though, Ganguly was thrashing up the runs and he was still there when McCabe caught number six Harry Munt for six off the bowling of Hancox.

Rockhampton were desperate to get rid of the stubborn opener as he looked to be guiding his team to victory.

And eventually, having hit six fours and five sixes from 71 balls, the opener played a delivery back to Hancox who obliged with the catch to send Ganguly to the pavilion for ninety.

Rockhampton may had thought that the danger was over from then on but home number seven Gabriel Broadhurst and number eight Dan Wrenn had other ideas.

They stuck together to take the total to 175 when Wrenn became the seventh home man out when Brothwood bowled him for 22 from 19 balls.

Nichols ran out the home number nine Chris Martin for seven but the drama was not over as bowler George Neave came to the crease to partner Broadhurst.

The pair swung the bat in order to get the runs that would take them over the line. It took nerves of steel from the Rockhampton bowlers to keep the pair out as Neave hit a six and two boundaries.

But the Rams just managed to hold out and, despite giving Liphook and Ripsley ten extras, the home team fell short by a single run, ending their forty overs on 210-8 in a thrilling finale which could have gone either way.