Pessimists through in last-ball thriller

AN INCREDIBLE game at the Memorial Field yesterday ended in the most nerve-racking fashion where a dot ball held the utmost importance. NRG Pessimists came out triumphant due to having a solitary wicket in hand with the scores tied. They progress to the semi-finals of the Alexander Forbes Cup where they will play Optimists.

Chasing 112 from 25 overs, the match having been reduced due to bad weather, Tim Belton's side did their best to lose it.

Four of their wickets fell to run outs and there could have been double that with the batsmen insistent on looking for suicidal runs - for the neutral it was highly comical at times but teammates constantly had their hearts in their mouths.

But it came down to the final pairing of Pete Matthews and Ted Enevoldsen who needed 14 to win of the final 3.2 overs after the ninth wicket had gone down.

Matthews had hit four big sixes up to that point but had also been involved with two of the run outs and there was still much drama to come.

Rovers skipper Richard Hamilton allowed just three runs off his penultimate over and Aaron Scoones went for four from his final six balls. In that time there was even more nervous running with batsmen hesitating and fielders anxious in their work.

So it came down to the last over where four would be enough for Pessimists if they did not lose a wicket.

Matthews swung and missed at Hamilton's first delivery.

He top-edged the second but John Tall somehow failed to grasp the chance at short fine leg and the batsmen scampered a single. Enevoldsen nudged another single before Matthews dotted the fourth ball - it was tense stuff.

Then the number six batsmen pushed one through the covers where it evaded the diving Tim de Putron and the batsmen made two.

That left one ball to survive. Anyone turning up at that point would have witnessed what seemed like a very sedate moment as Hamilton floated the ball up and Matthews completed a routine forward defensive shot, but it meant an awful lot to both teams.

Matthews ended on 40, equal top scorer in the match with Richard Headington with none of the other batsmen, with the possible exception of Tim Duke, contributing anything particularly significant to the cause.

Duke also bowled well, as did Steve Birkett and Pierre Moody once again. Matt Jeffery was the pick of the Rovers attack.

Meanwhile, at the KGV, DHS St Pierre finished as comfortable victors in their quarter-final clash with Deutsche Bank Taverners which was a 30-over affair.

Saints' total of 153 for eight was based on Vince Kenny's 44 at the top of the innings and 27 from Paul Wakeford as Taverners bowled well.

But in reply they never looked liked getting close despite an unbeaten 58 from captain Robbie Moore.