Exciting finish for Maldon cricketers (From Maldon and Burnham Standard)

Exciting finish for Maldon cricketers

4:38pm Thursday 14th June 2012 in Sport

MALDON scraped home to win in exciting fashion against Wivenhoe divion one of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship.

“If the results keep going like this I’m going to end the season grey-haired,” said Maldon’s first-team skipper Jimmy Ainscough, after his side won by one run in the final over of play.

He added: “Last week we lost by three runs but this side is developing the right fighting spirit to see matches to the end.”

It was youth and experience, in the form of Chris Harris (24) and Ian Elliott (38) who battled for what proved a match-winninng stand of 71 for the second wicket after Maldon had been put in and lost a wicket in the first over.

Ainscough said: “You only have to look at what happened when they were both bowled to see how well they played.

“We went from 72 for one to 88 for six.

“The ball really started to move and people survived but couldn’t get the ball off the square.

“Thank goodness for Neil (Bannister).”

Neil Bannister came in at 88 for six and decided aggression was the best form of survival.

He hit three fours and a six in a breezy innings which, with Gary Bannister, helped push the score to a barely respectable 131.

Ainscough said: “I would back our bowling attack against any side in this league but 131 was a low total to defend and it was tense all through.”

Maldon’s bowlers did step up their game and no-one more than Toby Pugh (4-41), who took out Wivenhoe’s middle order.

Jack Riley, in a good opening spell, got a wicket with his third ball but Tim Affleck (38) steered Wivenhoe to a solid 58 for two.

Elliott got his wicket thanks to a smart catch by Marc Gozzett and then Pugh got to work.

Wivenhoe seemed doomed at 68 for six but the obdurate Tom Harwood (33) found a partner in Oliver Morgan (27) and at 106 for six Maldon’s total looked well within their reach.

However, Pugh got Harwood and young Harris proved his promising all-round talents by accounting for the last three.

He caught one off Elliott’s (2-23) bowling and bowled out two others, including Morgan.

Entrusted with the last over, Harris bowled Durrell for a duck and Maldon were home by one run.

Ainscough said: “I’m delighted with the result, delighted with our application and particularly delighted with the way we bowled.

“Well done all and bring on Mildenhall.”