JUST when they thought their torrid season could not get any crueller, Burnham Sports suffered an agonising last-over defeat to Great Baddow.

A belated first win of the campaign was in Sports’s grasp after they rattled up 297 in sweltering conditions at Millfields and then reduced their rivals to 17 for two in reply.

Baddow would not buckle, though, and squeezed home with three balls and two wickets to spare in the 45 overs per side contest.

It leaves Sports rooted to the bottom of the T Rippon Premier League table, with their next two fixtures being tough trips to Goresbrook and Thurrock.

“All the lads were completely demoralised,” Hamilton said. “It must have been a great game for neutrals to watch as there were almost 600 runs scored and it went right to the wire but finishing second in such circumstances was hard to take.

“We gave our all, but little things went against us throughout and, ultimately, that cost us. With just a bit more rub of the green, the outcome would have been different.”

A superb fourth-wicket partnership of 140, in 20 overs, between Hamilton and Joel Whittaker had put Sports in command after they were inserted.

Whittaker hit a sparkling 96, while Hamilton made 64.

Joel’s innings, in particular, was a delight. He thumped 21 off the first eight balls he faced – two glorious straight sixes being the highlight – and was totally dominant until being caught at deep mid-wicket when within sight of a deserved century.

Three figures also looked possible for the belligerent Hamilton, who hit two sixes and eight fours, before he was given out next ball.

Hamilton was one of the three Burnham players adjudged to be stumped, while Robin Whittaker, younger brother of Joel, was given out LBW for 38 to an opponent bowling round the wicket after sharing in a productive eight-over seventh-wicket stand of 67 with Andy Stephens (27).

The same pair then grabbed an early wicket each to leave Baddow on the ropes but the visiting team responded with a cavalier approach through Huartson and Smith (52), who put on 107 in only a dozen overs.

Smith’s departure did lttle to stem the assault, Huartson and Wilson adding a further 101 before the former, having earlier survived a loud shout for a catch at the wicket, was brilliantly caught by Robin Whittaker, running in from long off, for 100 off the bowling of Hamilton.

For an encore, Whittaker took two wickets with successive balls as Baddow slipped to 231 for six. That became 273 for eight, when Fuad Ahmed superbly ran out Wilson (68) off his own bowling and then disturbed the stumps of another rival.

Baddow’s ninth pair needed 22 off the final three overs but had whittled that down to six from the final one, bowled by David Bridge. After managing three runs from the first two balls, Simmons (41 not out) miscued a shot through the off-side which dribbled away to the boundary.