They pipped us to the post in the 2016 Evesham Indoor League… and now they’ve gone on to win the County Indoor Final.
Our local rivals Dumbleton (128-4) beat Hagley (128-4) on the final ball to win the Granger Trophy at RGS Worcester.
Both sides played excellent cricket, and they were separated only by the narrowest of margins.
Well done, Dumbleton. And we mean that, we really do.
Bredon 130-4 lost to Ashton-under-Hill (132-4) with two balls remaining
Dumbleton (130 all out) beat Stanway Boxmen (83 all out) by 47 runs
Bredon had to avoid defeat to win the Evesham league and progress to the county finals.
Until the final three overs it looked as if they would succeed and Dumbleton’s final game of the season would be a dead ‘rubber’.
But Bredon succumbed to Ashton’s Janita de Alwis, who played a powerful innings at number six to score 48 not out, with partner Jack Perks (30 no), and overtake Bredon with two balls to spare.
From 62-4 these two remained undefeated, adding 70 in 4.4 overs including 50 from the last 16 balls and posting the highest winning total batting second this season.
In posting 130-4 Bredon might have thought the efforts of Jamie Munro (44no) and Tim McVicker (35 no) with support from Dom Fenney (17) would be sufficient to do the job, but Ashton-under-Hill were not champions in successive years for nothing, and even had a theoretical hope of winning the league if both Bredon and Dumbleton lost.
Having won, Ashton’s average had not overtaken Bredon’s and they remained behind on the same points.
It remained for Dumbleton to beat Stanway Boxmen to snatch the title from Bredon on a markedly superior average.
They too scored 130, with Matt Nicholson making a fluent 71, Ashley Baker 25 and Wides 26.
The Boxmen’s reply, however, was always behind the asking rate and after five overs were on 43 after losing Paul Evans for 18.
With a substantial collapse, losing three wickets while the score remained on 46 and a fifth on 5,1 further speculation as to the direction of the league trophy was ended.
Jason Haines played on until stumped on 40.
So Dumbleton it is who represent the Evesham Indoor League at the county finals and presentation evening at RGS sports hall, Worcester, on Sunday (April 17).
Bredon play Ashton-under-Hill next week in a game that may settle the Evesham Indoor League championship.
The side need to win to be certain of the title.
Failure could let in Dumbleton, who play their last game of the league against Stanway Boxmen. If Dumbleton were to win they would then clinch the title with a superior batting average.
If both Bredon and Dumbleton lose, Ashton or Alcester and Ragley have an outside chance of finishing top.
The league winner goes on to play in the county finals at 6.30pm on April 17 at RGS Worcester.
Dumbleton (129-4) lose to Bredon (130-4) with one ball remaining
Matches don’t come any closer than this, both in terms of the score-book, which often disguises reality, and on the pitch where the sides were evenly matched and equally competitive.
Dumbleton got the better start to their innings with Matt Nicholson (30 no) and Ashley Baker (31) taking 60 with ease from the Bredon opening bowlers.
From such a base, and both retired, Scott Tremain (16) and Tom Green (29 no) passed the hundred in the 10th over with four wickets remaining.
Dumbleton probably should have capitalised on this position, especially with the return of the openers, but Dom Fenney took two good wickets to disrupt the final assault.
One hundred and twenty-nine nevertheless is a better than par total, and if Bredon were to win there would be little margin for error.
Jamie Munro (34) and Tim McVIcker (24) made a positive start, even though McVicker was run out in the third over at 36.
Martin Hill (32 no) and Jamie Diamond (28 no) pressed on and were ahead of the rate and Dumbleton at the same stage.
Two more retirements and a couple of wickets later brought the Bredon openers back. All good tactics, one assumed.
Tom Green was now bowling with pace and beating the bat of Munro, eventually yorking him with the score 127-4 in the last over.
Diamond had two balls to face and played Green back firmly for three and victory.
Whether this decides the league is to be seen. Both sides have a game left, with Bredon facing Ashton-under-Hill in theirs.
Alcester & Ragley (98-2) lost to Bredon (100-2) with two balls remaining in this Evesham Indoor Cricket League fixture.
Alcester gave Bredon a fright in this battle for the top, producing a below par total for Bredon to chase, then making life difficult for them as they scraped home with a couple of balls to spare.
Bredon’s opening bowlers pinned Alcester’s batsmen to the crease, allowing them only 32 from six overs.
George Guy in particular posed problems, with a pacey left-arm spell of three overs for 11.
Having seen Max Bitcliffe’s frustration cause his unnecessary run-out in the second over, the Alcester batsmen seemed reluctant to take any further risks.
It was not until Dominic Fenney’s (0-40) friendlier bowling gave Marc Woolley (23 no) and Tom Jackson (15 no) a chance to play tip and run at the end of the innings and double to score in the last four overs that Alcester looked in the least likely to present any sort of target for Bredon to chase.
As it was, a score under a hundred seemed unlikely to present problems until Steve Capron’s first over conceded just one run, and Jamie Munro’s was dismissed with a great piece of fielding and direct throw which gave Alcester heart.
With circumspection Dominc Fenney and Jamie Diamond made their 25s but Bredon were only marginally ahead of Alcester at the same stage.
This left them needing 13 from the final over; no forgone conclusion.
A rather messy final over with a wide, byes and leg byes plus a four from the bat of Clive Fenney into the vacant leg-side field got Bredon home.
Ashton-under-Hill got their points more easily but unsatisfactorily with Feckenham being unable to field a side.
Umpires Ian Fincher and John Iggulden; scorer Alan Norcott.
There was disappointment for Bredon as Dumbleton went top of the Evesham Indoor League on runs per wicket.
The result means the title is now wide open.
A commanding defeat of Bredon (104-5), previously unbeaten, by Pershore (105-1) was underpinned by an opening partnership of 57 in 4 overs between Chris Ridings and Adam Wiffen, with excellent shot making and selection combined with precision calling.
After retirement, some momentum was inevitably lost. Sam Cross (21 no) and Geo Capaldi (13 no) nevertheless cruised to victory.
Bredon’s first loss of the season was caused by not posting enough runs.
Although Dominic Fenney (25) and Jamie Diamond (38 no) started well enough with 56 without loss at the halfway, this was not the launch pad for a necessary acceleration.
Towards the end of Bredon’s innings the lower order was trying desperately to make way for the return of the retired batsmen. They failed to achieve this until the last over which yielded 12 runs, 4 leg-byes and 3 run-outs.
Come on, Bredon!
We remain the only unbeaten side in the Evesham Indoor League.
In our latest match Harvington (65 all out) lost to Bredon (67-0) with 4.4 overs remaining.
The left-arm bowling in-swinging to the right-hander of Steve Bridges was decisive, reducing Harvington to 37-3 after six overs.
His return of 3-16 is the best in any Worcester League this season so far.
Although Simon Ricketts (14) and George Burford (13) stuck around to add some respectability to the total, all was lost in the final over with two wickets in two balls.
Dominic Fenney ended with 2 for 8 and Jamie Munro enjoyed a couple of stumpings.
Next match: Bredon v Pershore, February 16, 8pm.