In a repeat of last year’s final Dorset Dolphins, who had not played a T20 match before this summer as Hampshire conceded in their semi-final were pitted against Surrey who had the benefit of playing two tough matches to reach the final.
The day was sponsored by our friends at Sytner Land Rover in Portsmouth; it was warm but overcast and Surrey won the toss and chose to bowl.
Dorset raced to 50 in just over five overs and were well on top. But cricket matches sometimes turn on one moment of brilliance, flair or luck – perhaps this one did.
Surrey's Scott just touched a ferocious drive from Dorset's Tim onto the stumps to run out star-batter Ben who had set off for what seemed a certain boundary.
Scott bowled his final over after drinks and put pressure on the batters with good accurate bowling; perhaps why they were keen to take a two but great fielding on the fine leg boundary by Shaqir ran out Stephen.
There were cameo innings for Steve and Alan – who used the reverse through third man to good effect, but even with Tim returning for the last four balls of the innings only 53 runs were added in the second half of the innings.
After Surrey’s excellently organised tea it was time to see if they could successfully chase; Shaqir and Scott opened and from the start got ahead of the scoring rate – taking 14 off Robert’s first over and getting to 50 inside four overs! Shaqir reached his 50 win eight boundaries at a strike rate of 200 and so at drinks only 32 more were needed with Scott having reached 20 and Richard on 8. Eight runs later the curse of Nelson struck as the Dolphins took their only wicket as Steve bowled Richard. Ryan West smashed 15 of the 24 remaining runs needed although it was Scott who scored the winning two runs steering the ball out to point off the first ball of the fourteenth over.
Amazing that two matches in two years and two chases both ending after 13.1 overs; building new history to add the rich tapestry of the past 250 years in Hambledon.
Scorecard & full match report is at https://bcew.play-cricket.com/website/results/5476516