Waverley Cricket Club won by five runs away to Pirbright in an exciting game on Sunday.
Waverley batted first, and when Mike Tiley (41) and Sam Tempest (14) put on 50 for their first wicket a big score looked on the cards.
But an 11th over bowling change to Dean Burditt (three for 25) and Luke Rowlands (three for 30) changed the fortunes of the away side.
These two brought Pirbright back into the game with their wickets, which wrecked the visitors’ upper middle order and kept their individual scores in the lower teens.
Fortunately for Waverley the tail wagged, and Andy du Gay (28 not out) and Adrian Day (27 not out) combining for the ninth wicket pushed the score up to a respectable 190 for eight.
After the break a throw from the boundary by Drew Upward found the keeper and the opening pair were separated, with Pete Austin run out for one.
Three more quick wickets fell and an early finish looked likely, but then Chris Godeseth (50) joined opener James Thompson (93 not out) and these two changed the face of the game by keeping the hosts up with the run rate.
It was Adrian Day who broke the partnership, having Godeseth caught backward of square. Now the chase for victory was up to Thompson, who farmed the bowling well, but on his own he could not keep up and at the end of the 40th over Pirbright were five runs short of the visitors’ total.