Hearts in mouths as Northerns win by a single

The teams’ first meeting of the season, at Northern Areas, will especially be long remembered by those who don the Benoni Northerns badge on their chest.

Tight until the very last delivery, the encounter dished up all the ingredients of an epic battle.

Cruising along in the Eastern Cricket Union’s elite competition, Kempton (who represented the union at last season’s National Club Championships, in Pretoria, after defeating BNCC in a play-off final at Sahara Park Willowmoore), eventually saw their unbeaten start to the 2016/2017 campaign ended by a single run.

BNCC skipper Kurt Francis lost the toss and had his team put in to bat by his opposite number, Johan Fourie, on a cloudy Sunday morning.

Fourie’s call showed early signs of being the right one, with opening bowler Kofi Apea-Adu doing damage up front.

He claimed the wickets of the BNCC Top Three (Ernest Kemm, Matthew Wright and Rhenier Jordaan) in an excellent opening spell.

At 36/3 Northerns desperately needed a good partnership and they provided just that, with a patient stand from Regardt Verster and Daniel van der Berg.

The duo put on 84 runs together, before the latter was removed for 42 runs (from 61 balls) in the 34th over.

Francis would join Verster at the wicket, but would be caught for 10, with Mark Robey the next batsman in.

Verster (68 runs off 104 balls) continued with his calm knock, until his wicket was claimed via a spectacular catch at fine leg by Marius Lubbe, off the bowling of Gavin Ralph.

Robey made use of the final overs in swashbuckling fashion.

The number-seven batsman blasted 41 from 30 deliveries (four sixes), before he was caught going for another six, and built an all important 54-run partnership with Lee Cothill (20 not out).

A defendable target of 228 was set, with BNCC finishing their 50-over innings on 227/9.

They were dealt a massive blow early into their bowling innings, when opening bowler Cothill was forced off the field with a torn hamstring muscle.

Anton Lubbe (54 runs from 45 balls) and Kempton captain Fourie gave their team a strong start before the former was removed LBW by left-arm spinner Kemm with 73 runs on the board.

When the wickets of Wesley Marshall, Fourie, Jurie Snyman and Louis Geldenhuys fell, BNCC were in with a sniff until Ryno van der Merwe (36 runs) and Lubbe (47 runs from 44 balls) put together a steady stand that got their team ever closer to the target.

When van der Merwe and then Brandon Harwood were dismissed in succession by Verster, Northerns’ tails were up.

The dangerous Lubbe was soon removed by van den Berg and the final two overs were set for incredible nail-biting drama.

BNCC paceman Lance Humphrey produced a gem of a 48th over, with just four runs conceded, meaning that Kempton’s Apea-Adu and Sarel Myburgh found themselves needing 15 runs from the last over, which was to be bowled by van den Berg.

Van den Berg’s first ball of the over went for two runs, his second a dot ball, his third a big six from Apea-Adu, his fourth a dot ball and his fifth went for three runs.

Four runs would be needed off the final ball for Kempton to get the victory.

Myburgh pushed the ball into the offside for two runs (just past the ailing Cothill, who returned to the field to allow BNCC to use their third Powerplay and place five fielders outside the inner ring) and was run out going for a third run by Robey.

This meant that BNCC would win by a single run.

Skipper Francis praised his team for an excellent effort with both bat and ball.

“Our goal total before we even went in with the bat was 230, so, to get 227 on a slow wicket and outfield was good,” he said.

BNCC coach Nicolaos Moragemos, a former Kempton Park player, said that the day started off with mixed emotions, with his old club facing his new.

“It was a proper nail-biter and I couldn’t be prouder of the players for showing character and heart,” he added.

CLICK HERE for full details on the match.

VIDEO (cellphone footage of the last ball drama):

The team will play their first away match in five weeks, when they travel to Brakpan to play United Cricket Club.

• Meanwhile, Twayne Stewart’s Promotion XI crushed local rivals Actonville by 167 runs, at Lords Cricket Grounds, on Sunday.

Batting first BNCC scored 198 all out in 47.4 overs (Tian van der Walt top-scoring with 39 runs from 68 deliveries).

The BNCC bowlers wrapped up the opposition for just 31 runs in 27.4 overs (WP Myburgh 3/0 in 1.4 overs and Tristan Dunkerley 3/7 in six overs).

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