Day 2 - Stowe 20/20 Festival
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STOWE 20/20 FESTIVAL DAY 2
FOUR!!! MacDonald forces it through the off side for four, and Stowe are home in a sensational finish to win by 1 wicket with four balls to spare.
DOT BALL 128-9 (19.1 overs)
MacDonald hits to point. They consider a sharp single but turn it down.
DOT BALL 128-9 (19 overs)
Stowe 128-9 (18.5 overs)
Gurney hits a four, and is then stumped brilliantly off a leg side wide. 2 from 7 balls. Can they hold their nerve? Will berner to face.
Stowe 123-8 (18.4 overs)
Paine, having got into position to win the game, holes out to long on. 7 from 8 balls. Gurney on strike, MacDonald the new man.
Stowe 116-7 (18 overs)
Gurney starts, with 2 and a boundary through point, then a single. 14 from 2 overs. Game on.
Stowe 109-7 (17.3 overs)
Rudd is bowled, after an exchange of singles. Captain Jon Gurney goes out. He has not had a season to remember with the bat. Can he change all that in the next 15 balls? 21 needed.
Stowe 107-6 (17 overs)
23 from 3 overs. Olley is run out. Rudd is joined by Paine, whose first ball goes wide of mid on for four. He is beaten by his second.
Stowe 103-5 (16.2 overs)
Now Speakman falls, trying a big hit into the leg side, but bowled. 27 from 22. Rudd is the new man. He was good with the ball. Can he bring this one home?
5.45pm Stowe 102-4 (16 overs)
Speakman smashes one for six over square leg. Pressure turning back on Yarra Valley? 28 from 4 overs.
5.40pm Stowe 94-4 (15.3 overs)
Sutton is stumped. Stowe need 36 from 27, with Ronnie Speakman the new man. What can he do with Olley?
5.35pm Stowe 82-3 (14.1 overs)
Duckett caught behind for 31. Sainsbury-Bow bowled having a wild swing. Stowe are looking like they might throw this away. Ben Sutton now in with Jake Olley. A lot of pressure building up.
5.30pm. Stowe 80-1 (13 overs)
Birkby caught on the fence, but only three men in the circle. The umpires let the wicket stand. Extraordinary. Birkby made 45. Josh Sainsbury-Bow joins Duckett.
5.25pm Stowe 76-0 (12 overs)
Another good one for Stowe, as both Birkby and Duckett get 3s to reverse sweeps. 54 from 8 to win now.
5.20pm Stowe 63-0 (11 overs)
A good over, sees Birkby move to 38, and Duckett to 21. 9 overs to get 67. The rate now is 7.44
5.17pm Stowe 53-0 (10 overs)
BIRKBY 1000 RUNS FOR THE SEASON!
Ali Birkby reaches 1000, as he goes to 35. Ben Duckett gets a boundary over midwicket to move to 15. They need 77 from 10 overs - need to up the ante now.
5.10pm Stowe 35-0 (7 overs)
Steady progress, with Birkby crashing a boundary over midwicket, and moving to 25. Duckett has only got 9, but Birkby dominating the strike in a reverse of this morning's batting.
5pm Stowe 21-0 (5 overs)
Birkby takes a boundary behind point, Duckett three through midwicket. Birkby 12, Duckett 8. Still goo stuff from Yarra. 109 from 15. 7.26 runs per over.
4.55pm Stowe 10-0 (3 overs)
A slow start, as the Aussie bowlers are on the money. Birkby and Duckett both on 4.
4.30pm Yarra Valley 129-6 (20 overs)
Apologies for the lack of updates. Too exciting out there. Yarra Valley raced to 82 for 2 at the half way point, with Bednerz (missed twice) making fifty. When Berner got rid of him, the innings changed. Berner, Rudd and Olley all bowled well, backing up Birkby's off spin. Only 47 in the second half of the innings. This morning Stowe took 145 off Yarra, but that was in wet conditions. The pitch, now 60 overs older, and dry might still prove a challenge.
Birkby and Duckett to open.
3.25pm Yarra Valley 14-1 (2nd over)
Sainsbury-Bow strikes, after Rudd put down a chance in the first over from Gurney. Bednerz, missed at backward point, is not out 8.
3.00pm Stowe will play Yarra Valley again in the Final. Kimbolton replay with Warwick in the 3rd/4th place play off. Games to start at 3.15pm
2.20pm Yarra Valley 148-1 (17.4 overs)
Stowe missed a couple of chances, but the Yarra Valley batsmen made light work of the target, winning with 14 balls to spare. It could now come down to run rate to decide who meets in the final.
1.25pm Yarra Valley 54-1 (7 overs)
The Yarra batsmen look in excellent touch, and the rate is hovering around the 7 mark. Ali Birkby comes into the attack to bowl his off spin, in what could be a crucial spell.
1.05pm Yarra Valley 15-1 (2 overs)
A bright start from Yarra, but Jon Gurney strikes, getting one of the openers caught by Duckett from a short ball. Yesterday's centurion is 7 not out. 131 needed from 18, at just under 7 and a half.
12.55pm As the teams take the field, the question is which Yarra Valley will turn up today? 88 all out in the morning, 140-1 in 13 overs in the afternoon yesterday! Although Stowe would have liked 15-20 more, they will feel that if they bowl and field as they did yesterday, they can defend this.
12.45pm Stowe 145-7 (20 overs)
Ben Paine takes two boundaries in the last over to push Stowe up to a challenging total, but one which they will have to bowl well to defend. The drizzle is gone, but the surface is still damp, so it is still not easy in the field, and Yarra Valley put down a couple of chances.
Ronnie Speakman had been run out before, without facing.
12.40pm Stowe 128-6 (18th over)
Josh Sainsbury-Bow is well caught in the deep for an entertaining 21. Ben Sutton had already gone first ball, trying to sweep.
12.30pm Stowe 104-4 (15 overs)
Unfortunately a horrible run out sees Jake Olley on his way, after Josh Sainsbury-Bow hit one straight back to the bowler, and set off. Five big overs needed, Ronnie Speakman joins Sainsbury-Bow in the middle.
12.25pm Stowe 100-3 (15th over)
James MacDonald is brilliantly stumped down the leg side, as Josh Sainsbury-Bow now joins Jake Olley, who is still struggling to find his range. Nothing in this one yet, and Stowe would like a big finish to the innings.
12.15pm Stowe 85-2 (12th over)
Ben Duckett, having just passed 50, falls for 56, caught top edging a sweep. James MacDonald joins Jake Olley in the middle.
12.05pm Stowe 59-1 (9th over)
Ali Birkby falls for 19, leg before, just after hitting a boundary through backward point. Ben Duckett (37) is joined by Jake Olley, who opened in the two games yesterday, without looking at his best.
12noon Stowe 53-0 (8 overs)
Ben Duckett 36, Ali Birkby 14. Could do with a bit more urgency, though, if Stowe are going to post the 150+ that would be really competitive.
11.55am Stowe 39-0 (6 overs)
A couple of tidy overs end the powerplay, and Yarra Valley have forced themselves back into the reckoning.
11.45am Stowe 32-0 (4 overs)
Stowe off to a steady start, with Ben Duckett moving on to 23, and Ali Birkby 7.
11.25am Although the drizzle is continuing, play will start at 11.30am. Stowe will bat against Yarra Valley on the North Front.
Kimbolton will play Warwick on the South Front.
11am After Day one, Stowe top the table with two wins. Both Yarra Valley and Warwick have a win apiece, and Kimbolton will be hoping to break their duck against Warwick this morning.
Unfortunately, there is a light drizzle this morning, but we still hope to get underway at 11.30am.