CRICKET: Village glory for Tew (From Oxford Mail)

CRICKET: Village glory for Tew

9:00am Monday 18th June 2012 in Sport

GREAT & Little Tew booked their place in the first national round of the Yorkshire Tea Village Cup for the first time since 1985 after a thrilling six-run victory at Oxford Downs in yesterday’s Oxfordshire final.

Tew had posted 200-6, but when Downs openers Justin Cantrell and Darryl Woods put on 81 for the first wicket of their reply, they looked in good shape.

But Tew held their catches and produced some sterling work in the field to increase Downs’s required rate, and they eventually fell just short.

Joe White and David Powles were the mainstays in Tew’s innings, sharing a second-wicket stand of 118.

They both reached their half-centuries, before excellent running late in the innings pushed their side on to 200.

On a pitch that looked good for batting, Downs got off to a steady start through Woods and Cantrell.

Then with Andy Buckingham and Wes Bartlett batting, it looked as though Downs would reach the target, despite the asking rate creeping above seven runs an over.

With fielders spread around the boundary, the duo still backed themselves to clear the ropes, which they did on several occasions before Buckingham was caught in the deep by Harry Smith off the excellent Liam Manley.

James Ellwood came and went quickly, before the crucial wicket of Bartlett, who was bowled by Manley for 43 .

It was the breakthrough Tew needed. Will Sandbach and Mark Wingfield Digby were then both caught at long-off by Curtly Slatter off Robbie Shurmer.

It sparked scenes of jubilation among the Tew fans as they reached the national stages for the first time in 27 years.

There, they will be away to the winners of the Gloucestershire final between Apperley and Corse & Stau-nton which was postponed yesterday.

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