The Isle of Wight Disability Super 9s cricket team won the South East Regional Final at Northwood CC last Sunday (20th August).
As previously reported by Island Echo, the team had already finished top of the table above Essex, Middlesex, Hampshire and Kent and faced a top-of-the-table playoff game against Essex with the trophy on the line.
Essex won the toss and, after electing to field, they made an early breakthrough when they got the wicket of Lewis Winter for 8.
However, there then followed a phenomenal partnership between Chris Hebberd and Kayton Evans with both batters regularly finding the boundary with some destructive hitting.
Both Hebberd and Evans retired upon reaching 50, by which time the Isle of Wight had passed the 100 mark and looked set for a big score.
Captain Pete Brown kept up the momentum with a number of lusty blows in a quickfire 18 and Jamie Saltzer chipped in with 13 but, when they were dismissed, the Island’s innings slowed as they were restricted by some excellent Essex fielding.
In the end, the Isle of Wight finished on 162 for 5 from their allotted 30 overs.
After the interval, Evans opened the bowling with Brown but it was Saltzer who claimed the 1st Essex wicket with a return catch off his own bowling.
Captain Pete Brown then chipped in with a wicket in the following over to reduce the visitors to 29 for 2 before a sizeable partnership followed.
That partnership inched Essex ever closer to their total until Saltzer came back and picked up another crucial wicket.
Evans then took 2 quick wickets to become the Island’s leading wicket taker in the competition before Brown completed his 3rd catch of the afternoon off the bowling of Hibberd.
Those wickets and some more good work in the field, including 2 run-outs ended Essex’s hopes and, despite a 50 from their opener, they were all out for 133 in the penultimate over of their innings, finishing 29 runs adrift.
It meant that the Isle of Wight claimed the trophy and their efforts should also be rewarded with a mention in next year’s Wisden.
Well done too joe winchcombe best game he’s played in years.