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Berkshire just fail to qualify for the Quarter-Finals

Paul Atkins, who shortly after was run out

Roy Arnold
08-Jul-2002
Paul Atkins, who shortly after was run out. Faced with some tight bowling, particularly from Patel and Wood, and useful support from Denning and Naylor, the Bucks innings then faltered to 135. Last man Simon Stanway then joined keeper Drepaul in the highest stand of the whole game 61.
With 24 runs scored from wides and no balls Berkshire were set 197 to win and started, like Bucks, in brisk fashion, 44 coming in the first five overs. The loss of Captain Julian Wood and Sameer Patel to the ever accurate Stanway and Paul Prichard, caught and bowled, firmly applied the brakes.
Hungerford's Steve Wyatt with careful selection of which ball to defend and which to score from (2x6's & 6x4's) steadied the innings and passed a well-deserved 69 ball fifty when joined by Finchampstead's Nick Denning who hit the winning run.
Level on points with Northants C.B. and to qualify for the quarter final on run rate, Berkshire needed to win at least fifteen balls earlier and must now be regretting the those the 23 balls needed at the end to score those 24 runs given away. Twenty wides and a no ball costing four.