Scottish Cricket: Grange retain title after last-ball drama (31 Aug 1998)

31 August 1998

Scottish Cricket: Grange retain title after last-ball drama

By Keith Graham

IN the most dramatic of finishes, Grange retained the Whyte & Mackay Scottish Cup when, with Prestwick needing three to win from the final delivery, their last man was run out going for the clinching runs.

The Ayrshire side, very much the outsiders against the powerful Edinburgh team which have now won the cup on five occasions, had the game within their grasp when, with seven overs in hand, they had reached 177 for four chasing Grange's 212 for 6.

Then,Drew Parsons, having just lifted a delivery from Grange's professional Andrew Dykes over the square-leg boundary for six, attempted an expansive off-drive, mistimed and gave a simple catch to Pete Steindl at mid-off.

It proved the turning point although some sloppy fielding by the holders almost handed the initiative back to Prestwick. In the end, Ian Beven, playing his final match for the team he has given great service to in a spell in Scotland lasting fourteen years, took two crucial wickets in his penultimate over - the 48th of the innings - and then, bowling the last over of the game with Prestwick needing nine to win, managed to restrict them to six from the first five balls, leaving three needed from the last delivery.

Javed Ashraf played the final ball to deep backward point where Nick Peet did the fielding and got the ball in quickly enough to leave the batsmen stranded.

Grange were given the perfect start by man of the match Steve Crawley, whose magnificent century came from 151 balls.

WHYTE & MACKAY CUP FINAL: Grange 212-6 (S Crawley 101, S Davidson 40, Hay 2-35); Prestwick 212 (G Richmond 61, Z Shahid 48, Williams 3-32).

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)