Fours and sixes galore as St Cross win at ECB Vitality Club T20 South play-offs

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Spectators were ducking and diving for cover as fours and sixes flew all around Basingstoke’s May’s Bounty as St Cross Symondians twice produced a brutal batting assault to win the ECB Vitality Club T20 South play-offs.

In their two weather-trimmed 12-over matches, St Cross hit a staggering 293 runs (for the loss of five wickets), including 21 sixes most of which sailed out of the ground.

For good measure, they also hit 21 fours in the two matches.

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St Cross Symondians triumph in the ECB Vitality Club T20 South play-offs. (Image: Supplied)

Battered and bruised after a 161-run assault, South

Battered and bruised after a 161-run assault, South semi-final opponents Potters Bar limped away from the battlefield having replied with 79-8, while later St Cross defended 132-3 to beat hot T20 favourites Penzance by four runs, the Cornish champions having required 21 off the last over.

St Cross skipper Ed Ellis said: “It was another fantastic day for the club.

“Playing a shorter 12-over format suited us as our top order batting is so strong, as we proved twice over.

“Hammering Potters Bar in the semi-final sent our confidence rocketing. Penzance were something special, but we lifted all aspects of our game to an outstanding level, none more so than in the field, where we were absolutely super.

I backed our bowlers to defend 132

“I backed our bowlers to defend 132. Penzance hit two sixes off the last two balls to slightly distort how well we beat them.”

St Cross openers Gregor McKenzie (33) and Felix Organ (37) set the tone by scoring 50 runs inside the initial four overs against Potters Bar – but that was just the taste of things to come.

St Cross’s Gregor McKenzie. (Image: Supplied)

A staggering 64 runs came off the final three overs, with Gareth Schreuder clearing the boundary rope nine times with a succession of improvised shots which flew past the bewildered Potters Bar fielders.

He hit 64 off 20 balls, six sixes

He hit 64 off 20 balls, six sixes coming off the final nine balls of the innings.

Six-time Cornwall League champions in the past seven years, Penzance flexed their considerable muscle for the South final with a 15-run win over 2017 national T20 champions Tunbridge Wells – but they weren’t to be spared more St Cross big hitting.

McKenzie, who carried his bat for 55, and Wilf La Fontaine Jackson (39) led St Cross to 132-3 – a modest total in comparison, but the Penzance bowling attack was on a different plane.

Nonetheless, St Cross backed themselves and continued

Nonetheless, St Cross backed themselves and continued to chip away, taking wickets every ten runs or so and getting the Cornishmen behind the required scoring rate.

Having batted all 12 overs, Simon King might arguably have been his side’s match winner, but he left the field 61 not out and Penzance short of their target at 128-6.