Reduced to 40-7, Marlow Park managed to come back from the dead to beat Wooburn Narkovians and book a place in the Julian Cup final.
It looked like the match, played at North Maidenhead, was all over as Phil Day and Paul Sullivan tore through the Marlow batting. Howver, Derek Harris and Tony Wasley rescued the innings in a fine partnership, helping their side make an unlikely total of 125.
This proved too much for Wooburn as Nigel Bruce, Keith Dormer and Steve Ayres produced good spells to dismiss the Narks for 98, with each bowler taking three wickets.
Batting first, Marlow Park lost Chris Maskery early on, but there was no sign of the collapse to come as Dave Goodall and Bruce took the score to 37, with Bruce batting well for his 25.
Six wickets then fell for three runs, with Day and Sullivan the destroyers. The opening bowlers showed pace and accuracy, with Day consistently bowling leg stump yorkers. Six of the first seven were bowled, and when Harris joined Wasley at the crease all seemed lost.
Howver, the batsmen showed real heart, playing defensively to see off the opening attack, who were bowled straight through. Sullivan finished with 4-18 and Day 3-30.
If Marlow Park were to have any chance, they had to score quickly off the change bowlers, and this they did. Harris took the lead, hitting two sixes in one over that produced 20 runs, and Wasley followed suit, cracking a couple of boundaries through mid wicket.
The pair put on 62 in 11 overs before Wasley snicked a high full toss to wicket-keeper Angus Porter, having made 33. Harris then made the most of his last over before he had to retire under the Cup rules. The left-hander hit another six over long on and three fours as 20 came off the over. Harris\ brilliant 44 earned him deserved applause from the good crowd.
Marlow Park were finally dismissed for 125, with 74 coming from the last eight overs. The Narkovians batsmen had to prepare themselves to chase an unexpectedly high target of around 5 runs per over.
They had a further surprise when they were greeted by a slow bowler, Dormer, opening the attack. The leg-spinner found his length immediately and took vital wickets. Stuart Foster holed out in the deep after checking his shot, and fellow opener Ian Cuthbert was unlucky to be brilliantly snapped up by Andy Coll at short cover as he drove in the air.
Wooburn were in trouble at 13-2, and after nine overs they had only scored 20 runs with Bruce also bowling tightly. David Smith (23) and Porter (23) steadied the innings, putting on 35 for the third wicket, before Dormer again struck as Smith was caught at fly slip.
With skipper Stuart Savage and Porter at the crease, 70 were needed from the last nine overs, with seven wickets still in hand. Third bowler Steve Ayres then put his side on top, having Porter caught behind and bowling Savage off his pads.
Wooburn needed 36 off the last three overs, with five wickets in hand, a not impossible task. However, Bruce came bounding back into the game, having a hand in the fall of the next five wickets to seal victory for his side and earn himself the Man of the Match award.
Returning to bowl the third from last over, he skittled Phil Cuthbert and then had Anthony Ball edge the next delivery into his stumps. It was nearly a hat-trick as new man Peter Harper snicked the ball perilously close to his stumps.
Only four came off the over and Wooburn needed something special to get the 32 needed off the last 12 balls. It wasn\t to come as Bruce, who had been relegated to the outfield, again took centre stage.
Jeff Morris attempted a six-hit but Bruce, on the long on boundary, held on to a good catch. In doing so, he looked to have put a foot over the line, but with the fielder and umpires having no way of being sure, Morris had to go.
Off the next ball, Bruce struck again, this time running out Peter Harper as the batsmen ran a risky two. It had to be a direct hit, but nothing was beyond Bruce as he scattered the stumps with a powerful throw. Wooburn were sunk now, and in the last over Bruce bowled Day to wrap up yet another remarkable Julian Cup match.
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