ECB CORNWALL PREMIER LEAGUE

Camborne v Callington

IT’S not often you see a tie in cricket, and for those fortunate enough to be at Roskear on Saturday for the first round of fixtures, they witnessed one of the great finishes in Cornish cricket history.

Camborne, needing five runs from the final four balls with four wickets intact, could only tie as Luke Brenton’s superb run-out of Dan Stephens from mid-off off the final ball ensured both teams went home with 16 points.

On a superb batting pitch, Callington got off to a average start as openers Aidan Libby (17) and Luke Brenton (8) went cheaply.

South African overseas player Liam Lindsay and skipper Graham Wagg then consolidated with a partnership of 81 before Lindsay went for 58, run out by Alfie MacDonald.

Wagg (72) and the returning Matt Shepherd (34) then upped the ante with Shepherd using the sweep against the spinners to good effect.

Wagg, who faced 106 balls, eventually holed out to long-on off debutant Kiwi Jordan Gately before Shepherd went two balls later, caught in the off-side off the outside half of the bat.

Forty-one runs came off the final four overs which included new signing Max Waller’s quickfire 25 off just 15 balls. He hit three fours and a six off a MacDonald over, as they eventually finished on 252-8.

Debutants Jordan Gately (3-51) and Josh Fontana (2-49) – who are from New Zealand and Australia respectively – shared five wickets.

Camborne’s reply got off to a poor start as they slipped to 31-3.

Fontana was first out, well caught in the gully by Luke Brenton before Daniel Mitchell (0) was caught up to the stumps for a duck by Joe White off the swing bowling of Aidan Libby.

Ellis (2-42 off ten) soon trapped the promising Alfie MacDonald lbw for nought (31-3 after 10.3 overs) before Camborne fought back with Somerset’s Lewis Goldsworthy playing a blinder.

He received excellent support from Jordan Harvey who made 24 before he was bowled by Harry Sawyers (2-34 off ten).

Wicket-keeper Liam Weeks (27) hit sixes off Wagg and Ben Alford as Goldsworthy gradually started to go up through the gears, before Weeks went for 25, caught by Waller off the returning Alford (149-5).

Steve Kevern was bowled by Sawyers for a ten-ball duck, before the Goldsworthy brothers produced a superb partnership to put them on course to win the game.

Lewis was 83 not out when joined by Jamie and they still needed 103 from just 72 deliveries.

Lewis Goldsworthy started going up through the gears and they started the 45th over needing 56 from the final 36 deliveries.

Twenty-one came off the next two, before Cally gained some control by conceding just 12 off the next two, meaning 23 were required from the final 12 balls.

Seven came off the first five balls of the 49th, but Lewis Goldsworthy smashed a huge six over long-on to make it ten required off the last bowled by Waller.

Camborne were in the ascendency when Jamie swept the first ball for four, and he then took a single, before the drama unfolded.

Lewis, who made 146 from 155 balls with 11 fours and four sixes, top edged a catch down to Shepherd at deep square-leg.

Gately was bowled first ball giving himself room to swing through the leg side to make it five needed off the final two.

New batsman Dan Stephens got the ball down to the fine-leg boundary to make Camborne favourites, but off the last ball he smashed the ball to Brenton at mid-off, only for the former skipper to throw down the stumps and secure a tie.