RATHBONES Old Victorians 2s secured a fourth title in succession with a seven-wicket win over RGA Walkovers 2s in the Brooks Macdonald Division 1 T20 Cup final at Grainville over the weekend.
OVs captain Jonny Heward was “delighted” with the performance of his young team, especially winning both games on the day.
The format of the league left OV 2s in third place, with fellow finalists Walkovers 2s in second and International Royals top with five wins from five.
To decide the finals day teams, all sides competed in play-offs.
Royals and Walkovers competed for an automatic final qualification spot, which saw Walkovers victorious, while OVs landed a spot against Royals in the eliminator with a 74-run win over St Ouen Springfield 2s.
In the eliminator on Sunday morning, OVs made a strong statement by bowling the Royals out for just 105 on a spinning wicket at Grainville.
They made the chase look comfortable, knocking the required runs off in 15 overs with just five wickets down. Jack Stevens earned the player of the match with an unbeaten 49.
Heward won the toss again in the final, sticking with his proven plan of sending the opposition into bat and backing his side to chase.
Another superb performance in the field followed, as they restricted Walkovers 2s to just 93-8 from their 20 overs.
Stevens was economical with the new ball, picking up 1-10 from his four overs, while the young left-arm spinner Jack Vowden was outstanding for his 2-13 from his four.
But the spell of the day came from Jamie Clayton, whose methodical medium pace had Walkovers guessing and he picked up outstanding figures of 4-17 from his four overs, earning him the player of the match.
Requiring just 94 for the win, OVs flew out of the box with two early boundaries from Stevens, before he was removed in an eventful first over, caught and bowled by Jordan McConnell.
The early breakthrough brought Jamie Watling to the crease and, when he departed for an exhilarating 37, which included some outrageous shots, the game was all but decided.
George Moore came and went for a typically entertaining seven, and young gun Freddie Harben remained not out on four at the end with skipper Heward, who finished unbeaten on 34 to see his side over the line for their fourth Division 1 T20 title in as many years.
After the cup was lifted, Heward said: “I thought we all really stepped up to the plate.
“We have such a young side and playing two games in a day is never easy.
“But we did what we had to do and I think, especially with the ball, we were ruthless in both matches.”
This is Heward’s first season as 2s captain, after taking the reins this season from an extremely successful tenure by former skipper George Moore.
“Personally, it’s great to win some silverware in my first season as captain,” Heward added.
“We have an amazing pool of talent coming through and hopefully we can continue to bring these players through, give them exposure to good level cricket and help them along their way to becoming Premier League cricketers in the near future.”
