County suffer a one run defeat

It was a game Bedfordshire lost rather than Norfolk won as, with nine balls left, they needed just three runs with three wickets left. But somehow they contrived to lose all three for just one more run!

Set to score 280, Beds got off to a poor start, losing James Kettleborough for a duck and George Thurstance for 13, but a partnership between Steve Stubbings and Oliver Swann saw them at 165-2 at tea.

But as so often happens, the interval brought a lapse in concentration and Stubbings was out immediately afterwards for 95 while Oliver Clayson quickly followed him to the pavilion. Swann went on to make 84 before he was caught with the score on 211-5 which became 220-6 when David Hartley skied a simple catch.

Martin Weightman was in good form though and with time and no real problems he and Ziggy Arshad advanced the score to 243 before Arshad was caught in the deep.

Chris Esh joined Weightman and they seemed to have the game won for Bedfordshire with easy singles, quickly taken twos and the odd boundary.

Then things fell apart. Esh went for 25, Colin Griggs ran himself out and when Weightman got an edge, Norfolk keeper Steve Gray took a brilliant catch diving forward – all in the space of five balls.

That Norfolk were able to set 280 was all due to a brilliant innings by opener Carl Rogers who was last man out for 172. And defeat was particularly cruel on pace bowler Andy McGarry who took 6-107 in the second innings having taken 5-28 in the first as Norfolk were bowled out for 152. Beds had established a first innings lead of 81 thanks to good knocks from Weightman (46) and Kettleborough (42).