House of Lord’s!
Reporter: Stories by CHRIS LYNHAM
Date published: 05 September 2011
Photo: Pictures by ANTHONY MILLER
OUT OF SIGHT: Nick Doyle hits a six for Woodhouses.
ASHLEY Prescott claimed a memorable hat-trick as Woodhouses clinched a famous Persimmon Village Cup final victory over Rottingdean at Lord’s.
Prescott stole the show with an awesome treble at the ‘home of cricket’, after Nick Doyle had posted a superb 63 off 31 deliveries to put the Medlock Road team firmly in the box seat.
It came after almost five hours of frustration — heavy rain saw the original match abandoned 13 overs in, with the Brighton outfit on 43 for three — Prescott, Luke Swards and Nick Hardman taking the wickets.
Organisers reverted to a 10-overs-per side clash and, following a fine return of 112 for one, Prescott claimed the scalps of George Ledden, Mark Grantham and Sam Shepherd to help his side restrict their opponents to 54 for eight.
Rottingdean won the toss, as they had done the first time around, and put Woodhouses in to bat.
A four from Doyle off Mark Grantham got the ball rolling, and he offered the same treatment to Najmus Jamil, with fellow opener Josh Tolley following suit.
Tolley drilled Grantham past square leg, to give Woodhouses a return of 33 for no loss after three overs. And Jamil fared no better — Tolley smashed him for six.
He repeated the feat in the sixth over, this time captain Henry Ledden was on the receiving end as the ball flew into the Woodhouses contingent in the Tavern Stand.
Mark Smith managed to limit the damage in the seventh over, by the end of which Cassidy’s men found themselves on 80 for no loss.
Tolley should have gone when he skied Alex Potter’s fizzer, but he did depart the very next ball, caught and bowled Potter for 36.
There was universal applause when Doyle’s six saw him reach his half-century, leaving Potter spellbound.
A single was followed by two more Doyle sixes off the last two balls to end the innings in style.
Rottingdean’s hopes were pinned almost entirely on big-hitter Jamil, but he fluffed his lines on the big occasion and sliced Swards’ teaser into the hands of Ryan Sloan with just one run to his name.
It marked a huge psychological boost for Woodhouses, who must have felt as if they had one hand firmly on the coveted silverware.
Swards and Nick Hardman helped keep the run rate down to around four-an-over, with Ledden and Grantham starved of the boundaries they so desperately craved and, three overs in, Rottingdean were stuck on 11 for one.
It got even better for Woodhouses when Swards’ acrobatic catch at point sealed the departure of Ledden off Hardman for seven.
Grantham did his best to lead the resistance, but even a rare four put his side on just 27 for two with five overs remaining.
Enter Prescott — cruelly robbed of his Lord’s wicket by the rain earlier in the day.
George Ledden smacked him straight to Swards before he caught and bowled Grantham with the very next ball to make it 39 for four.
And when Shepherd could only send him straight into the air, the ball dropped delightfully into his hands — a moment he will never forget.
Prescott finished with a return of three for eight.
Simon Clarke was soon on his way, run out by Callum Megram for a solitary single.
And when Megram clean bowled Tim Bickmore for two — Rottingdean were nowhere on 45 for seven.
Mark Smith was Megram’s final victim with the penultimate delivery of the contest.
All over. Let the celebrations begin.
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