Words by Paul Smith – www.Stumped4Words.com
The bare facts state that Harborne suffered a five wicket Birmingham Premier League Division Two defeat at the hands of mid-table rivals Bromsgrove.
But this goes nowhere near doing justice to a remarkable game which saw the visitors on the ropes at the interval before recovering their composure to chase down a daunting 356 with 15 balls remaining.
The hero of the day from a Bromsgrove perspective was wicket-keeper Alex Milton who lashed nine sixes and 17 fours in a remarkable unbeaten 173.
This came after Swapnil Gugale and Jasper Davidson both made 73 for Harborne to which Tejas Wagle added another whirlwind half-century.
Harborne skipper Tom Arnold was quick to pay tribute to the visitors’ batting display.
“Jayden Levitt got Bromsgrove off to a good start and that continued when Milton came in,” he said.
“He played a brilliant knock – we didn’t bowl particularly well but credit where it’s due.
“The wicket was an absolute road and together with a fast outfield bowling was pretty difficult as both teams found out with over 700 runs scored.
“We batted really well too with Jasper, Swapnil and Tejas playing good knocks to get us to 350.”
After openers Arnold (45) and Guriq Randhawa took Harborne to 80, two substantial middle-order partnerships ensured the home side closed their 50 overs with an extremely formidable 356 for seven.
The first of these saw Gugale, whose 58-ball 73 included 12 boundaries, add 91 with his third-wicket partner Davidson.
And after the Indian pro fell to Connor Smith, Davidson was joined by Wagle who smashed a 31-ball 50, in a 102-run fourth wicket alliance.
Jimmy Clifford then added a cherry to the cake by clearing the ropes four times in a 14-ball unbeaten 33 to leave Bromsgrove with a mountain to climb.
Freddie Fellows (1-39 from ten overs) emerged with most credit among the Boars’ six-man attack.
When Bromsgrove were 59 for two the hosts were on top, however a superb partnership between Milton and opener Levitt quickly shifted momentum towards the visitors.
The third wicket pair added 134 before Dan Wright snared Levitt for an excellent 90-ball 81.
And despite also quickly losing the support of Richard Kimberlin and Fellows, Milton’s remarkable display of hitting ensured Bromsgrove ‘s tempo never dropped.
When the visitors’ last five wickets required 145 from 15 overs, Harborne had every justification for scenting victory.
However, skipper Mark Evenson, who made an unbeaten 38 from 31 balls, proved the perfect foil for the explosive Milton.
The sixth wicket pair duly steered Bromsgrove to the finish line in the 47th over at which point Milton had faced only 120 balls in his astonishing unbeaten 173.
The wickets were shared between five Harborne bowlers who were also left to reflect on the damage done by the concession of 25 wides.
