Carlisle 2nd XI produced an outstanding performance on Sunday afternoon to reach the regional semi-final of the ECB National Club Vitality T20 Plate.
They travelled to the North East and a thrilling battle with Newcastle City CC 1st XI, of Northumberland & Tyneside Division One ended in victory by just one run.
Without captain Olly Bradley, out following surgery, -in skipper Jordan Whinn won the toss and elected to bat on what proved a difficult surface, but it was his shrewd thinking that was to eventually win the day for the Edenside outfit.
Carlisle battled their way to 118-5 from their 20 overs, thanks to some composed batting from skipper Whinn (36), Jordan Oultram (26) and the timeless Graeme Ion (31 not out).
The total looked 20 runs short of perhaps what might have been defendable given the quality of opposition, especially as the home side reached 56-2 after only six overs in rely.
However, Whinn’s deft bowling changes and the quality of the Carlisle attack came to the fore in the closing stages.
Westmorland, Titterington, Lydiate, Oultram and Gower performed a near miracle with that ball, backed up by some outstanding fielding and keeping in particular from Paddy Muldoon, to take the match to a nail biting final over.
With professional Zohaib Khan (who had scored 191 not out the previous day) at the crease, the home side required eight runs to win from the final over.
Up stepped fourteen-year-old Kieran Titterington to bowl what proved a memorable over for Carlisle and limit the hosts tojust six runs as they closed on 117-7.
The win sends the Cumbrians into a Reginal Semi-Final/Finals day in South Yorkshire on Sunday 22nd August.
The performance was a great advert for the Eden Valley League and would suggest that cricket in Cumbria is producing performances of a high quality.
A day out in Yorkshire now awaits the men from Edenside!
