Staffordshire produced one of their finest-ever run chases to beat Suffolk by five wickets in a thrilling NCCA Championship clash at Stafford.
Staffs were set 307 for victory in a minimum of 65 overs on the final day of the Division One East match in the county town.
And it was the Staffordshire youngsters who stole the show as they entertained a healthy crowd to clinch victory with five-and-a-half overs to spare.
Half-centuries from Tom Moulton (77), Reeve Evitts (53) and Callum Hawkins (50) paved the way for Staffordshire to put themselves in a promising position.
Matt Morris helped to set the tone with 49, before the closing stages were navigated by the experienced Michael Hill and young gun Sam Atkinson.
Hill kept a steady hand on matters with 29 not out, while Atkinson delivered a swashbuckling unbeaten 35 – including pulling the winning boundary through mid-wicket.
That was a fitting conclusion to an excellent three days at Stafford as the county town hosted minor counties cricket for the first time in 69 years.
And Staffordshire’s players drove away from the Riverway venue having moved to the top of the table with just one match to play.
Staffs head to High Wycombe to take on Buckinghamshire on Sunday – and know a maximum points win will see them finish top.
There are several permutations, and a draw may be enough, but the mathematics are for another time.
‘A day to remember’
Instead, it’s an opportunity to revel in one of the best victories Staffs have achieved, arguably, in recent times.
Suffolk opted to declare at lunch, which may have surprised some people, to set up the afternoon’s entertainment.
Chasing a total north of 300 at any time is a serious task, but Staffs’ quest got off to the worst possible start.
They had just three runs on the board when captain James Kettleborough got a leading edge to a Jack Beaumont delivery and was snapped up by Josh Cantrell in the covers for two.
There might have been a few Staffs hearts sinking at that point, given a positive innings from the skipper would have provided a huge fillip to the hosts’ hopes.
But Morris was then joined in a rejigged batting order by Hawkins in an attempt to provide some momentum to any potential dart at the target later down the line.
Morris remained watchful, while Hawkins was soon into his stride as he relished the prospect of moving up from his usual number six berth.
And a swift chat at a drinks break soon released the shackles as Morris brought out the sweep shot to hit four boundaries in an over.
Hawkins was no shrinking violet either as hit nine fours and one glorious six in reaching his half-century.
‘Handy position’
Staffordshire were setting a nice platform at that juncture as Morris and Hawkins seemed to be scoring at will.
However, such is the beauty of long format cricket that momentum can shift very quickly. And in the space of a couple of overs, the Staffs duo were both back in the pavilion.
Hawkins, shortly after notching his 50, departed with the score on 97 when he popped a catch to Ben Parker at short leg off impressive spinner Cantrell.
That became 102-3 in the 26th over of the innings when Cantrell whizzed down his quicker ball which deceived Morris, who was trapped plumb in front.
There was a danger that Staffordshire’s early good work might start to unravel, but another switch in the batting order proved to be, ultimately, a masterstroke.
Evitts occupied his now usual number four spot, but Moulton was sent in ahead of Hill to save the experienced batter for later in the piece.
Evitts, brimming with confidence after his recent successes with the bat, was in no mood to let Suffolk’s bowlers settle against him.
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And Moulton found an extra gear or two as he displayed good footwork against the spinners and good touch against the seamers to build a partnership.
Such was the comfort with which they were batting, Staffordshire probably didn’t want tea to arrive, but it did with them on 194-3.
‘Ahead of the game’
That left them with an equation of needing a further 113 runs from a possible 27 overs when play resumed.
All three results were still possible at this point, but with Buckinghamshire having prevailed against Bedfordshire, Staffs knew this was a golden opportunity to seize their chance.
And, as such, just when you think a side is in command, a wicket or two can fall to swing the pendulum of power.
Evitts and Moulton started brightly after the interval and had advanced the score to 214 before Evitts fell.
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He had struck seven fours in his knock before he received a pearler from talented paceman Mackenzie Jones and was bowled.
That merely brought Hill to the crease, just the man for this kind of scenario to lead Staffordshire’s lower order in their quest. He knew he didn’t have to take any chances, especially with Moulton playing so freely at the other end.
Moulton motored past 50 and was soon starting to dream of a century when he fell for 77.
He looked to steer a ball from Jones down to third man, but only succeeded in nicking it to Beaumont in the slip cordon.
‘Sam joins the party’
That left Staffordshire on 251-5 as Atkinson strode out to the crease to join Hill.
Suffolk quite fancied their chances at this juncture as well, but Atkinson came out and fought fire with fire.
He wasn’t fazed by the challenge and although runs required and overs left were no longer an issue, the pressure factor was still in play.
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However, knowing he had Hill’s reassurance at the other end, Atkinson went on the attack with some superb shots.
It was then only a matter of time before Staffordshire managed to overhaul their target.
Atkinson hit seven fours in his breezy knock – and none more important than when he pulled spinner Beaumont to the mid-wicket fence to complete the deal.
‘Fine declaration’
It was really was a superb run chase from Staffordshire’s perspective, but a huge amount of credit must go to Suffolk for their declaration.
They had started the day on 180-2 – leading by 108 runs – as the players converged on Riverway for the final chapter.
And they made their way to 378-6 at lunch when skipper Beaumont decided to call a halt to his side’s second innings.
The morning session had been lit up by some excellent batting from Darren Ironside and George Rhodes.
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Ironside was furious with himself for missing out on a century as he fell to Tom Brett for 89.
But Rhodes made it past three figures and was eventually bowled by Atkinson for a sparkling 130.
That was one of two victims in the innings for Atkinson, while Brett finished a marathon 37-over stint with figures of 4-137.
And then came the question of the run chase.
A betting man would have seemingly favoured a Suffolk win or draw at that point.
‘Entertainment overload’
However, Staffordshire defied the odds to provide a thrilling afternoon for an expectant crowd which swelled in number as the target drew ever closer for the home side.
It was a team effort to see Staffordshire over the line as they opened up a four-point lead at the summit.
It’s now on to High Wycombe to take on Buckinghamshire, with the title on the line.
There’s plenty of hard work to be done over the three days, that’s for sure, but Staffordshire couldn’t go into the contest in a better position.
The title dream remains well and truly alive.
Main image: Staffordshire beat Suffolk to move to the top of the NCCA Championship Division One East table.
