Stevenage 239-9 beat North Mymms 91 all out by 148 runs An excellent all-round team performance from Stevenage was rewarded with a nailbiting last over victory against visitors North Mymms. Stevenage captain David Carr won the toss and decided to make fir

Stevenage 239-9 beat North Mymms

91 all out by 148 runs

An excellent all-round team performance from Stevenage was rewarded with a nailbiting last over victory against visitors North Mymms.

Stevenage captain David Carr won the toss and decided to make first use of a good batting wicket.

Tanweer Sikandar was promoted from number six to open the innings with the in-form Gary Brown.

The new partnership prospered against the new ball with Sikandar making a composed 28 in a 57-run opening stand.

The innings suffered a brief setback with Syed Ali Kazmi dismissed for one but a steadying innings from Nas Ahmed ensured that the 100 was brought up in good time.

Brown cruised past his half century and it came as a surprise when he was dismissed for 54 by Saxby, one of his five victims.

Ahmed went for 36 before Gareth Berg and Ashley Bayes moved the score past 150.

Stevenage slumped to 179-7 but Carr, batting down at number nine, produced an inspired knock to inject fresh impetus into the innings.

Carr raced to 47 from only 34 balls before falling to a catch in the deep.

Bayes (30) also fell to a catch in the deep but the damage had already been done with a total of 239 on the board.

After Stevenage made two early breakthroughs, saving the game was the only thing on the minds of the North Mymms batsmen.

The first wicket was claimed by Azhar Ali, who out foxed and clean bowled Stead for 10, and this was followed up in the next over by Berg who knocked Saxby's off-stump out of the ground.

Ali squeezed a delivery through Elder's defences to dislodge a bail to leave the innings in some trouble at 50-3 at the tea interval.

Despite the presence of Herts captain Andy Lewis and Mymms captain Clement at the wicket, there was little positive intent shown after the break.

By the time Ali Kazmi was brought on to give Berg a breather, it was apparent that Stevenage would have to show some ingenuity in the field and need a bit of luck to force victory.

The necessary luck came in an Ali Kazmi over when an edge from Lewis deflected from Carr's wicket keeping pads into the hands of Berg at gully.

A second wicket in the same over left Mymms in dire straits at 63-5 but Stevenage's left arm sultans of spin were effectively negated by the left-handed partnership between Clement and Roberts.

Carr called on the off-spin of Bayes to make the breakthrough. Bayes turned the ball sufficiently to dismiss Roberts thanks to a juggling catch by Mark Sinclair and he followed that up with another in the same over to reduce Mymms to 86-7.

The new ball was thrown to Berg and he got the essential wicket of Clement with a bouncer that ricocheted from his bat to Bayes at gully.

Mymms must have they were safe entering the final over with two wickets in hand.

But Berg's first ball sent the middle stump cartwheeling out of the ground.

And his third ball was a lethal bouncer that would have hit Duggan between the eyes if it had not thudded into his gloves as he ducked.

The ball ballooned upwards towards the waiting slip fielders and Ali Kazmi plucked the match winning catch from the sky.