Two big sixes hit in the final over – the second off the very last ball enabled Bournemouth to pull off a remarkable one-wicket Southern Premier League Cup victory over South Wilts at Chapel Gate.
The unexpected defeat leaves South Wilts with a key West group match against strongly fancied St Cross Symondians at Bemerton on Saturday, 12.30.
Prospects looked bleak for Bournemouth as they dropped to 79-7 and later 119-9 as they endeavoured to chase down South Wilts’ modest total of 133 all out.
But while the left-arm spinner all-rounder Pack remained at the crease, Bournemouth were never out of the game.
Pack, who shed over five stones in weight in a fitness drive to get himself fit for the cricket season, initially added 40 precious runs for the eighth wicket with Tom Robinson (21), but lost his partner and Matt Mixer in quick succession to leave the Lions 115-9.
Bournemouth required 12 runs to win off Mynott’s final over – a total Pack immediately halved by drilling the spinner’s second ball straight into the sightscreen for six.
He and last man Dan Conway chiselled two more singles, leaving Bournemouth requiring three runs to win off Mynott’s last ball, which Pack promptly dumped high over cow-corner and into the Chapel Gate car park.
Neither side’s batsmen really got to grips with the indifferent bounce on the former main pitch at Chapel Gate, the statistic of 19 wickets falling for an aggregate 270 runs underlying how the ball dominated the bat.
South Wilts were always up against it after losing Mynott, Jack Stearman and Edward Wade with only 19 runs on the board, and when potential saviour James Hayward (19) was trapped leg before by Pack trying to reverse sweep, they were in deep trouble at 68-5.
Raff Hussey (28) and Will Harries (17) did their best to retrieve the situation but Pack (3-18) and Alex Nippard (2-7) prevailed and South Wilts were all out for 133, four batsmen being trapped lbw.
Reflecting on the South Wilts total, Mynott confessed: “We didn’t bat well enough, simple as that.”
But Bournemouth fared little better and lost wickets too regularly – Nick Park hitting an enterprising 19, but Adam Davies (14) and Chris Park (18) had to graft for their rewards as South Wilts rotated the bowling to good effect.
Matt Burton (3-11), double wicket pair Tom Grant and James Wade bowled economical spells as South Wilts looked to have the game in the bag, with Bournemouth losing three more wickets for eight runs in lurching to 79-7.
But it was far from all over. Rob Pack saw to that.
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