VINTER CUP FINAL AT CAMBORNE CC

Penzance v Camborne

PENZANCE will take on Callington in the WT Edwards Cup final after a 15-run victory over an understrength Camborne in the Vinter Cup final.

The St Clare outfit started as favourites against a Borne side second bottom in the ECB Cornwall Premier League table, and when the league leaders racked up 183-4, not many inside Warrior Park would have backed the Greens.

But Camborne’s batsmen put up a fine response against the best bowling attack in the county, reaching 168-7 before the overs ran out.

After successfully beating Helston on the chase in the semi-final, Camborne chose to field and just 11 came off the first two overs.

But openers Ben Seabrook and Christian Purchase then switched gears with 16 coming off the next bowled by Aussie Josh Fontana.

Nine came off the fourth before Purchase (17) was first to go off the second ball of the fifth over when he picked out Jordan Gatley off Will Eva.

The powerplay ended relatively even with Penzance 49-1 after six, but after that they powered on with Seabrook and German international Dylan Blignaut accumulating runs at will.

At halfway they reached 81 with 102 coming off the final ten.

Blignaut (52 off 32) launched the MacDonald brothers Jacob and Alfie for three sixes between them, before he departed off the final ball of the 15th over, with the Eva/Gatley combination coming to the fore (133-2).

The home side fought back briefly, but 36 came off the final three as Penzance got up to 183-4.

Seabrook eventually departed off the second ball of the 20th over for a superb 84 from 59 balls that included 11 fours.

Will Eva was the pick of the Camborne attack with 2-30 from his four overs.

Camborne knew they needed a quick start against the left-arm pace of Josh Croom and off-spin and guile of Giles Lawrence.

Twelve came off the first against Croom, but Jordan Harvey was bowled by Lawrence’s second ball as just one came off it.

New man Alfie MacDonald took three boundaries from Jonny Ludlam’s first four deliveries as the youngster attacked.

Fontana joined him as both men found the boundary at will as they reached the end of the six-over powerplay at 62-1.

But Fontana (27) was out off the second ball of the seventh over as he picked out Blignaut on the leg-side boundary off new bowler Dan Lello as just three came off it.

Andrew Libby’s first over went for 12, but Lello (2-29) was proving key as his next over saw him trap MacDonald lbw for 31 from just 18 balls.

At 91-3 after 10, Camborne were on track and 32 came off the next three as wicket-keeper Liam Weeks struck three sixes.

But having reached 30 from 22 balls, he picked out Seabrook off paceman Tom Dinnis.

Just 15 came off the next three bowled by Croom (1-27) and Dinnis (3-22) with Stephen Richards being bowled by the former for a run-a-ball 14.

Forty-three were required off the final three overs, and when 14 came off Lello’s final over, the game was still on.

But Croom’s searing pace restricted the hosts to just five off the penultimate over, and the 20th bowled by Dinnis yielded just nine and a couple of wickets as Camborne finished on 168-7.

Penzance now take on Hawkey Cup winners Callington for the right to reach the South West Area T20 Finals Day at Bridgwater on Sunday, August 4.

The game will be played on Wednesday, July 10 at Truro, or the following day if England’s footballers reach the last four of Euro 2024.