Chaudhary leads Hill to Julian Cup Final

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Boyne Hill reached their first Julian Cup final since 1996 when they squeezed past Pinkneys Green by four runs in the second semi-final on Tuesday.

The match at Burnham CC saw the Hill win the toss and bat first and score a very decent 169-7 on a good track and fast outfield.

Star of the day for the Hill was opener Manish Chaudhary who scored heavily from ball-one and never relented, eventually having to retire under competition rules for an impressive 69.

However, the rest of the order could not find the same fluency with the willow.

Dangerman Ronayne Churchill-Brown was run out in the third over, while Andy King (15 not out) and Tom Mellor (14 retired) stuck to their task, but when well set on 113-2, a final score of 169-7 was lower than seemed likely.

In reply, the Green wasted no time in attacking the bowling, led by Timmy Butt who hit a quickfire 24 before being run out.

The Hill kept a grip on the run rate though, and with 10 overs remaining, the Green still needed approximately 100 to win.

Malik kept the hopes alive with a good 32, and when 15 came off the penultimate over, 10 were needed from the final six balls to be bowled by Churchill Brown with one wicket in hand. The task proved just too much, and the last wicket fell to the penultimate delivery with just four runs still required.

The Advertiser-sponsored man of the match was won by Hill batsman Chaudhary.

After the match, Boyne Hill skipper Tom Mellor said of the match: “It was a great game to play in, and I would have been gutted to have lost it by four runs.

Manish was unstoppable and gave us a great start, although we faded a bit towards the end of our innings.

“However, we bowled well and always we seem to play better under pressure.

“It was a good win and I’m looking forward to playing Bray in the final. We are missing a few players for the match, but we’ll put them under pressure and see if they crack.

“Whatever the result, it’ll be a good day at the club.”

The final between Boyne Hill and Maidenhead & Bray takes place at the Hill’s Boyn Grove ground on Tuesday, July 7 starting at 6pm.