Dan Eckton goes big and Ethan Symonds weaves his magic as B team reach plate final with a massive win!

The B team are through to the Border League plate final for the first time in four years following a brilliant team performance to see off Ampfied by 109 runs.

After being asked to bat, Dan Eckton (100*) and Henry Glanfield (4) opened up with the latter falling early but Eckton kept going along at a quick pace.

Wickets continued to fall fairly regularly initially and the side slipped to 67-3.

However, this brought Ritesh Ramachandra (15) to the crease and alongside Eckton, the pair upped the tempo, with the duo sharing 45 for the fourth wicket in quick time.

However, once the dynamic number five fell with just over six overs remaining it brought skipper Tom Mason (26*) to the crease and along with Eckton they shared a blistering partnership of 72 in just under seven overs to take the game away from Ampfield
Mason hit five boundaries in his cameo, including two sixes to support Eckton well and ensure the team got to a competitive score.
The side finished on 174-4 from their 18 overs.

After the interval, Will Ridley (1-10) and Bailey Loveless (3-19) opened up keeping things tight, reducing the visitors to 17-5 at one point.

Brilliant ground fielding from the side as well as some stunning catches kept the momentum going as Ethan Symonds (5-12) was introduced.

The leg spinner bowled beautifully to bamboozle the away side’s lower order and claim his maiden five-wicket haul.

Ampfield finished well short in the end and was dismissed for 65 to complete a comfortable victory.

The final is in a couple of weeks at Paultons Cricket Club against Totton and Eling on the 4th August. It commences at 6:15 pm.