54-Year Old Slams 40 Runs In Last Over To Clinch Improbable Win
Jan 28, 2019 at 12:41 PM
Not all give up their playing career after turning 40 or shall we say 50 as some continue playing and shatter records. Something similar happened when an English village team named Dorchester-on-Thames needed 35 runs off the final over and their 54-year-old player Steve McComb guided them to a stunning victory by slamming a mind-boggling 40 runs off the over.
Dorchester-on-Thames pulled off the great heist in a Division Four Oxfordshire Cricket Association clash with Swinbrook. Needing an improbable 35 from the final over to chase down Swinbrook’s 240, McComb began the over by dispatching Mihai Cucos’ first delivery – a no-ball – for six before hitting one more to bring down the equation to 22 runs from the last five balls.
The underpressure bowler managed to deliver a dot ball but his work was undone when he conceded a four off the next ball before bowling a no-ball again which too was dispatched for a boundary. With 13 runs needed off the final three deliveries, McComb hit two consecutive sixes to level the scores. The 54-year old then hit another six to seal the stunning chase in the best possible manner.
The club’s Twitter handle mistakenly announced they had scored 41 runs but clarified that it was an error later on.
Absolutely incredible scenes as S McComb scores 41 off the last over for the firsts to win. FORTY-ONE!
— Dorchester (Oxon) CC (@DorchesterCC) August 12, 2017
To clarify, we tweeted in haste last night. Was a mere 40 off final over, not 41. We blame slapdash scoring from @Rich_sharman https://t.co/TGXJdKrROl
— Dorchester (Oxon) CC (@DorchesterCC) August 13, 2017
“It was an amazing end to the game. 240 is a tough target to chase in our league and we never looked ahead of the rate. I had nothing to lose in the final over and the boundaries weren’t huge, so I knew there was a slim chance,” McComb told BBC.
“I’ve had an arthritic ankle for many years and I can’t run very well between the wickets, as the lads constantly remind me, so I either try to score a boundary or hop for a single. When they brought the field in for the final ball I knew if I got bat on ball we’d be OK,” he added.