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Cricket

Middlesex hold on to win tense Twenty20 final

27/07/2008

Middlesex Crusaders have claimed the Twenty20 trophy after surviving a tense last over against Kent Spitfires to win by three runs.

Kent needed just three runs from the final two balls of the match to draw level with Middlesex in runs scored, though the Spitfires would have won having lost fewer wickets.

However, Tyron Henderson held his nerve and bowled two dot balls to finish the match and hand the glory to the Crusaders.

Middlesex won the toss and chose to bat on a wearing surface. Opener Billy Godleman fell for one but partner Ed Joyce managed to give the innings some impetus with a quick-fire 23 off 12 balls.

Joyce's dismissal brought Owais Shah to the crease and the England man scored freely in tandem with Henderson put his team in a commanding position.

Henderson had been brutal against Durham in the semi-final and he continued his good form, striking four boundaries and two sixes before Rob Key caught him off the bowling of Ryan McLaren.

The loss of Henderson did not halt the scoring rate and Shah cruised past his fifty in no time before McLaren struck again, though by that time Shah had scored 75 off 35 balls. Irishman Eoin Morgan added 23 runs to help Middlesex finish on 187-6.

Kent got off to an excellent start in their reply thanks to Key and Joe Denly. They shared a partnership of 89 before Key (52) was undone by spinner Murali Karthik.

Denly (31) fell to Shaun Udal two runs later but the openers had at least given their side a chance.

South African Justin Kemp (49) and Darren Stevens (33) got the Spitfires even closer to their target with five more blows over the boundary between them before Stevens was dismissed with two overs to go.

Kent still had a chance with Kemp at the crease and although they needed 16 off the final over he struck a four and got four more thanks to some overthrows.

That left the Spitfires with two balls to get three runs but Henderson denied them with two Yorkers as Kent's brave effort at defending their title ended three runs short.