Downham Stow CC’s hopes of climbing the East Anglian Premier League table suffered a major blow on Saturday as they were edged out by bottom-placed Ashmanhaugh and Barton Wanderers.
The visitors pulled off a shock two-wicket victory in a tense, low-scoring encounter at Stow Hall.
The result will sting for Downham Stow, who had victory in their grasp after reducing the Wanderers to 156 for 7 in pursuit of 197.
But the visitors’ lower order held their nerve, scrambling home with 8.5 overs to spare to claim just their second win of the campaign.
Having won the toss, Downham Stow elected to bat first but struggled to impose themselves.
Several players got starts, only to fall before turning them into match-defining contributions.
Partnerships flickered but never truly blossomed, and the innings faltered against disciplined bowling.
The only real contribution was a good 70 from opener Freddie Fairey.
By the time the final wicket fell with the score on 196 inside 50 overs, the hosts knew they were 20 to 30 runs shy of where they needed to be.
The Wanderers’ chase began in ominous style. Josh Larner cracked 21 from just 15 balls, while Tommy Chambers chipped in with eight from 14 deliveries to give the visitors early impetus.
At 34/1, the chase appeared straightforward, but Downham’s bowlers refused to let the game drift away.
Veteran seamer Brett Stolworthy delivered a superb spell of control (10 overs, 1 for 37), tying down the run rate and forcing mistakes, while Jamie Cook (5.1 overs, 2 for 24) struck vital blows just as Wanderers seemed to settle.
With the middle order collapsing under pressure, the visitors slipped to 156/7, and suddenly the contest had flipped.
But the Wanderers’ tail proved stubborn to edge home with two wickets to spare.
The only positive from the weekend was the DSCC quartet of Arthur Wilcox, Ben Wilcox, Freddie Fairey and Brett Stolworthy, who were in fine form representing Norfolk in the National Counties T20 cup.
The quartet returned home with silverware after beating Oxfordshire and then Dorset in the final.
