With the nights drawing in and the season heading towards its conclusion, Goatacre made the trip to Salisbury knowing that a place at the U19 T20 Finals Day was on the line. What followed was a fantastic evening of cricket, with more than 400 runs scored in front of a healthy midweek crowd who were royally entertained.

Most importantly, the win means the U19s head to Finals Day in Swindon on September 5th, still undefeated. ?

South Wilts post 215/4

Goatacre won the toss and asked South Wilts to bat, and after the early loss of Freddie Jones, it was the in-form players Gabriel Williams and skipper Alex Vincent who set about building a formidable total.

The pair combined some excellent shot-making with exceptional running between the wickets, keeping the scoreboard moving throughout. Gabriel reached a superb 54 retired not out, finishing with a sumptuous six, before Alex continued to knock the ball around and rotate the strike.

Jake Redding then added some serious power, smashing 22 from just 12 balls, before Alex eventually perished trying to repeat Gabriel's feat – although his 44 proved absolutely invaluable in holding the innings together.

Thomas Barrett added a busy 17, before George Gundill and George Nash produced some late fireworks. Both finished 26 not out, with each hitting two fours and a six, as South Wilts finished on an imposing 215/4.

At the halfway stage, it certainly felt like plenty.

Perhaps the team thought they had a little too many as well and it ended up not as easy as you might have thought... ?

Goatacre make a serious challenge

Goatacre started their reply steadily, with Charlie Allom picking up an early caught-behind wicket and bowling a superb four-over spell.

South Wilts always felt as though they were slightly ahead, but Goatacre had other ideas. As their confidence grew, the chase began to gather serious momentum.

At 170/2, with some variable bowling and fielding creeping into the South Wilts performance, Goatacre could certainly have been considered slight favourites to pull off the chase.

And suddenly, what had looked like a comfortable total was looking considerably less comfortable!

The key moment came when Asher Osborn was introduced for the final four overs from the Lower Road End, with George Gundill returning from the Pavilion End.

A catch at deep mid-wicket from Gabriel Williams saw Illes hole out, and suddenly the tide began to turn.

Asher was exceptional, bowling brilliantly under pressure and finishing with a superb 3/24. There were also a couple of important run-outs as Goatacre increasingly had to chance their arm in an attempt to keep up with the required rate.

There was also some smart captaincy from the impressive Alex Vincent, who had to make some decisions about when not to take a run-out opportunity, thus not allowing Dunmow to return after reaching his 51 retired out earlier.

In the end, South Wilts held their nerve and won by 14 runs.

The finish came in near darkness, beneath one of the most wonderful sunsets we've seen at the ground – a fitting backdrop as the curtain came down on U19 cricket at South Wilts for some of these lads.

And now they head to Swindon on September 5th to try to win the T20 Wiltshire title.

An undefeated season has already been a fantastic achievement. Finishing it with the trophy would be a pretty special way to bring the curtain down. ??

South Wilts CC scorecard