HOWZAAAAAT! Freear salutes ‘loudest appeal ever’ after final-ball drama at Wisbech
MATCH-WINNER Gary Freear hailed the loudest appeal ever seen at Harecroft Road after a thrilling last-ball victory put Wisbech in dreamland.
James Williams’ side went second in the Tucker Gardner Premier Division with Saturday’s 21-run victory over Godmanchester.
Freear’s majestic 125 set up the win, but captain Williams sealed it by trapping Paul Jefferson lbw with the final ball of the match - sparking wild celebrations.
Freear said: “It was a massive appeal, as loud as I’ve heard. The third team had just finished their game on the other pitch and half of them were appealing from the sidelines!
“It was dead straight but I thought it might have been going over the top of the stumps. When the umpire’s finger went up there was a big pile-on in the middle of the wicket.
“Those moments are why we play cricket.”
Wisbech had the luxury of declaring two overs early on Saturday as they smashed 284-3 on a batsman-friendly wicket.
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Freear’s 125 off 119 balls was well supported by Williams (46 not out) and David Wood (42 not out), who finished the innings with a flourish.
But Godmanchester also found runs easy to come by and appeared to be cruising to victory at 230-3.
The introduction of seamer Ben Allsop (4-14) swung the game back in Wisbech’s favour, and with Jack Hastings and Craig Johnson chipping in with two wickets each, it was left to Williams to secure the most dramatic of wins.
Freear said: “It was just a fantastic game of cricket.
“At one point I thought the declaration was going to look stupid but in the end it turned out to be perfect.”
Wisbech, who finished a disappointing ninth last season, will be bidding for their fifth consecutive league win when they travel to Camden tomorrow.
Freear said: “It was a bit doom and gloom last year but it’s a great club to be around at the moment. Everything looks rosy.
“We’ve got to ride the crest of this wave for as long as we can.”
