WEYMOUTH 224-8 (19pts) beat FERNDOWN WAYFARERS 223-7 (9pts) by one run

LAURIE ‘Cube’ Whyte put his body on the line as Weymouth pulled off a remarkable last ball victory over Ferndown Wayfarers at Redlands.

The Seasiders required two off the last delivery in order to win the match and the charismatic Aussie did not disappoint.

A fine shot out to mid-wicket saw Whyte (10no) and team-mate Dave Trotter (9no) run a comfortable single before they both crossed again with the former diving full length to the crease to beat the throw at the stumps and send the watching Weymouth players and fans into a furore of jubilation.

However, while everyone else connected with the Seasiders was congratulating each other, captain Paul Payne was breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Not only had his side pulled off a vital win in their bid to beat the drop in the Dorset Premier League but Whyte’s successful dive also took away the skipper’s frustration after he holed out on 101.

Following his dismissal, Payne trudged off the field in a silent rage and for the next five overs sat biting his nails on his own but in a rollercoaster of emotions he was soon back with a smile on his face.

He said: “We lost two quick wickets and were struggling on 6-2. However, Sean Fitzgerald (41) and I then managed to put on a partnership of 138 to swing the game back in our favour.

“After Sean was dismissed, we got to a stage where we needed 51 off 15 overs with seven wickets in hand but as people know we don’t like to do things the easy way here at Weymouth.

“We suddenly lost four quick wickets before I then played an awful shot and basically holed out when I should have carried us through.

“I have been really struggling for form this season and have been due a knock, so to get 101 and help the team was really pleasing, but obviously I was very disappointed with the manner I got out, especially at such an important stage of the match.

“To be honest I was in bits, knowing that I still should be out there but instead I had now put all the pressure on Cube and Dave, and left us requiring 20 runs off the last five overs with just two wickets remaining.

“It was an extremely high pressure situation but both Cube and Dave were out of this world. In the end we needed 10 off the last two overs, which then became eight off the final over, and to eventually get the win by Cube diving in was just incredible.

“The seconds and thirds, who both won their matches, were all watching and the reaction was fantastic.

“There is no doubt that the first team has under performed this year, so this was a big moment for us. We needed people to stand up and be counted and that is exactly what they did.

“However, it is only one victory. We still have five games to go and the aim now has to be to go and win them all.” Ferndown got off to a flier and raced to 89-0 in the first innings but Payne then pulled off a masterstroke by introducing Fitzgerald (2-31) and Whyte (0-29) into the attack, who both took the pace off the ball and slowed the run rate.

Payne added: “Cube and Sean both bowled superbly and to go and field as well as we did after the previous week’s defeat at Dorchester was just absolutely fantastic.

“In the end we restricted them to 223 and were delighted with that. It was always going to be a high-scoring match and we had thought they were at least 20 runs short but obviously it turned out a lot tougher to knock off than we expected.”

Openers James Stanton (65) and Lee Dunham (39) top scored for Ferndown with Andrew Falloon (2-24) and Dan Hutchens (2-45) joined Fitzgerald with a brace of wickets apiece.

After tea, Weymouth’s run chase looked comfortably on course until Dean Elsworthy (3-17) came on and dismissed Fitzgerald, Dean Jana-way (19) and Will McKay (0) in quick succession.

However, the Seasiders managed to hold their nerve and see it through in the most dramatic of circumstances to claim 19 points to take a first step towards safety and end a run of three consecutive defeats.