Canterbury Cricket Club win National Indoor tournament
Published: 11:24, 17 March 2011
The Canterbury squad who won the national six-a-side indoor title at Lord's on Sunday
Canterbury Cricket Club’s indoor players proved they are the best in the land on an emotional day at Lord’s.
They beat Bridgwater and Blaydon (Durham) in two memorable matches in the National Indoor six-a-side finals.
Skipper Simon Smith says Sunday’s triumph has still not sunk in, after his side won 21 consecutive games, starting in the Pharon Canterbury League, on the way to victory in their third time on the national stage.
Smith said: "It was a fantastic result. We reached this stage in 2003 and 2004 and I think we went with the idea of enjoying it, but this time we went there to win, and we ended up doing both."
They became the second area club to land the title after St Lawrence & Highland Court’s success more than 20 years ago.
In the final Canterbury had Blaydon, winners in 2007, 39-4, having a slice of luck when, off Ryan Minter’s fifth ball, his outstretched hands deflected a drive on to the stumps with the non-striker out of his ground.
But Blaydon’s fifth wicket fought back with a partnership of 64 and they closed on 112-5.
Canterbury paced themselves to perfection, Steer (27) and Ryan Minter (26), both not out, putting on 53, and, with John Rose’s retirement on 27 in the 10th over, another 10 were required.
Smith leg-glanced the winning three with an over to spare.
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