Max Shepherd ran out Frocester 2nds’ number 11 Archie Baker from the penultimate ball of the game to clinch a “very tense” one-run win for Bourton Vale on Saturday.

Chasing Bourton’s 240-8 from 50 overs, relegation-threatened Frocester had appeared to be cruising to only their sixth win of the season in the Gloucestershire Division of the West of England Premier League when they were 231-6 in the 47th over after opener Harindu Jayasekara had smashed 101 from just 71 balls.

But then Liam Webb stepped forward.

“Webby took two wickets in two balls and that changed everything,” said Bourton new-ball bowler Will Faulkner.

“That flipped the game on its head, we thought we were dead and buried.

“I think they maybe panicked a bit, it was very tense.”

But after Webb’s double strike – he finished with 3-27 from five overs – Frocester still needed only two runs from the final over with the ninth-wicket pair at the crease.

That was to prove beyond them, however, because skipper Darrel Williams struck with the second ball to have Shafiq Maroofkhel stumped by Musa Twala for 27 and leave the home side 239-9 before Shepherd’s decisive intervention.

“Max was at mid-on and the ball was chipped to him,” continued Faulkner.

“Everyone thought he was going to catch it but it fell just short. He collected the ball, ran towards the stumps and threw it from five yards out as they ran for a single.”

That sparked wild celebrations, but earlier Bourton had to be rescued by a sixth-wicket partnership of 108 between Lysander Tarrant (64) and Williams (50 not) who had come together with the score on 106.

Shepherd, meanwhile, was the pick of Bourton’s bowlers with 3-19 from 10 overs.

The win keeps Bourton in second place behind leaders Chipping Sodbury but it’s going to be a tough ask for Williams’ team to overhaul them.

Chipping Sodbury, who are also through to the Gloucestershire County Cup final, hold a 21-point advantage with just three games remaining.

The two teams meet at Chipping Sodbury a week on Saturday – Chipping Sodbury won at Bourton earlier in the season – and Faulkner admitted: “We need someone to do us a favour.

“Their other two games are against Stroud and Thornbury 2nds. They play Stroud on Saturday so we really need Stroud to win.”

Thornbury 2nds are bottom of the 10-strong division but whatever the outcome for Bourton they have still had a very good season.

“If we don’t go up it may take a while to realise that,” Faulkner admitted.

“We were unbeaten for a long time at the start of the season and there are a lot of positives.

“We’ve let a few games slip but we won the Cheltenham Premier T20, and playing at the Cheltenham Festival was an incredible experience.”

Bourton host Charlton Kings on Saturday. Their final league game is at home to Langford on Saturday 30th August.