After 18 games and 147 days, White Coppice 2nd XI’s entire season came down to a dramatic final over against league leaders Preston Royals on Saturday.

The clock had rolled around to 7.20pm in fading light and the team’s hopes rested on the shoulders of Anto Kuriakose and Matt Phillipson.

With only captain courageous Martin Cuerden to come – fresh from spending three hours at A&E after a freak fielding injury – the equation was simple.

Three runs from the final six balls and White Coppice would leapfrog their opponents and win Division 8.

Two runs would mean a tie and have everyone reaching for their calculators, but anything less would see White Coppice 2nd XI slip to third and hand Blackpool 4th XI the second promotion place after they won their earlier game.

The match was played on an artificial wicket at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School (QEGS) in Blackburn and Preston Royals handed the ball to Febin Felix for the final over.

With Kuriakose at the non-striker’s end on a run-a-ball 30, all eyes turned to wicketkeeper Phillipson to see if he could be the hero.

Watched by his team-mates and nearly the entire 1st XI, who had driven over after completing their victory against Norcross at 5.30pm, the tension was palpable.

After playing out a dot ball, Phillipson hit the second delivery into the semi-darkness and scampered back for two runs to tie the scores and spark scenes of wild celebration – but the best was yet to come.

After narrowly avoiding being run out off the third ball, he pulled the fourth delivery to the midwicket boundary to spark extraordinary scenes of euphoria and relief.

Leading the charge was Cuerden, who said: “Beating the previously unbeaten top of the league in the last over, in the dark, to not only get promoted, but to win the league is beyond ridiculous and will stay with me for a long, long time.”

It was a fitting finale to a day of high drama that had it all.

White Coppice went into the match knowing their destiny was in their own hands – but also knowing they would probably have to beat Preston Royals in the process.

Royals started in pole position with 160 points – five ahead of Coppice. Waiting in the wings were Blackpool 4th XI on 150 points.

After a lengthy delay because there were no stumps, Cuerden won the toss – again – and had no hesitation in bowling first.

Ian Aldred dismissed both openers on his way to 2-40 from his 10 overs, but the division’s leading run-scorer, Sidharth Gaikwad, compiled 57 to finish the season with an impressive 545 league runs.

White Coppice’s fielding wasn’t up to its normal high standards, but they weren’t helped by a sickening clash of heads involving Cuerden and Phillipson as they went for the same catch, which saw the skipper head to A&E midway through the innings.

Visakh P Visakh (3-20) and Mike Houghton (3-41) combined to restrict Royals to 157-8 from their 40 overs – a total worth considerably more because of the huge boundaries and slow outfield.

The combination of the delayed start and Cuerden’s injury meant that by the time White Coppice began their reply, Blackpool 4ths were completing a four-wicket victory against Vernon Carus 4th XI.

Blackpool’s 10-point haul took them to 160 points, while Preston Royals’ batting bonus points guaranteed them a top-two finish.

White Coppice’s reply got off to a disastrous start when Jeff Smith was dismissed for a duck, while Jordan Halliday was unlucky to drag one on for 10 to leave the visitors 13-2.

Daniel Preston (18) and James Hurst (17) steadied the innings, but when both were dismissed the visitors were struggling at 75-5 – effectively six wickets down with Cuerden not expected to bat.

Ian Aldred (9) and Mike Houghton (35) took the score beyond 100, largely by running hard for singles, but when they were both dismissed Coppice were languishing at 111-7.

By then, vocal reinforcements had arrived in the form of the 1st XI, but Coppice still needed 47 runs for victory.

Visakh and Kuriakose edged the score to 133, but when the former was given out LBW by umpire Tom Dulson, the visitors still needed 25 runs.

It was at this point that Cuerden returned to the battlefield like a wounded gladiator. Although he had passed a concussion check, he was sporting a nasty cut above his eye.

He needn’t have worried.

Kuriakose’s second six brought the victory target into sight before Phillipson held his nerve, finishing unbeaten on 14 and securing the title in unforgettable fashion.

White Coppice finished the season as Division 8 champions on 166 points, ahead of Preston Royals on 164 and Blackpool 4th XI on 160.

Division 7, here we come!