SANDIACRE Town pulled off a sensational last-ball one-wicket victory over Ockbrook & Borrowash to blow the Beechwood Derbyshire Premier League title race wide open.

After looking as if a brave bid to chase down Ockbrook's 279-8 was falling short, Sandiacre rallied in fading light as the visitors' bowlers lost their nerve in the closing overs and rookie batsman Matt Swann forced the final ball through point for the winning run.

It all added up to arguably the most outstanding game of cricket played in the Premier League this season between what are, without doubt, 2008's best two sides.

The perennial rivals traded blow for blow throughout a pulsating day and the bare fact now is that Ockbrook's lead at the top is down to four points with the last two games to play over the forthcoming double-header weekend.

Both sides were able to call upon their big guns for the showdown, with Ockbrook including Derbyshire's Tom Lungley and Jake Needham, while Sandiacre brought in their Derbyshire opener, Dan Birch.

But it was others who were to have the biggest impact on the game, starting with Matt Lineker, who returned to the early season form that has been eluding him for some weeks to top-score for Ockbrook.

His 87, from 103 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, gave them a sound base and he added 75 for the third wicket with Lungley, who fell short of a major contribution with 29, as did Charlie Ault, with 23.

The acceleration Ockbrook needed started with a rapid 50 from stalwart all-rounder Ian Darlington and was topped off with a quicker late assault from Needham, who lifted Ryan McFadyean for three sixes over a short boundary in the last over.

That left the South African with a forelorn 1-81 from 12 overs and only John Jordison could really be satisfied with his spell, taking 3-56 from 15 overs.

Birch gave Sandiacre a characteristically rapid start in response, although James Chapman kept up with him as they fired 72 in nine overs, during which time Ockbrook lost opening bowler and captain Neil Smith, who injured an ankle chasing a ball to the boundary.

But when Birch's departure was quickly followed by that of John Trueman and Akhil Patel, Sandiacre were 97-3.

Needham and Lian Wharton slowed the scoring for a while but Chapman, playing with confidence and surviving a big shout for a catch down the leg side off Lungley, turned things back the home side's way in a partnership of 70 with Rob Attwood.

Attwood began slowly but was hitting cleanly by the end of his 37, when he lifted Wharton to Trevor Smith.

McFadyean, sent up the order for a hit, made only 18 but made them so quickly – and with two huge sixes – that he gave his side renewed momentum.

Chapman, who had done the same job for Sandiacre that Lineker had done for Ockbrook, hit Needham straight to mid on and when McFadyean was leg before to Trevor Smith in the next over, Ockbrook appeared back in the driving seat with their rivals on 193-6.

Ian Parkin thought differently and played quite brilliantly, losing Jordison for six but adding 64 in rapid time with Swann.

Parkin lifted four sixes over the short boundary and had reached 51 from 33 balls, every one of them faced in gathering gloom, before skying the second ball of the 49th over.

By now, however, Trevor Smith was firing down a succession of wides and Swann was encouraged to pick up where Parkin had left off.

Six were needed from the last over and Swann and Kev Newbold levelled the scores by scampering three to fine leg before Newbold was caught off the fourth ball of the over.

But Swann kept his head after the fifth ball was a dot and it is Sandiacre who have the momentum going into the final weekend.