NOW it's one step from another Lord's appearance for Sandiacre Town, after they won a last-ball thriller in the Cockspur Cup at Chester-le-Street yesterday.

Sandiacre succeeded where their Beechwood Derbyshire Premier League rivals, Ockbrook & Borrowash, could not in beating the Durham Premier League side in the national knockout competition.

Chester-le-Street beat Ockbrook in the last 16 and yesterday's last-eight victory has earned Sandiacre a semi-final at home to Leicestershire side Kibworth.

Although it was a gloomy day in Durham yesterday, the match was played on a fast and bouncy wicket and Chester-le-Street, batting first made what seemed an inadequate 135-9, with their scheduled 45-over innings reduced to 39 overs by a break for rain.

In reply, Sandiacre also found runs hard to come by and were reduced to 50-5.

But the sixth-wicket pair, Ian Parkin (52 not out) and John Jordison (30 not out) proved up to the task and inched their side towards victory.

It came down to Sandiacre needing two runs from the last ball and Jordison faced a bouncer which, after some deliberation, the umpire called as a wide, the batsmen completing a single as well to score both the required runs.

“It was short, high and wide down the leg side but it was the slowest wide I've ever seen given!” said Sandiacre captain John Trueman.

“We were baying for it and he seemed to take an age to give it. It was an unbelievable game but it wasn't doing me any good – I'm too old for for this.

“It was a really good wicket and theirs was the best new-ball attack I've faced in some years.”

Kibworth and Sandiacre are both previous winners of the prestigious competition, Trueman captaining Sandiacre to a one-run victory over Bath at Lord's in 2003.