Westminster School take third place at Desert Springs

Chasing 68, Westminster looked as though they were heading towards a comfortable victory before a spirited fightback from Rajasthan Royals UK

Scorecard

Jai Gupta claimed a trio of caught & bowleds and then played a useful knock with the bat as Westminster overcame Rajasthan Royals Academy UK in a tight encounter to secure third place in the 2023 Cricketer Schools Hundred.

Chasing 68, Westminster looked as though they were heading towards a comfortable victory before a spirited fightback from Rajasthan saw the chasing side reduced from 46 for 2 to 60 for 8 to set up an engaging finale.

Ben Carter, Isaac Hurtel-Hymans and Freddie Rowe picked up two wickets apiece as Rajasthan piled on the pressure before Aayan Diddee and Prakrith Rao edged their side to a two-wicket victory with 17 balls to spare.

Gupta, who had already taken a spectacular return catch against the same opposition earlier in the tournament, returned figures of 4 for 9 from three overs as Westminster reduced Rajasthan to 67 all out.

The scorecard could have looked far worse for Rajasthan, who found themselves 18 for 5 in the seventh over when Ben Brush looped a leading edge to Dhruv Gupta off the bowling of Diddee.

Resilience came in the form of a 45-run partnership between Jack Mallett and Freddie Wheeler who frustrated Westminster for 44 deliveries and ensured the contest wasn't over as a spectacle.

Enter Gupta. Wheeler was the first to c&b to the spinner and one ball later, hesitant running saw Jack Carter run out for two in two. 

The team hat-trick was complete when Gupta broke through Sam Jordan's defences and sent the bails tumbling for a first-ball duck.

The final two deliveries of Gupta's third over would be the final two of the Rajasthan innings. The first was a very comfortable catch presented to him and the next saw the spinner take a beauty above his head to remove Hurtel-Hymans.

Westminster's triumph made it back-to-back wins over Rajasthan and two for the tournament to take a bronze medal at Desert Springs.

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