The winner was nor decided until the final over  as as Cambridge Academy beat Hoërskool Bergvlam by five runs in the Mpumalanga Schools First League Cricket final at the Kia Park last Saturday.

Vlammies’ Dylan Sjöblom’s 36 runs off 36 balls came agonisingly close to taking his team to victory before he was bowled by Reinhard Rossouw.

Bergvlam were all out for 209 with one over and one delivery remaining. Cambridge were the champions.

Bergvlam won the toss and elected to field first.

Cambridge openers, Tyron Calitz and Francois Oosthuizen, put on 49 runs for the first wicket before Oosthuizen was caught and bowled by Jayden Louw.

Bergvlam had their tails up when Calitz fell shortly afterwards, caught by Jeandre Wessels off the bowling of Aiden Soine.

Cambridge laid the foundation for victory with a superb 72-run, third-wicket partnership between Aiden Williams and Nico Rossouw. Rossouw  anchored the partnership while Williams grabbed his licence and smashed 42 runs off 46 deliveries. He was the top scorer of theinnings.

Cambridge went from 127 for three to 214 all out, the last seven wickets falling for 87 runs. They were all out with four balls of the 50th over remaining.

The middle order and tail did enough to post a defendable total. Jarred Pienaar (25 runs off 34 deliveries) and Gysie Kok (25 off 36) were particularly aggressive.

Vlammies’ Hendri Nel took three for 31 in 8.2 overs, and Dylan Sjöblom claimed three for 36 in six.

Bergvlam got off to a poor start with Jean Steyn, caught Oosthuizen, bowled Trent van Sittert, heading back to the change room with just nine runs on the scoreboard.

Francois Pauw and Dylan de Almeida battled against the line and length of the Cambridge seamers. Pauw managed just 12 runs off 38 balls before he was bowled by Willams.

Williams claimed De Almeida’s scalp shortly afterwards with the number three batsmen scoring 16 runs off 34 deliveries and the total on 60.

Soine scored 40 runs but was not supported by Juan Pretorius and Louw, who both lost their wickets cheaply.

Junior Kotze joined Soine with the score

on 86 for five. The pair took the score to 148 before Kotze (40) became Williams’ third victim, caught by Calitz.

Sjöblom came to the crease with the battleaxe swinging. Soine soldiered on to 40 runs before he fell and number 11, Deon Olivier came to the crease.

Sjöblom and Olivier put on 16 runs before bowling all-rounder became the tenth wicket to fall, bowled Rossouw.

Bergvlam’s total was 209 all out in the 49th over, six runs short of victory and the title of Mpumalanga champions.

Cambridge’s Williams took three for 30 in ten overs and Reinhard Rossouw took three for 43 runs in 8.5.