Foxton Granta chase down Dumbleton’s total to win Voneus National Village Cup at Lord’s

Foxton Granta made club history this afternoon by winning the Voneus National Village Cup at Lord’s.

In the days leading up to the clash against 2022 champions Dumbleton at the home of English cricket, captain Lewys Hill had encouraged his Foxton Granta players to not be overawed by the occasion.

And it was a message that they heeded – particularly Richard Kaufman and Adam Webster, who put on a partnership of more than 200 runs to play leading roles in their side’s triumph with seven wickets to spare.

After their skipper Ross Martin had won the toss and opted to bat first, the Dumbleton innings only truly came to life during the final 10 overs.

While the Foxton Granta bowling attack claimed four wickets during that period, Dumbleton – spearheaded by some big hitting from Charlie Garratt – added 92 runs to their total.

Coming in at number three, Garratt carried his bat throughout and hit six fours and seven maximums on his way to an unbeaten score of 119 runs from 105 deliveries.

Seamer Sam Beer (3-38) was the pick of the Foxton Granta bowlers, while there was one wicket apiece for the trio of Hill (1-67), Ravi Mahendra (1-36) and Kaufman (1-35) as Dumbleton reached 240-8 from their 40 overs.

In reply, Foxton Granta lost opener Douglas Rice for a three-ball duck with the score 5-1, which in turn saw Kaufman come to the crease early on alongside Webster.

The pair were steady and watchful initially, often dabbing singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over and finding the boundaries when presented with bad balls. And with their right and left-handed combination, it meant that the Dumbleton fielders were regularly forced to switch positions.

It was after the drinks break that the duo opted to put their foot down on the accelerator. Kaufman, who is the head of cricket The Leys School in Cambridge, took on the mantle, smashing his way to a century off just 80 balls.

He eventually fell to the bowling of Daniel Hammond – caught by Finn Brabham – for 110, with an innings that featured nine fours and six sixes.

Webster, who played when pre-amalgamation Foxton lost the final in 2015, was subsequently joined by Johnny Atkinson, but he departed having faced seven balls without scoring a run.

His replacement Harry Hopwood (12 not out) – the 12th man nine years ago aged just 13 – immediately got off the mark with a two to settle any nerves and alongside Webster (97 not out) they completed the job in exactly 36 overs, with the latter finishing the innings in style, smashing one of the biggest sixes of the day.