How Patrick Hannon hit the winning runs for Neyland against Whitland

Overwhelming favourites Neyland were 85-3 while chasing a modest 111 to beat Whitland. The experienced duo of Nick Koomen and Andrew Miler were at the crease, their side still had 24 balls to play with, and hopes of the close contest that the neutrals had craved had all but frittered away.

And then in the 20 minutes that followed, hell broke loose.

So much so, that all came down to one final delivery, and this week Telegraph Sport spoke to the man on the receiving end of it.

Patrick Hannon had already played a key role with the ball in Neyland’s Bowl wins of 2011 and 2013. In the build up to this one however, he never envisaged being charged with sealing glory with the bat.

But for Hannon and his teammates, this time around their primary motivation was a poignant one.

Earlier that year Martin ‘Ceefax’ Rees, a man so synonymous with cricket and rugby in Neyland, had died after a battle with cancer. Him not being there for Pembrokeshire cricket’s big day was a sobering thought.

“We really wanted to win it for him,” admitted Patrick.

“He loved the Harrison-Allen so we spoke about him a lot ahead of the final.”

Whitland themselves had tasted Bowl glory against Carew in 2012, and had been underdogs that day too. But this time around, they fell behind the eight ball early on.

Neyland skipper Gregg Miller won the toss and opted to field. In overcast conditions which made scoring difficult, The Borderers laboured to a below par total of 125-9.

No 3 Jonathan Thomas defied a post-wedding hangover to make 31, and Leighton O’Connor made the same with a blunt knock that included three sixes, but via Andrew Miller (3-21), Patrick Hannon (3-42), and Nathan Banner (2-33), the batting was kept firmly in check.

“We were pleased to keep them to that,” admitted Patrick.

“They’d scored heavily in the semi final and had done so in fact throughout the competition – and we were wary of Jonathan Thomas who had scored a century a couple of weeks earlier and was in form.

“But we also sensed that runs were hard to find by and this wasn’t going to be like the high scoring finals we’d been in before.”

Whitland got the early blow they needed when Gregg Sleep removed Nathan Banner, but Gregg Miller and Ashley Sutton took Neyland to 59-1 in 10 overs before progress was halted by a prolonged rain delay.

After the resumption, Miller would go on to make 48, Sutton 32, and Koomen 24 - but Wayne Howells (3-44) helped ensure that Whitland remain in the contest, if not exactly on top of it.

In fact, it took a late cameo of 21 not out from Henry Durrant, including back to back sixes off the two finals balls of the innings, to take the total to 154-5 – a lead of 29.

Whitland came out with more intent second time around, taking less than four overs to knock off the deficit.

But while opener Dylan Blain scored a brisk 26 and Thomas cracked two maximums in his 28, no batsman hung around long enough to play the major knock that was needed.

Skipper Matthew Davies managed the tail well with a measured 25 but with Andrew Miller (3-29) and Banner (3-39) again in the wickets, a final total 139-9 left Neyland chasing just 111 to win.

It’s at that point that Richard Merriman, who by this time had drunk more pints than I’d written paragraphs, turned to me and insisted it wasn’t over.

“They’ve still got to get these runs and it won’t be easy,” he said.

I disagreed. So it pains me to this day to admit that he would be proved right.

“We were definitely over cautious going into that run chase,” said Hannon.

“I remember the team talk and Gregg telling us we didn’t have to go hell for leather – that we could afford to take a few overs to play ourselves in.

“That was our mindset and it actually backfired. We went through periods of not really scoring.”

Indeed, after five overs Neyland had ambled somewhat to 19-0. But then veteran Mark Lee removed Gregg Miller and No 3 Sutton within balls of each other, and the air of resignation among Whitland fans suddenly turned to optimism.

But even though Thomas would later remove Banner via a boundary catch from his captain, Koomen and Andrew Miller seemingly restored control.

In fact with four overs to go the former was 44 not out and seemingly on course to notch another Bowl final half century as his side, with 24 runs left to get, cantered towards the finish line.

The over that followed prompted pandemonium. Thomas removed Miller (13), and then trapped Koomen LBW following an audacious attempt at a switch hit. Patrick Bellerby entered the fray – and then promptly exited it having been stumped by keeper Blain without scoring.

85-3 after 18 overs, had turned into 88-6 after 19 – and the noise levels among the Whitland rugby boys who had parked themselves by the clubhouse all day suddenly went up tenfold.

Hannon was down at No 9 in the order, with brother Sean a place behind him. They were a positioned there for a reason, and as they watched things unfold from the boundary, it became apparent that very reasoning was about to be put to the test.

“It was a strange outside our changing room because the mood went flat. That was unlike us as we were a very buoyant side and a close knit bunch. We always sat together during an innings.

“The boys were coming back one by one disappointed because they were getting out playing bad shots. But then you have to credit Whitland as well – they fought back superbly.

“Gregg had spoken to me and Sean about this exact scenario as he knew we were quick between the wickets. If it came to it we knew we could do it in singles.”

It did come down to it after Durrant holed out to Kevin Pearce off O’Connor to make it 99-7, and although Hannon and Scott Jones then managed to run a ‘five’ on overthrows, the latter was skittled by Thomas to leave things at 104-8 with just one over to go.

In short, it was bedlam.

“Scott got out trying a big shot and I remember then speaking to Sean in the middle. We needed seven off six balls and our mindset wasn’t to play big shots that weren’t there – it was to try and get a run a ball but also turn the odd single into a two.

“Leighton O’Connor had been around for years and I knew what was coming. He was a very accurate bowler who was always full and straight.”

Patrick took a single before a huge moment, as Sean got back for a risky two – but only after surviving a vociferous run out appeal.

“Sean hit it straight to the fielder on the boundary and had to dive to get back for two. It was probably too close for the umpire to call.”

A dot ball followed, before a ‘block and run’ from Sean left Patrick needing to take three of the final two balls for victory.

“This was the first time I’d actually batted in a Bowl final and suddenly I knew it was on me. I said to Sean I’m going to go for it now as I didn’t want to leave it to the final delivery.”

That philosophy almost worked as he cracked O’Connor back over his head – but a smart bit of fielding from Scott Newton saved the boundary and the twin brothers ran two to tie the scores.

“Then the field came up. All five of Leighton’s balls before had been as expected, full and straight, so I knew what was coming. Thankfully I was right and managed to clear the field for four.”

Emotions spilt over in the minutes that followed as relieved teammates ran onto the pitch. But for the match winner himself, it ran deeper than simply capturing the Bowl.

“I tried to soak it all in. I was out there with my brother which was special and also my now wife, Jennifer, was ten weeks pregnant at the time and no one else knew. So it was a nice moment to share with her too.

“And of course being the person to hit the winning shot for Martin Rees was special too.”

Looking back now of course, for Hannon, the stress of that frantic finale was worth it.

“No way should we have been in that position and probably 98 times out of 100 you’d have backed us to get that score.

“But we strangled ourselves and with a couple of overs to go the momentum was with Whitland and there was almost disbelief as to what was going on.

“From a personal point of view though it gave me the chance to hit the winning runs which is certainly my greatest Bowl memory.

“In 2011 I took three catches for Nick Koomen’s hat trick and 2013 was very nice for the team because of the Sky cameras. But the finish to this one was just so memorable.

“And most importantly of all, we were able to win it for ‘Ceefax’.”

There is perhaps a perverse irony to that sentiment.

In those final few overs all of us – players, spectators, and journalists – struggled to keep with the equation. Indeed, I look at my own notes now which are littered with frenzied scribbles and corrections.

And yet, I know the one man who would have stayed calm and been able to reel off the exact statistics amidst the mayhem.

Hi name? Martin ‘Ceefax’ Rees of course.