What had looked like a cruise to victory now hung on a knife-edge, with the scoreboard being updated ball by ball.
With three overs remaining, Boys' High needed 32 runs with nine wickets in hand. However, by the last over, they needed 14 more runs with just four wickets in hand. The two batsmen in the middle had yet to face a ball.
Travis O'Rourke and Luke Fisher got there on the final ball of the over, and their teammates ran on to the field to congratulate the pair after it looked as if Boys' High would stumble at the final hurdle.
OBR captain Paul Stewart said the partnership between Sharp and Trowell was a decisive factor in the game, but his team didn't let the loss dampen their spirits.
“After the loss to Boys' High, I think it was a case of trying not to change that much going into the game against HSOB.
“Cricket is a game of such fine margins sometimes, and I think we were unlucky in the first game.”
In OBR's second game, against Bollywood Stars HSOB, they rallied behind veteran Ian Loffler, who scored a spectacular 70 before being bowled by captain Carl Shaw.
The remaining OBR players struggled to find their footing on the new pitch, and only two batsmen recorded double-digit totals as they were bowled out for 121.
HSOB quickly chased down that total, with opener Jarrod Renouf (53) and Mitch Hammond (36) combining for an unbeaten 92-run second-wicket partnership to finish the game in style.
Stewart said while Loffler played a good innings and helped set a good target, OBR knew it would be difficult to defend with four stand-ins and only 10 players.
“Playing T20s with only 10 players is a very difficult task, but the players we had at the weekend played with 110 percent effort and you can't ask for much more than that.”
HSOB had started the day with a convincing 56-run win against Horouta, who couldn't match their opponents' total but batted out their overs.
On the back of a Mitch Hammond 60, HSOB set Horouta a target of 171 to win.
Horouta were unable to form long-lasting partnerships and fell behind the required run rate.
Several players got good starts, but with an innings of 20 by Teghbir Singh as their top score, Horouta were never going to compile a total big enough to secure back-to-back wins.
Shaw said that while the team had some great individual performances, they would need to tighten up if they wanted to take home the silverware.
“I thought we bowled and fielded really well to restrict both our opponents.
“We will need to cut down on extras and hold our catches next week to beat Boys' High. They looked really good.”
Horouta, batting first in their second game, pushed to the final ball but were dismissed for 117.
In an innings built around Harmanpreet Gill's 50 off 43 balls, Horouta started slowly but lost wickets rapidly as the batters looked to play more expansive shots.
It was smart bowling by Boys' High. They bowled at the wickets and were rewarded when Trowell took the stumps of the opening two batsmen in his first spell.
The total looked defendable, though, until Sharp and Cohen Loffler came to the crease and put on a fantastic display in chasing it down.
Sharp scored 75 runs and Loffler 33 as they cruised home, riding their luck with dropped catches on the way.
Trowell said the format suited his team and they were happy to have regrouped after the “high” of their first game to take out the second, too.
“We have good hitters and players that can run hard between the wickets,” he said.
“Our batsmen laid the platform in both games . . . special mention to Graham (Sharp) with the bat. He was class.”
Horouta captain David Situ said they were good with the ball, but let too many extras get through in the field.
“We just need to get more with the bat and to play the right shots at the right time.
“It was good for Harmanpreet (Gill) to get a 50.”
