New Milton captain Ed Bartlett praised his side’s character after they produced a remarkable fightback to snatch a dramatic one-run victory over Sparsholt with a last-ball run-out at Fernhill Sports Ground on Saturday.

The thrilling finish saw Sparsholt denied a losing draw as New Milton held their nerve to complete one of the most memorable finishes of the season.

Bartlett admitted he was surprised when Sparsholt elected to field after winning the toss.

“We lost the toss on a good-looking used wicket and were a little surprised to be put into bat because we wanted to bat,” he said. “It was another hot day, and we knew the wicket would turn after a while. It really started to turn in the middle of the first innings, but all in all it was a great wicket.”

New Milton made an excellent start as James Adams (44) and Scotland U17 international Teddy Golding shared a superb 102-run partnership after the early loss of Ollie Shrubsole.

Sparsholt hit back with three wickets for 39 runs to swing the momentum, but Bartlett (44 not out) helped rebuild the innings through a series of valuable partnerships.

Golding was the standout performer, agonisingly falling 11 runs short of a deserved century after striking 16 fours in a classy 89 from 104 balls.

“Teddy fell just short of his maiden SPCL hundred, which he fully deserved,” Bartlett said. “He knew when it was tough to score and then pounced on the bad balls.”

Ed Denham added 15 before Bartlett and Sam Moran guided New Milton to what proved a match-winning 234-6.

“We felt 234 at Fernhill was usually an above-par score, and we were very confident of defending it,” Bartlett added.

That confidence was tested as Sparsholt raced to 166-3 after 32 overs, with Will Berrill anchoring the chase with 67 and Jamie Skeoch contributing 41.

“The first 20 overs of their reply took us by surprise,” Bartlett admitted. “We bowled way too many bad balls and didn’t excel in the field either.”

The match turned dramatically as New Milton’s bowlers tightened the screws, with 16-year-old Alfie Oxford producing an outstanding spell of 2-34, while Cam Golding claimed 2-40 to slow the scoring.

An emotional moment followed when James Adams, bowling competitively for the first time since June 2025 after a hip operation and two broken fingers, returned figures of 3-38 to haul his side back into the contest.

“James claimed he would attempt to bowl for us and ended up taking three wickets,” Bartlett said.

That left Bartlett defending eight runs from the final over with Sparsholt one wicket from safety.

Three singles and a dot ball left five needed from two deliveries before two byes kept the number 11 on strike. The final ball was missed, and Sparsholt attempted a desperate second run to tie the scores, but Bartlett completed the run-out, sparking jubilant celebrations.

“I couldn't be more proud of the lads,” Bartlett said. “We know a chase of 200-plus barely ever happens at Fernhill and you’re never out of the game. Thankfully, we were on the right end of another all-time classic.”

Third-placed New Milton travel to local rivals Sway on Saturday (12.30pm).