And when the smoke settled, Wotton emerged from the ``heat'' smiling as winners of yesterday's rescheduled Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield semifinal at Paragon.
Unfancied Wotton, defending a score of 120 in good batting conditions, played their hearts out before a large, vocal crowd and escaped with a one-run victory over pre-match favourites Barbados Defence Force.
It was action from start to finish and the final exchanges typified the unpredictable nature of the contest.
With just two runs needed in five overs, captain Anthony Trotman handed the ball to Keith Seale.
Seale, better known for his batting, did the trick, having last man Ovid Goodridge plumb lbw with a full delivery.
Umpire Hensley Robinson took his time to raise the finger, doing so after the batsmen crossed for the single that would have tied the scores.
It added a final tense moment to the drama.
Wotton will now move on to the final on August 23, when they will meet BRC who had a comfortable 98-run triumph over Yorkshire at Friendship last week.
That match will be played at Queen's Park.
Wotton defend their 120 From Soldiers
by Louis Linton at Paragon
Inspired BY tight bowling and excellent fielding, Wotton brought off an exciting one-run victory over favourites Barbados Defence Force yesterday to advance to the final of the Barbados Fire and Commercial Shield for the first time. They will face fellow first-time finalists BRC on August 23 at Queen's Park.
Chasing Wotton's 120 for eight off the allotted 40 overs, the soldiers were dismissed for 119 with 23 balls remaining. Orson Norgrove, Cedric Callender and Rodney Rose all picked up two wickets, while Anthony Layne held a magnificent left-handed catch.
Fast bowler Norgrove, bowling from the southern end, started the soldiers' demise. With his fourth delivery of the innings he had Dwayne Yearwood caught down the leg-side by a diving wicket-keeper Anthony Trotman. Norgrove picked up his second wicket, that of Alex Bellamy, with the score on 26. With just five runs added, Mark Seale, coming in from cover with a good throw, effected the run out of Rawle Benn, who was attempting a quick single. Hamil Smith followed soon after, caught at mid-wicket by Cedric Callender off Seale.
Norgrove was rested and Callender resumed his attack. He should have gotten the wicket of Henderson Springer from the first delivery but had to wait three balls later for substitute Denniston Carter to do what he should have done before: take the catch. BDF Sports Programme recruits Theo Chandler and Nikki Bowen added 32 for the sixth wicket, bringing some stability to the innings, but Callender, flighting the ball well, bowled Chandler for 18, leaving the BDF at 70 for six.
Two quick dismissals by Rodney Rose had the soldiers gasping for life at 85 for eight. Bowen was joined by Stephen Howell and the two set out on a rescue mission but after adding a valuable 29, Layne brought off a spectacular left-handed catch to dismiss Howell for 15 off the bowling of Carson Rose. Bowen took two runs off Rose's last ball and left last man Ovid Goodridge to face the unknown element of Keith Seale.
In Seale's first delivery of his second over he trapped Goodridge lbw, a decision which was belatedly given by umpire Hensley Robinson.
Earlier, Francis Hippolyte, in his first match of the season for Wotton, laboured for 30 overs to compile just 35 after Wotton were sent in. He was the mainstay in an otherwise dismal innings in which only three other batsmen reached double-figures. Carson Rose had 17, Anthony Trotman 12 and Anthony Layne 11.