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By Nathan Johns

Aaran Amin masterminded a thrilling chase at the home of cricket as Cambridge avenged last week’s defeat in the T20 to take home the One-Day Varsity Match spoils at Lord’s with victory over Oxford.

Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted total of 215 off 29 overs in a rain-affected clash, regular wickets looked to have stalled the Light Blues as the required rate quickly shot up to more than 10 an over.

A special knock was required, and up stepped Amin, powering his way to an unbeaten 93 off 50 balls to steer his side to victory and take home the player of the match gong.

Earlier in the day, all the momentum was with Oxford after a wet first innings, as an unbeaten century from George Hargrave saw the Dark Blues reach a commanding total of 229 for 4.

Multiple rain delays caused plenty of frustration early on at Lord’s, as Oxford sat at 87 for 3 during a three-hour delay.

During the limited action that did take place, extras, wides in particular, proved to be an issue in the early exchanges as the Oxford opening pair of Hargrave and Jake Duxbury went comfortably at five an over without having to take many risks.

Recent Varsity history would say that Hargrave and Tom Gnodde, who made a match-winning 64 not out in the T20 Varsity, would always be Oxford’s danger partnership, and so it proved as both looked to up the ante now that the game had been reduced to 29 overs.

Hargrave kept going despite the loss of Gnodde who skied an Alex Moen slower ball into the covers. It was a good, over-the-shoulder catch from Nick Taylor – a wicket that Cambridge badly needed.

The century for Hargrave came up in the in the 28th over via a pull through square leg as Oxford ended on a commanding 229 for 4.

Cambridge would be chasing a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 215, but did not get off to the best of starts as Chris Searle bowled Harry Houillon with a beauty in the first over.

Momentum is a strange yet funny thing in that it can be so difficult to get, but once you do it can turn a game on its head oh so quickly. It seemed like every time Cambridge looked set to take the upper hand, a wicket fell.

Owen Marshall bowled the 22nd over from the Nursery End with Cambridge staring down the barrel with the required rate now at more than 10 an over.

By the time he had bowled six balls of off spin, Amin had turned the game on its head by smashing 23 runs.

Three sixes over the off side with a boundary along the deck thrown in for good measure, and all of a sudden Cambridge were in the driving seat.

Amin, who had come in at No 5, was now set, and continued to dominate.

Further sixes came over mid on, square leg and point as the Lord’s crowd – the first to be present at St John’s Wood in 20 months – delighted in throwing the ball back from the stand. Amin ended up hitting an incredible eight maximums, making up 48 runs of his final total of 93.

Nine runs were needed off the final over. Amin made it look easy with a couple of twos and one more boundary over the off side.

Cambridge had done it and done it in style, ending a near 10-year barren run at Lord’s against their Dark Blue rivals.