New Milton are the Southern Electric t20 Plate competition’s inaugural winners after pulling of a dramatic Super Over Cup final victory over Totton & Eling at the Linden Oval.

Left-hand all-rounder Nicky Elliott was New Milton’s hero, defying a broken middle finger to hit a boundary off the penultimate ball off Cameron Valente’s Super Over to win the day for the Green & Golds.

The Plate final went into ‘extra-time’ after a six-strewn 86 not out by James Taylor had enabled Totton & Eling to tie the match with 155 runs each.

New Milton posted 155-6 – a late flurry by Ryan Beck (42) complementing a second-wicket stand between Toby Edwards (36) and James Park (31) – but Totton levelled the scores after Taylor’s astonishing last over blitz.

Requiring 42 runs off the last four overs and 23 off the 20th and final over of the match by former Dorset cricketer Ben Lawes, Taylor failed to score off the first delivery, but then hit a six, a two, and two more sixes to take Totton’s score to 153-7 off 19.5 overs.

A mis-field in the deep enabled Taylor to scamper a two off that last ball to tie the scores.

Taylor’s remarkable 86 not out came off 58 balls and contained six sixes and six boundaries.

The Eels captain remained at the crease when Totton batted first in the Super Over, but his side managed to score only five runs off Dan Loader’s six deliveries – the sixth ball (which went for two runs) being called ‘one short’.

Needing six runs for victory off Valente’s over, New Milton pair Toby Edwards and Elliott took a single off each of the first three balls.

Tensions mounted when Elliott missed the fourth ball, but he made no mistake with the fifth, giving the Australian all-rounder the charge and hitting him straight to the long-off boundary to win the game.

The 20-year-old was mobbed by his ecstatic and jubilant New Milton teammates as the Fernhill side celebrated their victory.