Kings Langley are one win away from retaining the Watford Observer Fourteen14 Shield after reaching the 50th anniversary final with a six-wicket win over Langleybury.

Yesterday's victory was ultimately achieved with comfort at Abbots Langley’s Manor House Ground; George Langston reaching an unbeaten 50 with a four off the last delivery of the 13th over to secure the win with eight balls to spare.

For the majority of Kings’ reply, the outcome to a low-scoring semi-final was in the balance as Bury were in with a chance of defending their less than a run a ball total of 100-7 from their 14, eight-ball overs.

But the game swung decisively in the holders’ favour as the Hunton Bridge side shipped 32 runs in the space of two overs, 14 of which were conceded in wides as the two-time winners advanced to their fourth final.

Standing in their way at Chipperfield Clarendon’s ground on Thursday, July 12 will be neighbours Abbots Langley, who ended Radlett’s hopes on Tuesday and will be seeking their first triumph in the limited overs event at the seventh time of asking.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Bury’s innings got off to a poor start as Nahim Amin was caught by Langston off the bowling of captain Christian James in the first over without scoring. Dan Walker (3) was also on his way back to the pavilion nine deliveries later, Paul Ashford taking the catch on this occasion as Andrew Burnell (1-18 off 2 overs) claimed his only wicket.

Mohammed Manzoor scored the first boundary of the contest in the fourth over, before the James (2-25 off 4) and Langston combination accounted for Peter Metcalfe (8) off the penultimate ball of the fifth to leave Bury 33-3.

A boundary apiece for Manzoor and Josh Godden in a 12-run seventh over suggested an acceleration in the scoring rate might be afoot but it never materialised as only a further 48 runs were added in the final seven overs of the innings.

Three wickets in the space of 10 deliveries further boosted Kings’ prospects as Godden (11) fell to Ben Joyce (2-18 off 3) before Rob Clark accounted for the Manzoor brothers, Khalid (6) dismissed leg before wicket before Mohammed (32) was bowled two deliveries later.

Ross Channer (17) and skipper Richard Oxley (6 not out) tried to inject some late impetis, but boundaries were to continue to prove elusive, as Bury reached three figures off the final delivery of the innings.

Prior to that though, Channer’s contribution was ended in memorable fashion by Clark, who seemed to have misjudged the trajectory of a catch as he ran marginally past the flight of the ball, only to instinctively reach back and clutch it one-handed.

Bury’s total of 100 appeared too low to defend – and that indeed proved to be the case – but this was by no means certain for a significant part of the reply.

After Ashford (4) had chopped on to join Simon Walker (5) and Harry Sambrook (1) back in the pavilion, Kings were labouring at 41-3 at the end of the eighth over and needed 60 to win off the final 48 balls.

Langleybury succeeded at keeping the scoring rate down for the next two overs and then Khalid Manzoor (1-21 off 2) trapped Liberty Maher (7) leg before wicket off the first delivery off the 10th to make the score 58-4.

New batsman Varman Ratnakunaran faced the next ball and saw it cost six wides - two more run in addition to the four being awarded for the delivery passing down leg side under competition rules - but with that lapse the game was to start to decisively swing in Kings' favour.

Ratnakunaran struck what was to be only the second boundary of the innings before the end of that 11th over, but worse was to follow for Bury in the 12th as Channer’s (0 for 26 off 2) first delivery went for eight wides and that was followed by another four from Langston.

The pace of Ollie Ilott (0-19 off 3) was brought back but having taken most of the reply to get ahead of the chase, Kings finished the job with time to spare as Ratnakunaran (15 not out) struck another four before Langston reached his personal landmark in striking the winning runs.