WERRINGTON produced one of the great victories in their illustrious history and their record Premier Leaguechase to boot as they saw off Grampound Road by two wickets at Ladycross.

In a huge game for both in their quest to survive in the top-flight, the Roadies knocked up a mammoth 333-8, but it wasn’t enough as a raucous home crowd celebrated wildly when Jordan Duke cut Ravi Karunarathna for four with two balls to spare.

Regular captain Nick Lawson was at a wedding while his deputy Mark Gribble failed to recover from a hand injury suffered at Redruth, meaning first team debuts for teenagers Billy Uglow and Ed Walters, the latter who took the gloves.

On a superb batting track and with rain forecast, stand-in skipper Ben Smeeth won the toss and chose to field but saw openers Antony Angove and Tom Orpe add 65 in the 10-over powerplay.

Uglow struck in his second Premier League over when Angove (31) picked out Smeeth, and although Alex Lean and Harry Matthews took their time for their 18 apiece, Orpe continued on his merry way.

Lean was brilliantly caught and bowled low down by Mark Taskis who later went off injured and was unable to bat, and when Matthews was taken at cover by John Moon off Thulina Dilshan it was 162-3 in the 30th over.

But that brought Sri Lankan pro Ravi Karunarathna to the crease and he produced a remarkable assault.

Orpe fell one short of a deserved hundred when he got a leading edge to be caught and bowled by Smeeth, but Karunaratha found a perfect ally in wicketkeeper Harry Gregory (35 off 45).

While Gregory worked it around, Karunarathna hammered struck 10 fours and seven sixes as he ended 109 not out off 58 balls.

However, some excellent death bowling from Dan Barnard (2-45) and Sam Hockin (0-65) kept the score down to 333-6.

Werrington soon found themselves 26-2 as Hockin (16) was castled by Nathan Keevil, while Adam Hodgson fell lbw to Dan Ferris for nought.

But it did not matter as Moon and Dilshan produced a rapid stand of 202.

Dilshan (121 off 83) hammered the bowling to all parts as he struck 17 fours and two sixes, only departing when he slog-swept Karunarathna out to Tom Fox-Dean on the square-leg boundary.

It meant Werrington required 106 from 121 balls with seven wickets in-hand.

That equation became 79 from 90 balls before the Roadies fought back.

Moon toed a Lean half-tracker to Chris Roberts at cover to go for a brilliant 89 before Keevil (3-66) bowled Smeeth (1) and trapped Uglow lbw first ball (259-6).

Ben Jenkin was joined by Barnard and again they responded.

Barnard hammered 25 from 16 and with Jenkin gradually upping the ante the equation became 50 off nine overs.

Thirteen came off the next bowled by Karunaratha before Barnard departed, caught behind off Angove.

With conditions worsening, both sides continued with 30 required from the final six.

Angove dismissed Walters (1), but last man Duke joined Jenkin (32no) to finish a classic.

They took their time and required three off the last bowled by Karunarathna.

Two wides came off the first ball and after three dots, Duke (13no) got the ball away to the fence to the delight of the hosts who are now 23 points ahead of Truro in the relegation spot.