On Saturday, as Saint Stanislaus’ College claimed a thrilling final-ball victory over Oakhill College in their Division One Independent Schools Association match, George Chudleigh was most certainly ‘the finisher’.

Needing 19 runs off the final over to win, Chudleigh rose to the challenge with a single, two massive sixes and then a four on the final ball.

Given that final boundary took Stannies to 8-267 from 50 overs – the Bathurst school scoring at an average of 5.34 runs per over – it was a remarkable afternoon.

“It took me about 24 hours to recover from that,” Stannies first XI coach Tony Fisher said.

“The Oakhill coach, when we had our reception afterwards, he said he had one word to describe that match and he said ‘Wow’.

“Our batsmen were excellent; it’s pretty amazing at this level when you can chase 266 and I really didn’t give us much of a chance.

“I did say to the boys that Australia chased 268 at the MCG against South Africa last [Friday] night and this field is a quarter of the size, so it is possible. But normally at schoolboy level if you make more than 250 you win; the team that is chasing usually crumbles under pressure. We didn’t do that.

“Even in the 40th over we had 167, so we needed 100 runs in 10 overs and we got them. It was amazing.”

Earlier in the day, Stannies won the toss and elected to bowl first, but hosts Oakhill made the better start to the match.

Anchored by an unbeaten 109 from skipper Piyush Pius, which included nine boundaries and three sixes, Oakhill made 266 from their 50 overs for the loss of five wickets.

Pat Fisher, on debut in the first XI, was the only Stannies bowler to record a maiden as he finished with 2-30 off seven overs. Joshua Coyte (2-53 off nine) was the other multiple wicket taker.

“We bowled poorly to start with; we struggled. Wides, no balls – we conceded 18 sundries and we conceded about 12 runs in mis-fields,” Tony Fisher said.

“Their captain, he scored the best one-day hundred I have seen. It was flawless – he didn’t give any chances.”

Chasing such an imposing total, Stannies were under pressure from the opening ball of their innings.

It became even tougher when opener Hamish Smith was run out for six, making it 1-18, but his departure united brothers James and Daniel Donato at the crease.

The pair took the score into triple figures with a 106-run second wicket partnership, their stand ending when James was trapped leg before for 67.

Daniel went on to make 89, but when he was the seventh man to fall, Stannies still had a massive task ahead of them.

“We were 7-219 in the 47th over, so in the last three overs we still needed 47 runs,” Fisher said.

“In the 48th over Jack Veitch pretty much scored 27 runs on his own. It went four, wide, three fours in a row, a no ball that went to the boundary, so that was five runs, another four and a single. So that was pretty much an epic over for us.”

It was an impressive effort from Veitch, but he fell for 33 soon after and a win looked more and more unlikely for Stannies.

When it came down to the last over, Stannies required 19 runs and Chudleigh was the man who faced up, with Pius taking on the responsibility of bowling for Oakhill.

Chudleigh scored a single off the first ball and got the strike back when team-mate Victor Giuliano got one run off the second delivery.

The next ball went for a wide, but Stannies still needed something miraculous. Chudleigh responded with back-to-back sixes, the second of which travelled some 70 metres over the long off boundary.

A dot ball followed, which meant Stannies needed a four off the final ball of the match to win.

“George hit a beautiful straight drive in the air and split mid-on and mid-off and it went straight to the boundary. I couldn’t believe we had won, it was amazing,” Fisher said.

The remarkable win sees Stannies head into the mid-season break in second on the ladder, one point behind Saints Pius X.