A LOW-hanging ceiling beam at Harrow Leisure Centre has denied Harrow a place in the London Youth Games under-13s indoors cricket final.

The drama happened in the team's second round game against neighbouring Brent. The Leisure Centre beam stopped a certain six in mid-flight, making the ball rebound and drop straight down into the hands of an opposing fielder. The final score in the game was Harrow 97 Brent 103.

The result was significant when it came to the end of the competition.

Harrow had started the tournament well with an impressive win over Richmond by 23 runs. In the end Harrow reached a score of 100 for 4 before bowling out their opponents for 77.

The team also had a massive win against Hammersmith and Fulham. Harrow put on a huge total of 136 for the loss of 3 wickets. The bowlers also rose to the challenge, pinning back their opponents to an impressive 18 runs all out.

However the team's two wins and a loss was not enough to send them through to the finals at Lords and it was Brent that progressed through to the event on March 10.

Paul Coates, senior sports development officer at Harrow Council, said: "It was a disappointing end to a fantastic tournament for the Harrow boys. My team would like to thank all those who took part both on and off the pitch, including team managers Alan Dutch and Raj Kanagaraj."