Under-19 World Cup - seventh-place play-off

England Under-19s 261-7 beat New Zealand 229 by 32 runs

TOM Banton hit a fine century as England defeated New Zealand by 32 runs in the seventh-place play-off at the Under-19 World Cup.

Coming in at three instead of opening, as he had done in the group stage and the quarter-final defeat to Australia, Banton entered the fray in the eighth over with England on 21-1.

He went on to hit 10 boundaries and two sixes on his way to 112, which came from 122 balls, and added 139 for the fourth wicket with Middlesex's Jack Davies.

Banton was dismissed midway through the 48th over having helped England towards a competitive total, and they ended their innings on 261-7 - Fin Trenouth contributed six.

New Zealand looked on course for victory as they made it past 200 for the loss of just three wickets, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose their final seven wickets for just 28 runs.

The result ensured England ended a mixed tournament on a high, though the win was overshadowed in part by the suspension of captain Harry Brook for disciplinary reasons.