News

1^st XI: East Bierley v Pudsey St. Lawrence
East Bierley 243-7 (50 overs) (Lee Goddard 68, Andrew Rennison 50, Gavin Hamilton 42, Mark Robertshaw 3-42), Pudsey St. Lawrence 247-5 (46.4 overs) (Adam Waite 74, Mark Robertshaw 61, Lee Jarvis 3-38)
Pudsey St. Lawrence bt East Bierley by 5wkts

Pudsey St Lawrence took less than an hour to complete a five-wicket final triumph over East Bierley and lift the Priestley Cup for the first time in 14 years.

They needed 47 runs from 11 overs with six wickets in hand when play was suspended for bad light on Sunday and they knocked off the runs for the loss of just one more wicket with 3.2 overs to spare.

Skipper James Smith was unbeaten on 29 when they passed East Bierley's total of 243-7. The only wicket to fall was that Chris Marsden to the last ball of former Yorkshire bowler Paul Hutchison's final over.

St Lawrence opening batsman Mark Robertshaw was voted man of the match after taking 3-32 and hitting 61.

Smith was delighted with his team's triumph. He said: "Our bowlers did a great job containing them to under 250 and our spinners made it hard for their batsmen by taking the pace off the ball."

He added: "We decided a few weeks ago that Chris Marsden would open the bowling because we felt their openers Gavin Hamilton and Gharib Razak preferred the ball coming on.

"We also saw when we played our league game against Bradford & Bingley at Wagon Lane on Saturday that there was something for the slow bowlers.

"Spike took five wickets on Saturday and he bowled well again getting both the openers out."

The decision to have off spinner Steve Watts take over when Marsden finished his ten overs was no surprise but the decision to employ part-time spinner Mark Robertshaw for seven overs at the end of the innings was.

Gareth Clough, who like Smith missed out on St Lawrence's last cup win 14 years ago because they had been recruited for the Yorkshire Academy, got the credit for that move.

Clough said: "Robbers has bowled well at the end of Twenty/20 games and as we were having success taking the pace off the move it was well worth taking the risk."

Bad light had brought the final to a premature end on Sunday night. The abandonment of play finally brought the curtain down on a frustrating day of delays, injuries and slow over rates which did little to cheer a crowd that had to contend with a biting wind and rain showers.

When umpires Malcolm Allitt and Keith Dickens suspended play at Wagon Lane, St Lawrence were 197-4 needing a further 47 to win the cup for the first time since 1997.

Shortly after they made their decision rain started falling as the disappointed followers of the two teams made their way out of the ground.

The match was evenly poised when play was halted. Left-arm spinner Luke Jarvis 3-38 had pulled East Bierley back into contention after openers Adam Waite 74 and Mark Robertshaw 61 had launched the St Lawrence reply to East Bierley's 243-7 with an opening stand of 121.

The match was marred by injuries to two East Bierley players. Former Yorkshire wicketkeeper Ismail Dawood was taken to hospital with a suspected torn Achilles tendon after falling while attempting to set off for a run after making 29.

Dawood's injury not only cut short his budding innings, it meant that young Liam Walsh had to take over behind the stumps.

Andrew Rennison dislocated a thumb while fielding and had to withdraw from the action with 30 overs to go.

St Lawrence skipper James Smith, who will resume on 11 not out along with Chris Marsden who has the same score, will have been delighted with his bowlers who responded to the challenge after he put East Bierley into bat.

A final total of 243-7 in their 50 overs looked under-par. The gamble of opening the bowling with off spinner Marsden brought dividends and all of the St Lawrence bowlers maintained commendable accuracy.

Marsden claimed the wickets of both openers Gavin Hamilton and Gharib Razak to catches by David Stiff in a ten-over spell which earned him figures of 2-30.

Dawood, who came in after the early departure of Razak, looked to be building an innings of substance when it was cruelly cut short by his injury, but skipper Lee Goddard and Rennison came together and gradually increased the tempo.

Rennison, man of the match when East Bierley defeated Farsley in the 2009 final, was more watchful. His 50 included one six and a four, while Goddard was far more forceful and hit two sixes and five fours in his 68 before he was brilliantly caught by David Stiff – his third catch of the innings - off Gareth Clough.

The closing overs saw East Bierley lose wickets as they chased quick runs and Smith's preference for the occasional off spin of Robertshaw in the closing overs instead of his pacemen paid off. Robertshaw took 3-32 in seven overs.

Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup Final review