Cup-final thriller

SAMIT Patel celebrates the wicket of Denis Louis in the first semi-final

THERE were twists and turns aplenty in the Tom Hardman Twenty20 Cup final at Ladhill Lane, but it was Monton and Weaste, skippered by Josh Lenihan, who eventually emerged victorious against Greenfield.

With a heavy defeat looming ­- Monton were 40 for no wicket after half-a-dozen overs chasing 113 ­- the host club were gifted a way back in the contest when professional Christiaan Jonkers was run out attempting a silly third.

This was soon after Ben Chapman had clipped stand-in paid man Samit Patel, ­- the Nottinghamshire and England all-rounder ­- straight to Chris Gill.

More wickets tumbled, including two lbws in successive balls for Glyn Partington, to leave Monton suddenly 54 for six.

Joe Kershaw and Tom Coe set about repairing the damage.

With the finishing line coming into sight, Coe opened his shoulders, hitting Alex Peters for two sixes and Patel for one.

The loss of Kershaw, one of three victims for Adam Hayes, was only a hiccup it seemed as Monton required nine off 12 balls.

Another Coe maximum in the penultimate over brought fist pumps from the batsmen as three were needed from the final over, delivered by left-arm seamer Adam Robinson.

Chris Hindle played and missed three times ­- could Greenfield do it? ­- before the wicketkeeper finally got bat to ball with a cover a drive which, agonisingly for home side, beat the fielder to the boundary.

After his terrific 68 in the second semi-final ­- he struck 10 fours and two sixes ­- Patel did his level best to lift Greenfield towards a competitive total.

However, once he had departed to Ali Nawaz for 53, the innings quickly fell away with only four runs added in the final three overs.

Scores ­-

Semi-finals: Monton and Weaste 197-6 (J Lenihan 81), Friarmere 99 (B Chapman 3-18); Greenfield 176-7 (S Patel 68, D Taylor 3-20), Crompton 159-6 (D Louis 62, St Wright 49 n.o).

Final: Greenfield 112 (S Patel 53, A Nawaz 3-23, D Collins 2-22, J Lenihan 2-25), Monton and Weaste 114-7 (T Coe 37 n.o, A Hayes 3-21, G Partington 2-15).