TOM BROOK took captain’s responsibility to seal a thrilling Romida Twenty20 Trophy final victory for Scholes.
Standing in for the absent Ashley Pamment, Brook left himself to bowl the last over and produced the goods, conceding only 10 when Hoylandswaine needed 13 for victory following a late onslaught by man-of-the-match Don Bandula and Alan Mynett.
Scholes, on home ground at Chapelgate, entertained a 600-plus crowd by rattling 176-7 in their 20 overs after being sent in by Swaine captain John Sadler.
Some sparkling early work in the field by Scholes – Matt Smith took three excellent catches and the bowlers were spot on – put Swaine behind the rate and, with only five overs left, they were 72 short and needing 14.4 runs per over.
Don Bandula rose to the challenge, eventually clubbing five sixes and four other boundaries in his 58 not out – although his final four was off the last delivery, when the Drakes League leaders needed six to tie.
Mynett also joined the fun, hitting two sixes and three fours in one over and he was still battling away in the final throes, being dismissed by Brook in that dramatic final over for 38 as the Barnsley side closed on 174-8.
Scholes had been given an ideal start to their innings by Indian duo Wasim Jaffer and Iqbal Khan with 62 for the first wicket – the latter hitting four boundaries in his 22 and Jaffer going on to make 53 off 41 balls, including three fours and four sixes, before he was cleaned up by Amar Rashid (one of two wickets for 52 off his full four overs).
Mark Floyd was sent in early to up the rate and did just that with a brisk 21, including two fours and two sixes, and then skipper Brook made his presence tell with the bat, sharing a match-winning partnership of 63 for the fourth wicket with teenage left-hander Tom Boorman, who immediately looked in imperious form.
Brook had two sixes and a four in his 27 while Boorman batted superbly to register two sixes and four other boundaries in his 38 as Scholes moved through the gears before Swaine pegged them back by taking wickets late on. Michael Cranmer took two for 35 off his four overs and Don Bandula two for 20 off three to add to Rashid’s effort, while the other bowlers were made to toil.
The total was always likely to produce a close finish with Swaine having knocked off 150 in only 17 overs in their Drakes Premiership match at Skelmanthorpe the previous day, and even though Swaine were in early trouble, they didn’t panic and backed themselves to make up lost ground.
Yorkshire’s Joe Sayers provided something of an anchor as Swaine slipped to 44-3 off seven overs with Andrew Alsop defying foot and hamstring problems to claim three for 16 off his excellent four overs up the hill.
It was then that off-spinner Khan turned the screw by removing county men Sayers and Sadler in the space of three overs to leave Swaine needing a big injection of pace.
Sayers had 28 off 26 deliveries including four fours, while Sadler made only 10 off 12 with one boundary as Khan finished with telling figures off three for 21 off four.
Sri Lankan hitter Don Bandula raised hopes with some clean striking, while Mynett’s over left Swaine needing only 20 from the last two to pull off what would have been a remarkable success.
Adam France, however, produced a clever and nerveless over up the hill before Brook, who was snicked for a four off the first delivery of the last by Don Bandula, was deadly accurate with a block-hole length to see it through.
Scholes – the first club to win the Twenty20 Trophy twice after their success in 2007 – received the silverware from Ann Richardson of Romida, who also presented trophies to the teams and umpires Phillip Mitton and Keith Hallam.
