JAMES CROSSLAND was the hero as Skelmanthorpe reached the Romida Sykes Cup final in sensational style.

Visitors Scholes looked to have a fascinating semi-final in the bag with 275-6 on the board and Skelmanthorpe needing 23 off the final over with their last two men at the wicket.

But No9 batsman Crossland hammered four of the first five deliveries from Andy Alsop out of the ground to win it with one ball and one wicket to spare.

It was a memorable finish to a closely-contested match and, as the Scholes players sank to their knees in despair, Crossland was mobbed by a pitch invasion of delighted teammates and supporters.

Skelmanthorpe’s challenge had been anchored by a 113-run second-wicket stand between Wasim Jaffer and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, but when they both fell in the 30th over to Scholes’ Australian all-rounder Luke Bird – who had earlier blasted 85 off just 43 balls – it seemed they might squeeze the life out of the Lidgett Lane bid.

Jaffer hit 14 boundaries in his 94-ball 81 and Ahmed six fours in his 45, but once they went the rate started to steadily rise – Skelmanthorpe needing 124 off the final 15 overs at 8.3 with seven wickets in hand.

Qaiser Rashid and James Dollive hit 22 and 26 respectively and Richard Cocking contributed a valuable 30 after being caught on the boundary edge by substitute fielder Louis Sykes, who could not avoid stepping over the rope in snaring the ball.

When Cocking was eventually bowled by Alsop with the first ball of the 46th over, the dangerous Kris Whittaker (12) had already gone and Skelmanthorpe were still 46 runs short of their target with 29 balls left.

Craig Glover and Dom Storey went with 244 and 246 on the board and the home side looked to be out of it on 253-9 when getting only 13 off the 48th and 49th overs.

Crossland had other ideas, hitting the first ball of Alsop’s over for six before being rapped on the pads with the second. He steadied himself again and dispatched the next three balls for sixes.

While Crossland grabbed the headlines and rightly so, Bird gave Scholes some similar impetus at the end of their innings.

Skipper James Noble (32) and opening partner Tom Love (23) had both gone with 59 on the board and then Iqbal Khan (50 off 63 balls including seven fours) and Ibrar Latif (38) compiled a partnership of 74. It was far from easy, however, and with 30 overs gone, Scholes had just 86 on the board and, 10 overs later, just 145.

Bird put a dent in those Skelmanthorpe figures, though, and in a solar panel on the roof of a nearby house with one of his nine sixes, as he crunched his way to 85 (he also hit four fours) in helping Scholes add 130 in the final 10 overs.

Crossland added to his match-winning effort with Bird’s wicket and that of Mohammed Shahnawaz, while Glover bowled 15 tidy over to claim two for 40.

Bird had three for 54 from his 10 overs of left-arm spin and Shahnawaz finished with three for 82 from 14. Alsop had conceded only 33 from nine before Crossland’s last-gasp onslaught.

Delph host Elland in the second semi-final on Sunday (1.00).