SHEPLEY will be attempting a unique feat when they go seeking an historic Cup double tomorrow.

No Huddersfield club have ever won the Heavy Woollen and Sykes Cups in the same season.

Sfter last Sunday’s brilliant victory over Bradford League Gomersal in the Heavy Woollen final, Danny Glover’s side should be bursting with confidence when they attempt to wrestle the Romida-backed trophy out of Skelmanthorpe’s grasp.

Unlike tomorrow’s opponents, Shepley have never lifted the prestigious cup since joining the League way back in 1932.

They have previously reached only two finals, in 1989 and 1978 – losing them to Broad Oak and Elland respectively – while also falling at the semi-final stages in 1991, 92 and 94.

Shepley are ahead of Skelmanthorpe in the Premiership table (sixth to eighth).

Snd they are coming off the back of that stunning Heavy Woollen Cup win.

But it’s still difficult to pin the favourites tag on the Marsh Lane men as nine of their 11 will be making their bow in a Sykes Cup final.

Only Ben Wells, who was a member of the cup-winning Barkisland team in 2008, and Craig Glover, who was one of the Skelmanthorpe winners 12 months ago, have experienced a final, and as many cricketers who have been there are only too well aware, the occasion can sometimes get the better of them.

That said, however, the experience gleaned from the win over Gomersal in front of a big crowd at the impressive Spen Victoria ground will certainly have stood the Shepley players in good stead – not to mention giving them a taste of success and no doubt an appetite for more!

“Although our sizeable score was down to brilliant knocks from Tom Denton (148) and Tim Rees (113), it was a big team performance all round,” said skipper Danny Glover, who played a key role with a four-wicket haul.

“I thought we took our catches and fielded well, and SP (Singh) is a great ‘death bowler’.

“He had some fantastic figures and, of course, got the crucial wicket of the Gomersal captain Richard Whitehurst, who was threatening to get them back into the game.

“All in all it was a good dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s final with Skelmanthorpe, and certainly we’ll be going into it with a great deal of confidence.”

Opening batsman Denton has a sublime talent with the ability to take any bowling apart and for an opener is a very quick accumulator of runs.

So Skelmanthorpe will need to take him out early in his innings or suffer the consequences.

His partner Singh scored 1,500 runs last season and is currently on the 900-mark this term with three centuries under his belt.

Rees is another quality performer, having had experience with Lancashire Seconds, while leg-spinning all-rounder Amar Rashid had a good season last year with Leicestershire Seconds, while also playing alongside Honley and Essex’s Tom Craddock for the Unicorns in the CB40 competition this season.

Liam Wiles is another quick-scoring batsman who has stepped up to the mark following his move from the Central League, while Ben Wells, Huw Ellis, Nigel Hoyle and the Glover brothers are all very capable with a bat in their hands.

All the day needs is some good weather and prepare to be entertained!