Whiston Parish Church celebrate long-awaited cup triumph

Church beat near neighbours Wickersley on Sunday to win the Whitworth Cup for the very first time in what was the club’s first appearance in a final since 1984.

Whiston made 225-8 on a good track at Sprotbrough CC and then bowled out their rivals 50 runs short to set the celebrations in motion.

"It was a brilliant day,” said team captain Gareth Davis. "The Whitworth Cup is such a prestigious piece of silverware and for us to add our name to the list of winners is fantastic.

"There are people like Nicky Struggles and Pete Maw who have been involved at the club a long time and you realise just how much it means to them.

"When I got back after the game, everyone was there. Seeing people’s faces and how emotional they were as I walked in with the cup was amazing.

"I couldn’t be any prouder to captain a club with great people like that.”

Whiston had decent contributions all down the batting order, topped by 41 from Kazim Hassan (41), who shared an important 70 partnership with Sam Bowden (27). The team included Harrison Struggles, aged just 16 and son of Nicky, who played in the team’s last final 40 years ago.

"To be honest I thought we were light at 225, knowing Wickersley’s batting line-up, but we had really clear plans,” added Gareth. “There were a couple of moments where it could have gone either way but we got wickets at the right time and the bowlers and fielders were brilliant.”

Gareth thanked the Yorkshire Southern Premier League, the host club and the umpires for their efforts.

He added: "It was well organised, well umpired and the league and Sprotbrough put on a great show with a barbecue, marquees etc.

"The pitch and ground were immaculate and it all helped make it a special day for us.”