Wanstead crowned Portman Under-15 Club Champions

Wanstead CC from Essex won the Portman Under 15 Club Championship 2003, beating Wolverhampton CC in a thrilling finale to the national competition by just 13 runs.

The finals were played on Wednesday 27 August at Bournemouth CC, hosting the Portman U15 Club Championship for the first time. Wanstead had beaten Bath CC by six wickets to reach the final, with Wolverhampton beating Liverpool CC by eight wickets.

Raihan Ahmed starred for Wanstead, scoring 50 of their 151 runs in the 20-over a side final for the loss of nine wickets. Wolverhampton could not keep pace with the run-rate, and finished on 138 for eight at the close.

Wanstead have won the competition twice before, in 1993 and 2001, making them only the second team to win the tournament three times.

Portman's Robert Sharpe presents the championship trophy to Wanstead skipper Stephen Ramdial

An extra incentive for Wanstead was the presence of Essex and England star, Nasser Hussain, and fellow international players including Andrew Caddick, and the young England batting sensation, Lydia Greenway.

Robert Sharpe, Managing Director of Portman Building Society, who took over the sponsorship of the U15 Club Competition this year, presented the trophy to winning Wanstead captain, Steve Ramdial.

Liverpool CC secured third place in a high scoring play-off match, beating Bath CC by just five runs.

A record number of 1,603 teams took part in this year's competition, and Mark Campkin, ECB Competitions Manager, said: "The Portman U15 Club Competition is an excellent showcase for young cricketers in England and Wales. We are delighted to welcome a growing number of new teams to the competition each year and thank Portman for their support and contribution to the grassroots of the game."

Final
Wanstead CC 151-8 (20 overs: R Ahmed 50) beat Wolverhampton CC 138-8

Semi Finals
Wanstead CC 97-4 beat Bath CC 96-8 by 6 wickets
Wolverhampton CC 108-2 (A Brown 54 in 24 balls) beat Liverpool CC 107 all out by 8 wickets

Play-off Match
Liverpool CC 150-7 (D Jackson 52, M Green 3-26) beat Bath CC 145-5 (J Campbell 43*) by 5 runs