Doyle clubs Woodhouses to victory

Woodhouses from Lancashire won a rain-affected National Village Cup final at Lord's, defeating Rottingdean from East Sussex by 58 runs.

The match had started on time under leaden skies, but with Rottingdean on 43 for 3 after 13 of their 40 overs, rain sent the players from the field. By the time conditions were fit to play, a decision had been made to scrap the original game and start again with a ten-over thrash.

This time Woodhouses were stuck in, but the plan backfired as 17-year-old Nick Doyle laid into the bowling in style, hitting three sixes off the final over on his way to an unbeaten 63 as Woodhouses posted a daunting 112 for 1.

Needing over 11-an-over was always a tough ask, and the game was as good as up as early as they fourth over when Rottingdean slid to 19 for 2 with the required rate past 15. In the sixth over Ashley Prescott - the competition's leading wicket taker - put the game beyond doubt with hat-trick, and the Sussex side eventually finished on 54 for 8.

"This means absolutely everything to the club," Woodhouses captain Mike Cassidy said. "There are people who travelled down to London with us to see the game who have been involved with the club for three or four decades, former players who represented the club in this competition back in the 1970s.

"So to perform the way we did, clinch the trophy and celebrate together with those friends of the club feels amazing."