Hanging Heaton eye trophy treble in National T20 Finals

Hanging Heaton travel to Derbyshire CCC for the Vitality ECB National Twenty20 Finals on Sunday brimming with confidence after picking up a sec
Hanging Heaton pictured with the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy.Hanging Heaton pictured with the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy.
Hanging Heaton pictured with the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy.

Heaton overcame Wakefield Thornes by seven-wickets at Cleckheaton as they lifted the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy.

Captain Gary Fellows lifted a sixth major trophy in the last two seasons and for a time, Hanging Heaton, are the only club to hold both Yorkshire club championship trophies.

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The Bennett Lane side followed up their Heavy Woollen Cup success the previous week by overwhelming Thornes in the Black Sheep final.

Hanging Heaton asked Thornes to bat first and it proved an excellent decision as rain twice interrupted the innings of the three time Yorkshire Premier League South champions.

Thornes included Yorkshire trio Jared Warner, Josh Shaw and Matthew Taylor in their line-up but it was Heaton who struck an early blow when the former was bowled by David Stiff for eight before the dangerous David Toft was brilliantly caught at slip by Joe Fraser off Tom Chippendale for nine.

Opener James Wolfenden (30) top scored but Thornes were kept in check by the left-arm spin of Aqsad Ali, who bowled six excellent overs to take 3-8.

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With off spinner Callum Geldart conceding only 14 runs in six overs, Thornes were unable to increase the tempo.

Stiff finished with 4-46 but it was following a second rain break, that Thornes lost their last three wickets in eight balls as they were bowled out for 142.

Hanging Heaton were set a revised Duckworth Lewis target of 152 from 36 overs and despite losing openers Fellows and Nick Connolly with just 24 on the board, they soon seized control.

Joe Fraser and Geldart were soon finding the boundary regularly as they shared an 88-run stand for the third wicket.

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Fraser made 52 from 55 balls with a six and eight fours as he took a particular liking to his former Hanging Heaton teammate, Yorkshire seamer Shaw, whose four overs saw him concede 38 runs despite picking up the wicket of Connolly with a delivery which nipped back.

Fraser’s innings finally came to an end when he was trapped lbw by Steve Morgan (1-17) but by then Heaton were on the verge of victory.

Geldart was unbeaten on 47, while Ben Kohler-Cadmore smashed five fours as he finished 22 not out from 11 balls, when Heaton reached their target with 14.4 overs to spare.

Hanging Heaton now target a hat-trick of cup wins when they compete in Sunday’s ECB Clubs T20 finals at Derby.

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Over 100 supporters are expected to make the trip as Hanging Heaton take on Roffey of the Sussex Premier League in the second semi-final (start 2.45pm).

The final against either Nantwich or East Anglian side Swardeston will take place under floodlights at 6.30pm.

The team will travel to Derbyshire on Saturday, where they will be guests of the ECB along with the three other competing teams.