LEE DAGGETT lifted himself off the treatment table to clinch four wickets and the Worsley Cup for Ramsbottom.

The young bowler had been having trouble with his back and would not have been able to bowl on Sunday when the game began or on Monday night.

But the 17-year-old got the all-clear yesterday afternoon - and promptly destroyed Church to reclaim the cup for his side with a 63-run victory.

"I was not going to bowl on Sunday or Monday because of my back problem," admitted Daggett.

"But I saw the physio and had a bowl yesterday and it felt okay even though I wasn't at full pace.

"I was hoping for five wickets really but I am just glad we won."

It has been a stop-start cup final which, as League Chairman Bert Hanson said, will probably be remembered as the one which finished without any professionals.

It began on Sunday with Ramsbottom making 149-7 in 45 of their allotted 50 overs.

As their innings hadn't finished, the match was meant to continue next Saturday but Church skipper Phil Sykes asked the League's Executive Committee to consider playing Monday night.

This was because both the Church pro Mark Higgs and Ramsbottom's paid man Michael Clarke were returning home on Tuesday (yesterday) after a call-up to the Australia A squad. Several amateurs were also set to be missing for the Blackburn Road side.

The request was granted and Ramsbottom finished their overs on Monday night and had a lot to thank John Harrison for as his overnight 53 pushed their score to 177 at the finish.

Harrison won the Lancashire Evening Telegraph Man of the Match award for his outstanding display with the bat - and it was a great achievement considering it was his first cup final.

"It was a bit nerve racking going in, especially as the pro had just gone but I struck up a good partnership with Lee Daggett and then Bobby Horrocks.

"We were 90-5 when I came in and I knew we wanted around 180 - we had said at the start that is what we needed.

"So it was brilliant for me to help the score along.

"I knew after that that as long as we got Higgs out cheaply we would be okay and it was a massive relief and a good catch by Pricey.

"You always fear that someone would strike up a partnership to take the game away from us but fortunately it never happened.

"I thought Lee (Daggett) might win the man of the match trophy but I wasn't bothered. The main thing was that the team won."

Already one player down as Craig Fergusson went away on Monday morning, Church began their innings with big-hitting pro Higgs and skipper Sykes.

However Ramsbottom claimed the prize scalp of the 25-year-old Aussie, captain Mark Price making a low catch off the bowling of Nick Riley with Higgs on just 20.

Tom O'Neill fell shortly afterwards leaving the match delicately poised at 77-2 with 26 overs left when play restarted last night.

However, with the professionals gone, enter Daggett and it all started to go horribly wrong for Church.

In the third over of the night, Sykes (23) and Mark Aspin (11) were both back in the pavilion with only four added overnight.

Daggett, who took three wickets in last year's Worsley Cup final win at Bacup, then dismissed Alex Holt and, with the final ball of his allotted 10 overs, got rid of John Seedle to finish with figures of 4-16.

Church then offered little resistance finishing, after their nine wickets, on 114 - 63 runs short of the target.

"Ramsbottom's amateurs outplayed the Church amateurs on the day," said a disappointed Sykes who had hoped to lead his side to their first trophy since 1974.

"They play the game in the right way and were excellent in the way they accepted the decision to play on Monday night. They played well."

RAMSBOTTOM 177 all out

CHURCH 114-9

RAMSBOTTOM

Clarke c Aspin b Higgs...40

N Riley b Seedle...6

M Price c Tucker b Westwell...16

D Bell run out...0

S Read c Holt b Higgs...10

J Harrison run out...53

L Daggett b Westwell...17

A Bell st Tucker b Westwell...0

B Horrocks b Westwell...9

R Hevingham not out...1

C Eardley run out...2

Extras...23

Total (all out)...177

Bowling: T O'Neill 10-0-37-0; J Seedle 9-1-44-1; N Westwell 10-2-21-4; Higgs 10-3-20-2; C Fergusson 6-0-16-0; P Gilrane 5-0-26-0.

CHURCH

Higgs c Price b Riley...20

P Sykes c Eardley b Daggett...23

T O'Neill c D Bell b Clarke...8

M Aspin b Daggett...11

A Holt b Daggett...4

S Tucker run out11

J Seedle b Daggett...15

N Westwell c Riley b Eardley...1

A Bentley c Read b Riley...2

P Gilrane not out...0

Extras...19

Total (9 wickets)...114

Bowling: Clarke 10-3-19-1; S Read 8-1-25-0; N Riley 6-0-27-1; M Price 10-1-19-0; L Daggett 10-2-16-4; C Eardley 0.2-0-0-1