OUTSTANDING Lowerhouse dethroned shell-shocked cup kings Ramsbottom to be crowned as the Moorhouse’s Twenty20 champions of 2013 on a dramatic night.
Lowerhouse, back to back Lancashire League champions, had never won the top prize in the short form but set that record straight with a stunning show to hammer Jonathan Fielding’s Ramsbottom at a packed Neville Gee Recruitment Ground.
Fielding’s men had won the competition for three years running and were slight favourites ahead of the final.
But that prediction was spectacularly off the mark, even though no-one could have predicted the carnage to come as Ramsbottom crashed to a 112-run defeat in front of a massive crowd.
Ramsbottom’s Yellow Army of fans greeted their team with colourful flares but a couple of hours later they could have been mistaken for distress flares as wickets tumbled spectacularly to leave Rammy in a world of trouble.
It had started well for them, though, after Lowerhouse chose to bat first.
When Andy Hakin bowled Jonny Whitehead and Francois Haasbroek was run out, the House were wobbling on 27-2.
But Ben Heap, whose season so far has been below his own high standards, found the perfect time to get back to his best.
He brought up his 50 - by smashing Andy Whittle into Liverpool Road - with just 69 on the board and metered out the punishment to the bowlers as he faced just 35 balls for his 79.
Heap’s knock included four sixes and 10 fours and when he was out, bowled by Pieter Malan, Lowerhouse were flying.
Joey Hawke’s 22 was brutal and Joe Martin scampered hard for his unbeaten 13 as the House got up to 171-9 with Fielding (2-16) the pick of the bowlers, while Dale Gabriel picked up 2-21. Malan also claimed two wickets - but his four overs went for 49 runs as Lowerhouse targeted the South African.
The feeling around the ground was that Lowerhouse were perhaps 20 runs short and when Steve Dearden took Francois Haasbroek for 13 in the first over it seemed as though Ramsbottom were up for the chase.
But Hawke struck in his first over to remove the dangerous Dearden, who looked to be right in his hard-hitting groove.
The wicket was perhaps fortunate as Dearden tried to pull Hawke’s aggressive bouncer only to nick it onto his helmet. The ball could have gone anywhere - but looped high into the air and Hawke took a gleeful catch.
Tom Parton failed to trouble the scorers as he was caught by Haasbroek when he tried to hit over the top and Rob Read was run out after a dreadful mix-up with Malan and it was 31-3.
Malan is a class act but as wickets tumbled the pressure was piling up on him to lead the recovery and he couldn‘t spark the sort of headline-grabbing fightback that T20 cricket can so often produce.
He chopped Paddy Martin (3-4) on for 25 and with Fergus Bailey on form it was as good as game over.
It was game over when Bailey removed last man Andy Hakin to finish with 4-13 as Ramsbottom slumped to 59 all out in just 13 overs.
It was the most comprehensive of victories.
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