THE final of the tenth Andrew Knighton Cup takes place this Sunday, start 1pm.
It features an intriguing match between Stone and Penkridge, at the Pillaton ground, sponsored by the Staffordshire Newsletter.
The competition was set up to commemorate the death of young local cricketer Andrew Knighton and his family will be doing a balloon release at the tea interval to mark the tenth anniversary.
North Staffs and South Cheshire Premier side Stone have very much been a dominant force in the competition’s history having won it four times.
This weekend’s opponents Penkridge, who play in the Birmingham League, were winners in 2010 and lost a tight final to Milford last year.
This year’s competition has proved a constant battle against the weather with a number of games being decided by bowl offs, after a total of ten teams started out in May.
Stone reached the final beating local rivals Moddershall in round one before taking on fellow Premier League side Leek in the semi final.
Batting first, Stone reached 196-5, with James Dawson hitting 55 and Phil Cheadle a fine 78. In reply, Leek could not cope with James Ecclestone who ripped through the top order and recorded fine figures of 3-14 off his four eight-ball overs.
The other semi saw Penkridge overcome Stafford. Batting first, Penkridge hit 144-6, with Alex Watson reaching 48 and skipper Paul Szewczyk 31. Dave Foster and Kash Hussain took two wickets each.
In reply, Stafford struggled against Penkridge`s slow bowlers and Richard James was the pick with figures of 3-23 as Stafford were all out for 93.
The final is 40 overs-a-side and the Knighton family are keen for anyone who knew or played cricket with Andrew to join them on the day.
