THE Lincolnshire Cricket League's 50th anniversary celebration saw 44 players from clubs across all five divisions come together for a T20 competition.
Louth's excellent London Road ground provided the perfect venue.
League chairman Bob Welton and acting secretary Glen Sands put together the four teams.
The players gathered at the ground to find out which of the four sponsored teams they were selected for.
Steve King, from Haxey CC, sponsored the Royal Kings while the Scunthorpe & Lincoln Umpires Association sponsored another team, the Triggers.
Free Solars were the third sponsors, and the chairman himself sponsored the fourth team, naming them the Chairman's Cavaliers.
The first game saw The Triggers taking on the Royal Kings.
The Kings batted first, scoring 103 all out – thanks chiefly to Owmby's Sam Atkin who hit 24, while Matt Baxter from Alkborough and Jon Stephenson from Market Rasen both hit 18.
Paul Mitchell took excellent figures of five for nine from just 3.1 overs, with Haxey's Andy Steeper picking up three for 18 and Normanby Park's Alan Dawson two for 18.
The Triggers gave a good account of themselves before falling eight runs short of the Royal Kings total.
Lewis Gash, of Holton-le-Clay, hit 23 and Mitchell scored 18.
Luke Ford, another Holton-le-Clay man, took two for nine and there were three run-outs as panic set in.
The second game brought together Bob Welton's Chairman's Cavaliers and Free Solars.
The Cavaliers took first knock and posted a score of 114 for seven from their 20 overs.
Market Rasen's Matt Rutherford hit an impressive 45, aided by Alkborough's Dave Kilgallon (16) and 12 from both Declan Dunning of Normanby Park and skipper Jeremy Evans of Haxey.
Mick Barton, from Laportes, and Danny Bullock, of Haxey, both took two for 17.
Owmby's Dan Hill was the hero for Free Solars, hitting 30 not out as his team reached 115 for six in the final over. Dave Papworth, of Market Rasen, hit 26 and Outcasts' Graham Clark notched 14 as they squeezed home, despite a good spell from Declan Dunning, who took two for 20 from four overs.
The biggest score of the day was put together by the Chairman's Cavaliers in the third game, when Appleby Frodingham's Simon Taylor smashed 68 and Matt Rutherford 67 in a huge total of 206 for four.
A sudden deluge meant there was an hour's delay – which led to the decision to abandon the Triggers' innings so that the morning winners could play the final to a conclusion.
The final saw Royal Kings set a target of 151 for nine, thanks in the main to Jon Stephenson, who scored 50 and Sam Marshall, of Holton-le-Clay (26).
Thirteen-year-old Market Rasen all-rounder Nick Keast produced a splendid cameo, with 16 late on in the innings.
Graham Clark took three for 15 for the Free Solars and Dan Hill picked up two for 15 and Mick Barton two for 29.
The Solars' reply never really gained momentum as they fell behind the required run rate under tight bowling from Tom White, of Alford, who took three for 15 and youngster Keast, who claimed two for 21, to further enhance his reputation.
Skipper Raki Chander Nair, from Owmby, and Danny Bullock, of Haxey, top-scored with 16 each – but it was the Royal Kings who finished comfortable winners.
The chairman thanked Louth CC for their hospitality and also praised the four umpires: Ralph Gray, Richard Knapton, Steve Massingham and Ian Hopkins. The event raised £140 for charity.
ROYAL KINGS: Sam Atkin (Owmby), Patrick Hughes (Barton), Matt Baxter (Alkborouh), Jon Stephenson (Market Rasen), Sam Marshall (HLC), Nick Keast (Market Rasen), Richard Woodward (Cleethorpes), Tom White (Alford), Gill Singh Palli (Laportes), Luke Ford (HLC), Joe Taylor (Hibaldstow).
FREE SOLARS: Raki Chander Nair (Owmby), Dave Papworth (Market Rasen), Dan Hill (Owmby), Graham Clark (Outcasts), Mark Nicholson (Hibaldstow), Danny Bullock (Haxey), James Smith (Alford), Andy McDaid (Normanby Park), Kev White (Alford), Steve Skipworth (Keelby), Mick Barton (Laportes).
CHAIRMAN'S CAVALIERS: Paul Bassingthwaite (Hartsholme), Simon Taylor (App Frodingham), Ben Marris (Cleethorpes), Matt Rutherford (Market Rasen), Clive Coulthurst (Alkborough), Dave Kilgallon (Alkborough), Declan Dunning (Normanby Park), Tom Lattimer (HLC), Jeremy Evans (Haxey), Cameron Farr (Haxey), Andy Severn (Cleethorpes).
THE TRIGGERS: Martin Noble (Old Lincolnians), Dan Tolson (Barton), Luke Allen (Haxey), Paul Mitchell (Alkborough), Lewis Gash (HLC), Alex Czbaniuk (Normanby Park), Tom Taylor (Hibaldstow), Andrew Steeper (Haxey), Liam Hebblewhite (Alkborough), Alan Dawson (Normanby Park), Andy Fisher (South Kelsey).
Have you seen our new website? More sport on grimsbytelegraph.co.uk Bookmark grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport for the latest local sport news. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
