FAVOURITES Oakworth carried off the J P Mewies Craven & District Cricket League's Wynn Cup for only the third time when they beat Cowling by eight wickets at Bradley on Sunday.

This was Oakworth at their determined best and while there were flickering moments when they looked less than commanding - notably in trying to break a frustrating last-wicket partnership - once they broke through the top-order Cowling batting, the outcome was not in doubt.

For the neutral observer - and the Cowling supporters - the match was an anti-climax in that the outcome was almost inevitable from an early stage as the Cowling batting failed to deliver a challenging total.

Their senior batsmen played a handful of fluent shots, but there was no stickability in the top end of the order, so that wickets fell at a steady rate.

However, the final pair came together at 64-9, but as if to point an accusing finger at the men who had gone before, the batsmen dug in defiantly to frustrate the Oakworth attack.

There was never any prospect of a serious rescue act being put together, but No 10 Ben Thurston and No 11 Nick Staveley put on 22 for the last wicket to take the score to 86 all out in the 36th over.

Prospects of converting such a modest total into a winning score were never good, even on a wicket of variable bounce, but Oakworth openers John Crossley and Simon Howell were clearly determined not offer any hint of an opening that might give the opposition encouragement.

There were moments when the ball beat the bat, mostly because it hit a dead spot and never rose above daisy height, and both batsmen were glad not to hear the fateful click a couple of times when the ball shot through.

But neither batsman allowed a testing situation to disturb their composure and focus as the early venom of the attack gave way to an excess of short deliveries.

Having coped with the testing early overs, Crossley began to pick off the wayward balls, while Howell played an entirely subordinate role, simply protecting his wicket and helping to nudge the total quietly forward.

Having made 44 while his partner was scoring seven in 78 minutes, Crossley finally fell when he edged a ball from Nick Staveley to the wicket-keeper.

There was scarcely time for the umpire's finger to be raised as the Oakworth captain 'walked' instantly, his departure showing a degree of integrity not always to be found in cup final sport.

If the opening pair had been painstaking in their efforts, incoming batsman Mark Price was in more cavalier mode.

He hit a brisk 24 off 20 balls to finish the game in the 24th over, the only blemish being the run-out of Howell as the pair foolishly went for a quick single to win the game.