"It has been a great advert for second-team cricket, but my heart goes out to Bradford and Bingley."

That was Hanging Heaton pace bowler Richard Horner's verdict on an excellent Sovereign Health Care Priestley Shield final between the Batley side and Bingley at East Bierley, and surely no one who was there would disagree with him.

Bingley, needing 246 to win, seemed down and out at 96 for five, but worked themselves into a position where both captains felt the men from Wagon Lane were favourites.

With six overs to go they needed 19 for victory, but they lost their last two wickets to run-outs and fell eight runs short in appalling light as Hanging Heaton clinched a third Shield success.

"It was always going to be a struggle for us after tea because it was such a good wicket," said winning captain Howard Ellis as the lights in the scorebox shone brightly behind him.

"I am a pessimist and never thought we had won until the last wicket had gone, but they (Bingley) played really well, and then they threw it away. They panicked.

"We knew we had to get their captain off strike and bowl at numbers ten and 11 and it was trying to get their captain back on strike that helped us get the run-outs. But it was a super game of cricket."

Bingley skipper Simon Halls cut a desolate figure, sitting alone on the grass bank in front of the changing rooms while Hanging Heaton celebrated their victory a few feet to his left.

And he still found it difficult to speak when he was again alone, packing his bag 15 minutes later in Bingley's changing room.

"We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory," said Halls. "But I am very proud of the way that we fought back. I have a cracking set of lads and we bat down to No 11, but we didn't bat well enough."

Hanging Heaton looked set for a score well in advance of 250 when opener Jordan Anderson (59) and James Soulsby (53) were adding 106 for the second wicket.

Michael Royce (58 not out) kept the momentum going when Ashfaq Khan and leg-spinner Amar Rashid came in for some heavy treatment, but man- of-the-match Waj Ali was so persistent, returning five for 39 off ten overs, that Hanging Heaton only managed 245 for eight.

Bingley soon needed a major rescue operation when they lost the important wickets of Martin Dobson, Saj Haider and Ijaz Hussain with only 12 on the board.

Amar Rashid then perished to a ball that off-spinner James Soulsby held back a fraction, and it still looked odds-on Hanging Heaton when Khan, who took 20 off one James Soulsby over, was caught on the deep extra cover boundary at 96 after making 36.

However, selective hitting by Ali, who reached his 50 off 60 balls including 11 fours, and Arif then threatened to take the match away from the Batley side.

They added 65 but Ali played on when he was 61 to Richard Horner, Hanging Heaton bringing back the pace bowler earlier than they probably wanted.

Arif then skied a hook to Ellis off Andrew Nettleton as 161 for five became 167 for seven, the pendulum swinging once more towards Hanging Heaton.

But then Halls, who brought up the 200 with a four over cover, and Henry Haslam again brought Bingley back into the picture with an eighth-wicket stand of 48 as the conditions darkened.

However, young Haslam holed out to mid-on when he was 26. Halls, who found a staunch ally in Paul Markham, continued to take the battle to Hanging Heaton though and flicked Peter Byrne for six over mid-wicket.

Markham pushed for a single which became five when no fielder was backing up after a shy at the stumps, but Bingley were about to be denied by some keen Hanging Heaton fielding.

With the score on 237, there was slight hesitation between Markham and Halls which led to the skipper being run out for 36, and it was all over at the same score when Markham, also diving for the crease at umpire Gerlad Taylor's end, failed to make his ground.