There was a thrilling finish to the Bradford Inter League Charity Cup T20 at Park Avenue on Wednesday night, with the Quaid e Azam Premier League winning by three wickets with two balls to spare.

Defending what looked to be a below par score of 151-9, the Gordon Rigg Bradford League had fought their way back into the contest by reducing their opponents to 133-7.

But with 17 needed from the last eight balls, Hardik Kurungale hit the final two deliveries of the 19th over from Woodlands’ Elliot Richardson for a four and a six.

That reduced the target to seven from the final over and once skipper Yasir Ali had dispatched Yasir Abbas’s first ball for four the two batters gathered three successive singles to finish the game.

When the Gordon Rigg Bradford Premier League side look back at the game, they will rue their carefree approach in the opening overs after they chose to bat first.

After just 4.1 overs they had been reduced to 36-3 as the dangerous trio of Callum Geldart, Yousaf Baber and Chris Holliday all holed out.

And with in-form Ryan McKendry and Louren Steenkamp unable to impose themselves on the game either, the Bradford League side were in dire straits at 52-5.

But skipper Steve Bullen settled in quietly while Farley’s Ben Wright looked to seize the initiative.

Together they added 54 before Wright was bowled for an enterprising 39 and Bullen upped the tempo of his innings after that wicket, before being dismissed as his team’s top scorer with 45.

Vikas Dixit (4-11) and Mohammad Amir (3-15) impressed for the Quaid e Azam Premier League, and were backed up by some smart catching and ground fielding.

Undercliffe opener Danish Hussain and number three Shokat Ali got the reply off to a flyer, especially the former, who whacked a brilliant 65.

But when he was out to make the score 97-2, the pressure built, with Conor Harvey and Yasir Abbas causing panic in the Quaid e Azam ranks by taking two wickets apiece.

When Elliot Richardson dismissed Dixit, the target was 19 from 11 balls but then the Woodlands man dropped new batter Kurungale first ball off his own bowling.

That proved fatal, and it meant the Bradford Premier League were beaten for the second successive year by their rivals.