A BRILLIANT all-round display from Wes Landsdale led Rugby to clinch the Warwickshire League’s Band A T20 Cup after a 15-run win over Attock, writes Paul Smith.
On a good Nuneaton pitch, Landsdale’s 51-ball 69 provided much of the impetus for the Webb Ellis Road club’s above-par 161 for three.
And he then torpedoed his Moseley-based opponents’ chase by grabbing 4-17, including three wickets in a pivotal 18th over, as Attock closed on 146 for nine.
Rugby skipper Matt Ewer was quick to pay tribute to Landsdale’s match-clinching contribution.
“Wes’s all-round performance really led the way and sums up the positive influence he’s had since joining the club at the end of May,” he said.
“It was a great way to finish the season; having played against Nuneaton in the quarter-finals, we felt that we had a good plan for the conditions and executed it well.”
Ewer had no hesitation in batting first and in the company of Landsdale Rugby’s skipper proceeded to take the battle to his club’s Premier League rivals.
The opening pair added 117 before the junior partner was run out in the 16th over for an excellent 69 containing eight boundaries and two sixes.
Ewer soon followed for a 49-ball 54, but the powerful Owen Edwards made sure the openers’ good work was continued by smashing an unbeaten 25 from just 16 balls.
This meant Rugby added 52 from the final five overs of their innings – a late flurry which proved crucial to their success.
Lee Golding then grabbed two early wickets including the dangerous Mo Ishtiaq for a 20-ball 31, but a useful 30 from Imaad Mahmood ensured Attock stayed close to the required rate.
With 58 runs needed from five overs and five wickets remaining this meant there was little between the sides until Landsdale’s decisive 18th over intervention.
The key moment came when Mahmood was bowled by his first ball and when Shafiq Khan and Zahoor Azam followed at the cost of only a sixth-ball single Rugby had enough in hand to withstand Adam Mahmood thrashing 21 from the final over of the day.
