CLEATOR wrecked Furness’s quadruple trophy dream with victory in the CN Higson Cup final.

David Blackwell was the Cleator hero as he took four wickets and then a vital 17 not out as the West Cumbrians sneaked home by two wickets in Sunday’s showpiece at Haverigg.

Cleator’s decision to put Furness into bat after winning the toss proved a wise one, as the 2013 and 2014 cup winners were dismissed for 138 after 42.2 overs of their allocated 45.

Furness were soon in trouble at 27 for 2 after Blackwell dismissed opener Mike Gadsden for four and David Rooney accounted for skipper Scott Pearcey for 10.

James Rogers also got in on the act by claiming the prized scalps of Cumberland’s Sam Dutton for 12 and all-rounder Mark Daly for 8.

Opener Lewis Gribbin was still there for Furness, and he was involved in a useful partnership with New Zealand professional Seth Rance, who made 19 before that man Blackwell bowled him.

Wily old fox Ian Clark claimed two late wickets including top scorer Gribbin – caught and bowled for 47 – as the Furness innings fell well short of their expectations.

Blackwell ended up with fantastic figures of 4 for 15 in 7.2 overs, with Clark taking 2 for 26 and Rogers 2 for 35.

Furness – chasing their third trophy of ther summer to go alongside the South Cumbria Twenty20 and the County Cup – needed an early breakthrough to put the pressure on.

They got that when Rance had Kavindu Kulasekara caught by Dutton for 6, but opener Dave Watson and Darren Clark both got into the 30s.

Mark Daly came to the fore for Furness by removing Warson for 32, and when he also dismissed Tom Sharpe, Chris Quin and Rogers for a solitary run between them, Cleator looked in trouble.

Gadsden caught Darren Clark off Rance for a carefully-made 30, and when the Kiwi paceman also trapped Ian Clark for 4, and James Hocking was caught and bowled by Garry Thompson, Cleator were reeling at 101 for 8 off 32 overs.

Many of the watching spectators at Poolside will have predicted a Furness win at this stage, but an heroic partnership between Rees Hughes, 18 not out, and Blackwell, 17 not out, saw Cleator home to a nail-biting victory.

Daly took 4 for 31 and Rance 3 for 21 in their nine-over spells and spinner Jordan Buchanan conceded just 18 runs in his nine overs, but their combined efforts were not enough to earn victory.

Haverigg CC secretary Simon Bremer congratulated his club for staging the final in such an excellent way, and thanked the spectators for their support for the final.

League president Colin Bickerstaffe presented the Higson Cup to Cleator skipper Sharpe, medals to the Cleator and Furness teams, and mementos to umpires Craig Barrass and Doug Cooper, and to the scorers Harvey Dale and Gordon Relph.

Haverigg CC representative Graeme Bickerstaffe selected Blackwell as man of the match for his all-round contribution and he received his award from Colin Bickerstaffe.