Sandiacre are put to the Sward by village wonders

THE VILLAGE of Swardeston may be home to fewer than 700 people but captain Mark Thomas believes the club can become a hotbed for future county stars.

And it’s no wonder he is bullish after his club completed the first of what they hope will be an historic double by lifting the NatWest Club t20 trophy.

The Norfolk-based side beat Sandiacre Town by 65 runs at 3aaa County Ground after bowling them out for 83 – with former Sussex and Hampshire batsman Joe Gatting starring by picking up three wickets in seven balls.

The first-class veteran may have taken the winning wicket but without 22-yearold batsman Lewis Denmark, Sandiacre would have walked away with the prize.

Denmark hit an unbeaten 69 just hours after top-scoring with 39 in the semi-final against Tunbridge Wells.

Swardeston could complete a remarkable one-day double next weekend when they face South Northumberland, who boast ex-Australia Test batsman Marcus North, in the final of the Royal London Club Championship in Northampton.

Success there could see Swardeston become the first club to win both trophies since the t20 was launched in 2008.

That would follow on from their league campaign success after romping the East Anglian Premier League for the fifth year in a row.

“I think it is pretty amazing what we are doing for a little club in Norfolk,” he said.

“No one expects Norfolk to produce cricketers but we are producing a few and we certainly see some pushing into firstclass cricket.

“We have in the past with the likes of Robert Newton and Callum Taylor so we have a tradition of doing that.

“Matthew Taylor, a young leg-spinner, and Lewis have a lot to offer, so does Freddie Ruffle. They perform on the big stage in the big games and that is very encouraging for the club and will only get better.”

Denmark already plays Minor Counties cricket for Norfolk and it was he who rescued their innings from 20-3 to 148-5 at the close.

Sandiacre’s chances of victory were damaged by opening bowler Michael Eccles, who removed the dangerous opener Daniel Birch, and from there they lost confidence as they slipped to 83 all out.

After a tight 23-run win against Tunbridge Wells in the semi-final, Swardeston made the bold call to make two changes to their 11 but Denmark insists it shows their strength in depth.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve had in cricket so far,” he said.

“What an achievement for the club. They won it six years ago, but most of us weren’t involved in that. We’ve got a squad of 13 who have all played their part in this, and to have such great support at the final made it even more memorable.

“We’ve already won the East Anglian Premier League, we won our local 60-over cup competition on Sunday, now we’ve won the t20 – and we’ve said all along, we want to win four.”

The experienced Gatting will be crucial to the development of Denmark, and Thomas is adamant the former pro will play a big role in teaching Swardeston’s talented youngsters about the game.

He added: “Having Joe around really helps because we have a young team and he is there helping the younger batters in the middle order.We have a lot of strength in depth and Joe is part of that reason because he keeps teaching these guys.”