Bootle, with 53 overs at their disposal in reply, began with partnerships of 33 and 36 for the loss of openers Snellgrove and Craig Prince, but it was when Steven Mullaney teamed up with Neil Williams at 115-3 that the innings really caught fire to put the result beyond all reasonable doubt..

Mullaney hit 14 fours and 5 sixes in a fabulous innings of 108 not out, and Williams was unbeaten on 24 playing the valuable supporting role in a stand of 72 which took Bootle to victory by 7 wickets in the fourth over of the last twenty, setting off scenes of celebration as the new champions were rapturously applauded from all parts of the ground. .

Orrell Red Triangle chose to bat first in Sunday’s cup final and were going reasonably well at 79-2 after the first twenty overs. Opener and captain Chris Riley stayed in for 2 hours 27 minutes making a very good 56 for his team but he lacked the really substantial support which would have been needed to take the visitors’ total beyond 200. Steve Dutton captured four useful wickets at a personal cost of 24 runs and Orrell Red Triangle were all out for 158 with fifteen balls of their 45 over allocation unused. .

Bootle had reached 45-2 after 11 overs when rain forced the players from the field, and off they stayed for over an hour. On resumption, the home side were set a revised target of 74 to win in a total of 21 overs without losing more than five wickets. Jackson and Jack Kelliher played with the correct mixture of aggression and caution in the face of some top rate seam bowling from Andrew Mercer, and the 29 runs required were knocked off in one ball short of seven overs to give Bootle the victory by 8 wickets. A weekend of celebration indeed.