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SYKES CUP FINAL

Fresh from their Heavy Woollen Cup triumph, Shepley travel to Elland on Sunday 7 August (1.00 pm) to face holders and local rivals Skelmanthorpe in the 92nd Sykes Cup final.

Success in this competition has been elusive for Shepley, this being only the Club's third final since first entering in 1932. In 1978 Shepley, then in Section B, lost to Broad Oak at Fartown and in 1989 to Elland, in a game that carried over into a second day, surprisingly played at Elland's Hullen Edge ground. Click on the links below to see facsimilies of The Huddersfield Examiner's previews and reports from the two finals (apologies for the poor quality in places).

Skelmanthorpe, by contrast, have reached seven finals despite only joining the Huddersfield League in 1987. They won the competition in 1990 (when they also won the League) by beating Slaithwaite, in 2007 against Honley, and last year when they won an excellent final against Delph & Dobcross.

Like Shepley, Skelmanthorpe have been inconsistent in the League this year, but have made sedate progress in The Sykes Cup. They started with an eight wicket win over Conference side Thongsbridge; had a good 76 run win over Elland in the second round; beat Championship leaders Clayton West by 108 runs in the quarter final; and finally saw off Conference new boys Cawthorne in the semi final by 165 runs, despite an early batting collapse.

Shepley, on the other hand, have faced Premiership sides in every round (when did we last have an 'easy' cup draw?), beating Broad Oak (102 runs), Scholes (3 wickets), Hoylandswaine (110 runs) and Golcar (94 runs).

In the League meeting earlier this season, Shepley won at Marsh Lane by 123 runs, despite having been 93-6 batting first. Huw Ellis (50*), Craig Glover (35) and Danny Glover (28*) rescued the innings, before Craig blew away the top order to finish with 15-6-22-5.

Craig, of course, faces his former team-mates, having spent a two-year sabbatical at Lidgett Lane, winning a Sykes Cup medal in the process, before returning home this season. Another intriguing prospect is the Rashid brothers facing each other. Amar, Shepley's leg-spinner and number five batsman will be determined to get the better of Skelmanthorpe's dangerous middle-order batsman Haroon.

Hopefully the weather will behave and a big crowd will enjoy another great game of cricket and, of course, the right result!