THE League Knock Out Cup Final at Southchurch Park saw Southend & EMT and Hadleigh & Thundersley struggle to achieve any substantial batting with a slow outfield and sub-standard balls.

It meant that boundaries were a rare luxury.

Southend won the toss and decided to bat and a slow start set the pattern for the innings.

No one really got in and extras ended up as top score with 27 in a final total of 114-5 of 15 eight-ball overs.

Chris Maher (20) and Wayne Spear (25) did their best to move the score along but the total did not seem enough off 15 overs. Adam Fleming took 2-37 off 5 overs and A Grosvenor 2-31 off 3 overs.

Hadleigh lost a wicket off the first ball of their reply but Tom Phillippe played some delightful shots in an innings of 31 before trying to play an ambitious reverse sweep and falling LBW.

Paul Tibbenham played a careful innings and Hadleigh were always up with the required rate and needed six off the final over.

Tibbenham hit a glorious off drive for four followed by a single of the fourth ball to give Hadleigh victory by six wickets at 115-4. Tibbenham finished on 41 not out.

Baiju Solanki, secretary of Southend & EMT Cricket Club presented the winning captain, Jon Newnham with the Knock Out Cup, and thanked the league for holding the final at Southchurch Park.

Only one Premier Division game was played, with Rankins beating Eastwood by 11 runs in a tight game.

Rankins were put in to bat and totalled 115-5 with Sutherby 40 and King 23. In reply Eastwood fell short at 104-9 with James Pettit taking 5-19 off 4 overs.

There was also only one game in Division One where Rankins II had a good win over Rayleigh Fairview.

Fairview batted first and made 77-55 with W Osbourn the top scorer with 33 not out and D Henry 20 not out. Stuart Lees took 3-11 in 4 overs.

In reply Rankins finished on 80-3 with Adrian Greenfield the top scorer with 27 not out and Will Nolde 18. Parker took 3-28 off four overs.