WOODLANDS’ bid for the treble ended one crisp boundary shot short.

With the Bradford League and the Priestley Cup already in their trophy cabinet, the Oakenshaw club were beaten by two runs in a thrilling White Rose Yorkshire Premier Leagues’ Championship play-off final at Emerald Headingley.

Beneath a cloudless sky at a picture-perfect ground on a central strip that had last been used for the England v Sri Lanka World Cup clash (next door to the strip that Ben Stokes performed heroics on in that Test match), Sheriff Hutton Bridge made 212-6.

Woodlands recovered from 18-3, courtesy of Liam Collins’ exciting 85, but fell agonisingly short on 210-9 in what was a dramatic and fitting end to the 2019 club season.

Bradford League stalwart Chris Brice said: “We dealt with the nerves and you would back us nine times out of 10 to chase that total on that pitch in those conditions.

“We felt that we had done a decent job with the ball on a good pitch and a quick outfield, although we let ourselves down with the 21 extras.

“However, we needed a bit more from our top four batsmen and it just didn’t happen.”

Woodlands bowled 36 overs of spin via Brice, Brad Schmulian and Kez Ahmed and Yorkshire Premier League North champions Sheriff Hutton Bridge half of their 50 overs from twirlers - former Yorkshire player Karl Carver and diminutive Sri Lankan Dulash Udayanga.

Brice, whose first ball gripped so much that it bamboozled not only the batsman but also wicket-keeper Greg Finn in going for two byes, said: “Spin is our strength so that is what we stick to more often than not and they also bowled a lot of spin on what was a big pitch.”

As for what happened after tea, Brice said: “I didn’t think at any point that we were out of it as we were up with the rate and we bat all the way down.

“But it has been a great day on this ground and thanks to Yorkshire for hosting it.

“That England v Sri Lanka World Cup match was the only other match on that pitch this year – and you can tell bowling on it as bad balls are definitely going to be punished but you can score off the good balls, which is not like normal league cricket.

“If you bowl the odd loose one or are a little bit off your mark you can get away with it on league pitches but here you get punished.

“But it was a great way to end the season and unfortunately we were just on the wrong side of it.

“However, we have still done the double and (new skipper) Cieran (Garner) has gelled the team really well and everyone knows their jobs.

“I don’t think that we are a tough team to captain but we just needed a bit of guidance and Cieran has given us that and just let everyone go and play.”

Sheriff Hutton skipper Adam Fisher won the toss and opted to bat as the openers cashed in on width from Elliot Richardson but had to be wary against the prodigious swing of Mohammad Bilal.

Although some of the latter’s best deliveries were dug out, he produced a beauty to dismiss Louis Foxton before fellow opener Ed Barnes and Adam Fisher added 110 for the second wicket.

Sheriff Hutton were 105-1 at drinks before Barnes (54) hit Brice to long off where Bilal pouched him in the shade of the Emerald Stand.

Udayanga, who is so small that he looks like a schoolboy, followed for 13, caught by Garner in the shade at long on, and Brice’s third victim was Tommy Hudson, who looked like a fish out of water before being deceived by a beauty that turned and bounced.

Brice finished with 3-44 off his 15 overs but Adam Fisher batted on before falling to a back-pedalling Ahmed off Schmulian for 75.

Carver made a rapid 38 not out to swell the score to 212-6 but it still felt 30 or 40 runs short on what Yorkshire chief executive Mark Arthur said was a 250 pitch.

That score looked more healthy, however, when Tim Jackson, Sam Frankland and Garner were back in the changing room with 18 on the board as new-ball pairing Barnes and Dave Henstock weighed in.

But Collins took the game to the opposition in the only way that he knows, despite losing Schmulian (16) and Finn (23) to Carver along the way as the score reached 99-5.

Scott Richardson (19) and Bilal (24) also provided support to keep Woodlands’ flame burning but when Collins sliced Henstock to Barnes at third man from the first ball of the 48th over, the Bradford League champions still needed 19 from 17 balls with two wickets left.

Elliot Richardson and Ahmed reduced that to seven from the last over but Sheriff Hutton Bridge and Henstock held their nerve.

With three needed from the final ball, Ahmed holed out at deep point to give the impressive Henstock 4-28 from 10 overs.

Yorkshire second-teamer Barnes, who took 2-37 off 11 overs in addition to his 54, was named man of the match.