SCOTT Etherington has continued his love affair with the All Rounder Cricket Bradford Premier League’s shortest format.

Having won the JW Lees Brewery T20 competition three times previously with Bradford & Bingley, Etherington has now lifted the trophy with Undercliffe.

The Intake Road skipper firstly helped his team dethrone Hanging Heaton, who were bidding for a third-straight success in the event, by three wickets before Morley were defeated by nine wickets in the final at Cleckheaton.

Etherington said: “Our task was to bowl first in both games because we find we are better chasing and both times we have bowled well, fielded well and taken some very good catches and set it up for the second innings where we have gone out and knocked them off.”

The second semi-final pitted together Vitality ECB Club T20 champions Hanging Heaton with Undercliffe, who were runners-up in the JW Lees Brewery T20 event last season.

The Batley side quickly subsided to 24-4 as Gary Fellows, Joe Fraser, Callum Geldart and Ishmail Dawood were dismissed but despite a repair job by opener Ben Kohler-Cadmore (45) and Nick Connolly (31), they collapsed from 91-4 to 124 all out in 19 overs.

T20 matches are often decided by fine margins, and Hanging Heaton were left to rue not facing that 20th over as Zeeshan Qasim (2-14) and spinner Khalid Usman (2-13) got among the wickets.

Simon Lambert then scored 14 runs off Josh Holling’s first three deliveries and sped to 32 off just 11 balls before he was bowled by David Stiff with the score on 44.

Spinner Geldart then removed Jack Holland and Michael Kelsey as the run-rate slowed, and when overseas player Khalid Usman departed Undercliffe were 86-4.

Farrouk Alam then struck some lusty blows in his 24 but wickets continued to fall as Hanging Heaton looked poised to snatch victory.

However Qasim saw them home with a big six off the penultimate ball from Callum Bethel.

Morley, without regular bowlers Matthew Dowse, Ollie Halliday and Dave Nebard, chose to bowl first in the opening semi-final against Wakefield St Michaels, but it seemed that fears over their weakened attack were unfounded as the latter slipped to 7-3.

Big-hitting Imran Mahboob changed the tone of the innings with 81, despite a broken left thumb, clattering nine fours and two sixes to propel St Michaels to 124-9, despite 3-31 from accurate Sri Lankan spinner Akash Senarathna.

Morley were untroubled in passing their target with 14 balls to spare, with openers James McNichol making 53 and Reggie Thomas 44 not out.

In the final, Morley did not enjoy as much freedom, being restricted to 117-6.

Skipper Matt Baxter hit two big sixes in his 26 but could not provide the acceleration that was needed as Kelsey (2-16) showed good control alongside Qasim, Sonny Matharu and Usman.

Morley's hopes were briefly raised when they dismissed the dangerous Simon Lambert cheaply, but second-wicket pair Farrouk Alam and Jack Holland dashed their hopes with a partnership of 72.

Alam, who won the Group B competition with Altofts in 2017, made sure he had a Group A winner's medal to go with it with an unbeaten 53.

He hit two sixes and four fours and was accompanied by Khalid Usman (23no) when victory was achieved with 22 balls to spare.

Etherington said: “Key performances in the semi-final came from Simon Lambert, who gave us a great start with the bat, Sonny Matharu with the ball, Simon Lambert with the ball and Khalid Usman with the ball.

“In the final all the bowlers bowled well, with our strength in depth being shown because our overseas player only bowled three overs, and Farrouk Alam, Jack Holland and Khalid Usman starred with the bat.”

Undercliffe, toppled for just 63 by New Farnley on Saturday, will now go on to represent the Bradford League in a regional final next season against as yet unnamed opponents on a date to be decided.