Swardeston will now be enjoying a luxury trip to the Caribbean

Swardeston have won the Cockspur Rum Twenty20 final, beating South Northumberland by 12 runs at The Rose Bowl on Thursday.

The Norfolk side posted 129-8 in their 20 overs with their opposition only hitting 118 in reply, losing six wickets in the process.

Middle-order batsman Peter Lambert was named man of the match after he scored an unbeaten 72, including five sixes.

The East Anglian Premier outfit will now enjoy a luxury trip to Barbados.

"Everyone from Swardeston that is here is absolutely pinching themselves, it's unbelievable," club chairman Mark Taylor told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"We've played 12 matches to win this and every time we've won a fixture I've pinched myself saying 'it's going to finish, it's going to finish'.

606: DEBATE I must admit I had written them off halfway through their innings against Wimbledon ChrisOsborneBBC

"I think in a few days' time we'll sit there and think 'crikey, what a win'."

After edging past Wimbledon by nine runs in the first semi-final of the day, Swardeston went up against highly-fancied South Northumberland under the floodlights at The Rose Bowl, which had hosted the thrilling finale of the England v Pakistan one-day series just 24 hours earlier.

Captain Mark Thomas won the toss and chose to bat, reasoning that getting runs on the board was the most positive form of attack.

The Swardeston innings could not have got off to a worse start though, opener Will Wrist was given lbw before a single run was scored.

Thomas was the next man to go, also for a duck, and the occasion appeared to have got the better of the Norfolk club.

Lambert however held on to his wicket while his various partners lost theirs, taking the Swardeston total to 129-8 and his personal tally to 72 not out.

Michael Eccles and Sam Thelwell opened Swardeston's bowling attack and soon made a breakthrough, Eccles catching Jobson off his own bowling, as the pair restricted South Northumberland to 21-1 off five overs.

As the overs diminished so did South Northumberland's chance of victory as they found themselves requiring 18 runs from the last over.

Strike bowler Eccles was brought back to finish off the job, which he did in style, leaving the northern side 12 runs short of victory.

It was a famous day for Swardeston who were crowned the best Twenty20 club side in the UK in front of the television cameras.

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