GRAPPENHALL Cricket Club's under 15s team finished the Portman National Knockout as one of the top 10 teams in the country.
Neil Baxter's side, representing the north west, played Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire champions, Marton, in the third-place play-off after losing in the semi finals of the Northern Area Final.
Chris France, 50 retired, and Sam Baxter, 46 not out, took the Marton bowling attack apart to steer Grappenhall towards 157 for 2 in their 20 overs.
Marton got off to a poor start in reply, losing wickets to Grappenhall opening bowlers Mike Taylor and Sam Guest.
As the pressure mounted on Marton, run outs and wickets by Baxter and Watson made sure that Grappenhall clinched victory by 54 runs.
Baxter said: "More than 1,650 teams started the tournament so to finish in the top one per cent of the country is a tremendous achievement by the squad.
"There have been some outstanding individual performances throughout the competition but their success is mainly due to their teamwork and commitment."
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