Andrew Bairstow stirkes another lusty blow in his innings of 121

Andrew Bairstow hit a brilliant 121 as Pudsey Congs won the Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Their margin of victory over the newly-crowned JCT 600 Bradford League champions Woodlands was 51 runs but bare figures alone did not convey the comprehensive nature of Congs's win.

The champions were outplayed in all areas of the game by the side who finished just two points behind them in the title race.

And as Congs savour their third final success over Woodlands in five seasons and their fifth cup triumph in seven seasons the man they will thank is Bairstow.

He is one of the most popular and talented players in the JCT 600 Bradford League and today he played an innings which will live long in the memories of all who witnessed it.

The left-hander arrived at the crease with his side in some disarray at 12-3 after being put in to bat. Former Yorkshire seamer Pieter Swanepoel had removed Alexis Twigg, Adam Patel and Andrew Bourke in quick succession, but Bairstow was in no mood to surrender.

He pulled his first ball from Swanepoel over mid-wicket for six and that set the tone for a wonderful innings.

Five more sixes and 12 fours flowed from his bat in a 131-ball innings which was the fifth highest score ever made in a Priestley Cup final.

Thanks to Bairstow and fellow left hander Glenn Roberts who made 55 not out off 59 balls, Congs posted a score of 232-7 which was far in excess of  all expectations on a Bingley ground which was under water just five days earlier.

Woodlands, normally so disciplined, gave a ragged bowling display which saw them send down 29 wides. All of their bowlers struggled bowling to the left handers.

Matthew Doidge with the cup

Andrew Bairstow receives the Man of the Match Award from Reg Nelson

Much has been made of the importance of Swanepoel and Safraz Ahmed to Woodlands' title successes but it was clear in this match that their success has left the back up bowlers short of overs.

The ten over restriction in the cup limits their effectiveness - they can bowl 15 overs each in the league - and Congs certainly cashed in when the opening bowlers were out of the attack.

The 20 overs from Swanepoel (3-34) and Safraz (0-20) yielded 54 runs, but the remaining 30 overs from Tosh Baker (1-35), Richard Spittlehouse (0-56) and Chris Brice (2-80) cost their side 171 runs.

Seldom have the Woodlands bowlers been as careless as they were in this match. They sent down an unforgivable total of 29 wides which contributed to them taking a pedestrian 3hrs 40mins to bowl their 50 overs.

Pudsey Congs were far more controlled and sent down just eight wides. Their bowlers maintained tight control of length and line which meant Woodlands never looked likely to win the game.

Former Yorkshire off spinner Jeremy Batty took three for 29 and Mark Bray – securing his seventh win in seven finals – with two for 37 helped bowl out the champions for 181.

Woodlands' skipper Tim Orrell played a fine innings of 52 before he was well caught by Bray on the  mid-wicket boundary off the bowling of left arm spinner Glenn Roberts. Tosh Baker (39) was the only other batsman to make an impression.

Bairstow crowned a fine individual performance by taking three catches behind the stumps. He was deservedly named man of the match by adjudicator Reg Nelson, and in years to come it is likely that this will be remembered as Bairstow's final by all who were privileged to witness a performance that brought a difficult season to a wonderful conclusion.

Even more fitting was the fact that the smile should be put back on the face of Bradford League cricket by a player who always plays with a smile on his - Andrew Bairstow.

Matthew Doidge with Sovereign Health Care Chief Executive David Lewis