6 August 2012
The 2012 Sovereign Trophy final, played last Wednesday 1 August at Bishop's Stortford CC, was won by the Shepherd Neame Essex League Division 1 - 3 XI. They beat the Kent Cricket League Division 1 & 2 by 36 runs.
Essex won the toss and batted with the weather looking threatening. Infact rain did interrupt the match after 20 overs with the score at 80 for 1, and an early lunch was taken. Match top scorer, Joe Robbins, and Man-of-the-Match, Mohammad Akhtar (62 at a run a ball), took the score to 122 before Akhtar was dismissed. Kent then got themselves back in the match by taking the last 8 wickets for 85 runs, with Haydon James collecting 4/43. With the sun now out, 207 looked at few short.
Kent made a positive start, with openers Max Campbell and Andy Allon scoring at 4 runs per over. By the time Campbell was 2nd out with the score at 70, the Essex spinners were on, and they then took control of the game. Bilal Butt ended up with 5/42, and captain Shaun McMuarry 3/31.
A convincing win for the Essex Division 1 - 3 team, who have now won the Sovereign Trophy three times in the last six years.