Eds Copleston with the trophy

Five cup finals in six seasons is impressive, and our excellent record extended to four victories with a convincing nine-wicket win over Old Grovians, the holders, on Jubilee. To three Brewers Cup victories we can now add one in the Cricket World Trophy. Chasing 193 to win, Ed McGregor smashed an unbeaten 114, adding 160 for the second wicket with Matt Crump as we romped home with 13 overs to spare.

The odds were heavily stacked against Grovians – the old boys of Woodhouse Grove in west Yorkshire - from the off. Difficulty in finding a neutral venue meant that the organisers readily accepted our offer to play the match at Cranleigh. While that suited us, it was hardly likely to send Grovians, who are based near Harrogate, into raptures. What's more, they had lost three players to injury and imminent child birth from the side thatwon the semi-final. They arrived at Cranleigh shortly after midday following a six-hour journey. Within 15 minutes their openers were walking out to bat on the hottest day of the year.

With Stuart Meaker on England U-19 duty, Alan Cope and Henry Watkinson opened the bowling and offered nothing to hit. After 16 overs Grovians had crawled to 30 for 2, both openers falling to Cope, and then Ed Henderson relieved Cope and struck straight away. Verity and Wood then put together 114 in 23 overs, slowly at first – the hundred came up in the 28th over – but good running repaed rewards and latterly Wood launched into some expansive drives and hooks while Verity was more circumspect. The stand ended when Verity attempted to pull a ball which beat him for pace and Wood, having hit a tremendous hooked six, got rather carried away and hit a catch straight to deep extra cover.

Alex Craven was as naggingly hard to get away as ever, and the all-seam attack was completed by Crump. The late start reduced the game to 45 overs a side and that too played into our hands, as the Grovians only really started to hit out in the last two or three overs.

Ed McGregor returns to the pavilion unbeaten on 114

Set 193 to win at 4.29 an overs, our depth of batting meant that Grovians had to bowl us out to have a chance, but as they rated themselves as a stronger bowling than batting side, that was a distinct possibility.

Dane Groenveld and McGregor gave us a solid start, Groenveld typically belligerent with 18 off 11 balls – one six and three fours – while McGregor was more circumspect. Groenveldt’s cameo ended when he hit across the line, but Crump’s arrival kept the innings pushing on at above the required rate, and the tempo really increased when the spinners came on.

While McGregor drove and pulled with power – he smashed six four and a six in one ten-ball onslaught – Crump was happy to push singles, milking gaps in the field with mocking ease. His unbeaten 47 contained two boundaries, but the way he clipped and chipped into space sapped the will of the fielders.

McGregor survived two loud lbw appeals in the latter stages of his innings but otherwise he gave Grovians no openings. Wood’s participation ended when he tried to field a rasping straight drive off his own bowling and smashed his finger, deaprting to hospital. That was about that. The last seven overs produced 70 runs as Grovians’ wilted.

McGregor, who was rightly named Man of the Match, brought up his maiden OC hundred with a push and run into the off side, pumping the air in delight as he chugged through, and then hammered the next ball he faced over the midwicket rope. By then, the game was done and dusted.