MONMOUTH made it a double on Sunday for the third year in succession when they carried off the Advantage Business Supplies Marches Knockout Cup to add to their Flint & Cook Marches League Division 1 title success of the day before.

But the champions did not have things all their own way in a tough battle with Burghill & Tillington before sneaking home by eight runs.

In reply to Monmouth's 208, Burghill looked to be favourites after 34 overs with their score standing at 172-4 and New Zealander Nick Phelps going well.

But excellent work by Charlie Bye and wicket-keeper Jonathan Davies ran out the Kiwi for 98 and Peter Bailey, who had assisted Phelps in a century stand for the fifth wicket, was stumped for 42 shortly afterwards.

Wickets continued to tumble and when Paul Swingwood (2-61) came to bowl the last over, 18 runs were required to win. Swingwood proved equal to the task and Burghill closed on 200-9.

Earlier in the innings, opening bowler Jonathan Roberts destroyed the early batting with 3-33 as well as pulling off a superb gully catch to dismiss the dangerous Kingsley Morris for just two.

Swingwood (42 not out) had played a major part in rescuing the Monmouth innings from the depths of 108-6, sharing in a vital seventh-wicket stand of 69 with his successor as captain, Dan Head (31).

Gareth Hughes (30), Charlie Bye (29) and Ian Mackinlay (14) all got starts in the early part of the Monmouth innings which included 42 extras as they were dismissed for 208.