A THRILLING finish saw Woolhope's bowlers narrowly edged out by Gloucestershire rivals Wotton Hall in the final of the annual LEH competition.

The trophy is open to all clubs from Herefordshire and Gloucestershire who can enter a team of 10 to play singles, doubles, triples and fours matches over 10 ends.

The competition is played on a knock-out basis, with home and away legs, starting at the beginning of the season in October.

Appropriately, it was the two most consistent clubs over the four years that the trophy has been staged who made it through to the final.

Woolhope, who were the winners in 2009 and runners- up in 2012, saw off the challenge of Tewkesbury in a close semi-final.

And Wotton Hall, the winners in 2010 and runners-up in 2011, eased through against Longhope.

After the singles and pairs in the final at Upton Bishop, the final was all-square.

But Woolhope pulled away in the triples to gain a fourshot advantage.

The Gloucestershire side, however, battled back once again so that the scores were level at the end of the ninth end.

The last end failed to produce a winner, with a bowl from each team resting on the jack. Competition rules require an extra end to be played by the four in the event of a tie and this again went right to the wire.

Woolhope held one shot when the skips came to the mat, but Wotton Hall were able to turn matters around to take the trophy.

Norman Allen, the initiator of the competition, presented the cup to the winners with finishing Woolhope runners up for the second successive year.