FINAL COUNTDOWN: Barton under Needwood CC's under-13s will be representing Derbyshire in the national finals of the MCC Spirit of Cricket tournament next week.

The Barton boys are at Oakham School, in Leicestershire, from next Tuesday to Friday, to take on seven other regional winners in a league format.

They beat Quarndon in the Derbyshire county final, then overcame teams from Lancashire, Shropshire and Staffordshire in the North West group final last week.

A comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the semi-final, against a strong Wolverhampton team, was followed up by a nail-biting last-over win against a team from Shrewsbury.

“This is a great achievement for the boys and for Barton Cricket Club,” said coach Steve Brodrick.

“With a team full of county and district-level junior cricketers, we hope to put on as strong a showing as possible at Oakham.”