Kamau Leverock smashed 75 off 29 balls to lead Flatts Victoria to a five-wicket win over Warwick Workmen’s Club in the One First Division T20 final at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

Leverock, who survived being struck in the mouth from a short delivery from seam bowler Chare Smith early in the Flatts innings, recovered after sucking on some ice to share in an opening stand of 106 with Regino Smith as Flatts chased down the 127 posted by Warwick.

After Leverock’s innings ended when he was bowled by Cameron Jeffers, Flatts lost four wickets in the space of 12 runs. Leverock admitted he was batting with a mission after hearing about the death of friend Mazhye Burchall, the Robin Hood footballer, in the earlier hours of Saturday morning.

“There was a lot of frustration on my mind,” Leverock said. “My goal was to get a hundred and dedicate it to him.”

Leverock was brutal from the outset, smashing sixes from the first over from captain Stephan Dill and three fours in the second over off Chare Smith.

The left-hander smashed nine fours and six sixes, with Smith, 22 from 24 balls, playing the perfect supporting role.

Leverock scored 75 out of the first 100 runs as he quickly recovered from being hit, ironically batting at the same end that Curtis Jackson, the Cleveland County player-coach, was batting when Leverock hit him in the head in an Eastern Counties Cup match.

“It was a short ball that slid off the deck a little bit and got to me quicker than expected, nothing that the dentist can’t fix,” Leverock said. “The teeth are still there, but a little bit loose.” Dill and Smith claimed two wickets each.

Clay Smith shared in an opening stand of 49 with Dill, as Warwick started at a rate of eight runs an over. However, Flatts pegged them back to 88 for five, with Smith second out when the score was 63 in the tenth over. He scored 38 with eight fours.

Jeffers, batting at No 3, was the top scorer for his side with 39. Dill, who scored 17, and Chare Smith, who hit 14, were the only other batsmen in double figures. Dajon Carey led the Flatts bowling with four for 38.

“Kamau is a match-winner but the guys who followed him didn’t really apply themselves and made the game interesting,” Cofield Robinson, the Flatts captain, said.

“We should have got the total without losing any wickets. It’s a good way to end the season.”

FIRST DIVISION

T20 FINAL

Flatts v Warwick

Sea Breeze Oval (Flatts won toss): Flatts beat Warwick by five wickets

Warwick

†Clay Smith lbw b Carey 38

*S Dill lbw b Smith 17

C Jeffers c Bascome b Carr 39

K Swan c Leverock b Carey 0

Chare Smith c Van Tonder b Carey 14

K Butterfield lbw b Smith 0

D Sabair st wk Robinson b Carey 1

J Butterfield c Carey b Bascome 0

S Boyles-Simmons not out 4

A Ible b Carr-Harvey 3

J Stovell run out 1

Extras (1lb, 8w, 1nb) 10

Total (all out, 19.1 overs) 127

Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-63, 3-63, 4-86, 5-88, 6-96, 7-101, 8-117, 9-125.

Bowling: Bascome 4-0-26-1; Leverock 3.1-0-19-0; Carr 4-1-20-2; Chare Smith 4-0-23-2; Carey 4-0-38-4.

Flatts Victoria

R Smith c K Smith b Dill 22

K Leverock b Jeffers 75

N Bascome c Stovell b Chare Smith 6

C Van Tonder c wk Clay Smith b C Smith 0

P Carr not out 1

K Franks b Dill 11

D Carey not out 4

Extras (3b, 2lb, 6w, 1nb 12

Total (5wkts, 14.2 overs) 131

A Robinson, *†C Robinson, L Jones, S Robinson did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-106, 2-113, 3-113, 4-115, 5-125

Bowling: Dill 4-0-31-2; Smith 4-1-18-2; Jeffers 4-0-25-1; Butterfield 1-0-20-0; Boyles-Simmons 1-0-28-0; Stovell .2-0-4-0.

Umpires: S Caines, M McCormack.