Chasing Oakham's total of 103, Marko knocked off the runs in the final over with Makwana making a sparkling 45 not out.

It was a great victory for a team which had lost in the first round to Ketton, only to go through to the semi-finals as the highest scoring losers.

Skipper Paul Thwaites said: "We have not had a great start to the season so it is nice to win some silverware.

"We had some success in the Burrough League last year but this was a big competition.

"It's great to be able to call ourselves the top Twenty20 side in Rutland."

The game went ahead on Friday evening at Oakham's Lime Kilns ground in murky conditions.

It was decided to reduce the match from 20 overs to 18-a-side with the threat of bad light.

Oakham skipper Chris Larsen won the toss and decided to bat.

The innings never gained great momentum because wickets were lost at regular intervals.

Market Overton's reply started steadily with the asking rate at a manageable 5.7 an over.

Tom Flowers and Dil Yathagoda went cheaply before the burly figure of Makwana strode to the crease.

Mark Matthews gave him invaluable assistance in the middle before he was out.

Captain Thwaites added: "I was really pleased with the way we played. It is the first time this season my team had batted well, bowled well and fielded well.

"It shows that when we put out our best team we are a match for anyone."
It was a disappointing night for the holders but Oakham skipper Chris Larsen was generous in his praise for the performance of Market Overton.

He said: "Makwana batted well for them and they played well on the night.

"We were probably 20 or 30 runs short of what we needed to get.
"We also dropped three half-chances and you really have to take thos e in cup finals."

The teams are now looking forward to the next competition in 2009, hoping the weather will be better than it has been in the first two tournaments.

Larsen added: "It threatened to rain all evening which probably kept the crowd down a bit."