YORKSHIRE Girls Under-13s have been crowned the 2013 ECB national champions after beating Kent in a delayed final at Moseley Cricket Club in Birmingham.

The White Rose girls had to wait eight months to land the national trophy because the original date scheduled for the finals at the end of September last year was put back.

The Tykes youngsters had to overcome a good Hampshire side in their semi-final tie, where they won the toss and elected to bat.

This was a wise choice as they closed on an impressive 227-8 at the end of their 35 overs. In reply, Hampshire came up short by knocking 186-4, putting the Yorkshire Girls through to face Kent in the final.

Yorkshire again won the toss and chose to take first knock, batting out the full 35 overs once again for a score of 176-5. Kent never got into a rhythm in their reply and a good bowling performance meant that Yorkshire won the match by dismissing their opponents for only 105 in just 24.2 overs.

Team coach Wendy Brown was proud of the girls’ team ethic in the final. She said: “The team all performed very well and the victory was down to a whole team performance where everyone contributed.”

Manager Jane Hildreth said: “We have had the pleasure of working with a very talented group of girls who have all worked hard on their cricket skills and formed a wonderful team.”