Foxton manager Matt Gray was left praising his side’s efforts despite narrowly losing out in the Davidstow National Village Cup final at Lord’s on Sunday.

The Foxes were beaten by 19 runs by now four-time winners Woodhouse Grange, from Yorkshire, but were by no means overawed by the occasion.

Foxton had battled through seven rounds en route to the final, seeing off the likes of Wiltshire’s Goatacre, Langleybury from South Hertfordshire, and Kent’s Sibton Park, but they could not deliver one last victory to lift the trophy.

Gray told the Crow: “I am very disappointed but not by our performance. I think we gave our all. It’s been a fantastic run.

“We just weren’t quite there. We gave away 20 runs in the field which has cost us.

“We felt 230 was the par score. We thought if we could get 230 we might make a better fist of it but it was a big run chase over 40 overs.These boundaries are big and we couldn’t quite generate enough to get the runs in our own innings.

“From there we were just a little bit behind all the time.

“We needed something magical to happen for a large period of our innings because their [Woodhouse Grange] bowling was spot on. They made it really hard for us and perhaps that was their experience of the wicket shining through.

“Jeffery’s [Douglas] six over my head into the pavilion was amazing and that was the kind of thing we needed a little more of just to stay in touch but we couldn’t quite manage it.”

Few Foxton fanatics could have foreseen their side’s eventual run to the final two of the 1000-strong competition but Gray always knew his side had the potential to go all the way.

He continued: “When I took over, it took a bit of time for club personnel to buy into my project of reaching Lord’s within three years but we have and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.

“Woodhouse are regulars in this competition having made seven finals in the past 15 years so if we put our minds to it we can do it.

“Sunday cricket used to be a bit of a slog for us but everyone has been energised by this Village Cup run and hopefully we can create a legacy in the competition from now on.”

The boss acknowledged that the club would be nowhere without their army of fans who turned out in force to back the Foxes.

Gray said: “The fans were amazing for us again.

“All the way through the competition they have been behind us 100 per cent and that has really made a difference. We couldn’t ask for more.”