HELSTON were unable to defend their Mining Division Evening League title after losing by nine runs to Mount Hawke and Porthtowan last night in the final.

The Twenty20 game at Redruth saw Mount Hawke bat first and put on 92-8 with eventual man-of-the-match Dan Dunston top scoring with 25 not out while Luke Clark claimed bowling figures of three for 20.

In reply, Helston lost eight wickets on their way to 83 with no batsman scoring more than 18, with this total coming from Clark.

Tight bowling from Steve Cloke, who ended with three wickets for the loss of just seven runs, and Simon Smith with figures of two for 20 were pivotal to their team's success.