Two-time winner and Lord's centurion inducted into National Village Cup Hall of Fame

All-rounder played in four finals during career spanning four decades

A four-time National Village Cup finalist who scored a century at Lord's will be inducted as the sixth member of the competition's Hall of Fame.

Elvaston Cricket Club player Paul Birch has had the honour bestowed upon him in recognition of his performance in past finals and long service to the tournament.

Mr Birch, 52, first played in the tournament for the Derbyshire club in 1992 and was still appearing as recently as last year in the Cup, which has been run by The Cricketer magazine since 1972 and counts rural broadband provider Voneus as its headline sponsor.

In 1994, aged just 22, he scored 101 not out at Lord's to help Elvaston claim their first title as they defeated Cornish side Werrington by 55 runs.

Mr Birch went on to appear in three further finals at the Home of Cricket for his side – winning the title again 2000 against Eversholt, from Bedfordshire, and finishing as a runner-up in the following two years against South Wales club Ynystawe and Oxfordshire's Shipton-under-Wychwood respectively.

As well as his batting feat in 1994, he took wickets as a bowler in all four finals in which he played.

He will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at this year's final between Cambridgeshire club Foxton Granta and Gloucestershire side Dumbleton, again at Lord's, this Sunday.

Mr Birch said: "I'm very honoured and humbled to have been chosen.

"It takes me back to 30 years of fantastic village cricket, a great standard and Sundays spent playing all over the country.

"It's brought back a lot of happy memories.

"I was fortunate, but I think Lord's would still have had the same aura for me whether I'd played there once, four times or 50 times.

"It's a wonderful tournament that offers day-to-day cricketers like myself the opportunity to play there."

Tickets for the final – the last red-ball cricket match to be played at Lord's this summer – can be bought here.