A SUFFOLK club have won a full set of new kit in a national competition.

Cockfield United were crowned winners of the online competition organised by Sporty Bits, who produce custom sports wear and accessories.

Supporters of clubs voted via Twitter for clubs’ chosen kits, with the winner of each match being the club which polled the highest percentage of votes.

Cockfield United defeated Sutton & District Sunday League side AFC Beeches in the final to claim the first prize from the 32 entrants.

Joe Brinkley, who is secretary of the club whose first team (pictured above) play in Division Two of the Macron SIL, said when they entered the competition they never expected to win.

He said: “Tom O’Leary, our first team manager, was looking through Twitter and saw the competition advertised so entered us into it.

“We had to design three kits from scratch and then get our club members to vote on which one we should enter into the competition.

“We had around 40 members vote and they chose a maroon shirt, white shorts and maroon and white socks.

“To begin with it was just a bit of fun, but as we got closer to the final we began to get more excited about the possibility of winning, not that we expected a club in the middle of nowhere to win a national competition!

“We were asking other Suffolk clubs via Twitter to support us and they really got behind us as the number of votes increased with each round of the competition.”

Cockfield, who run a Reserve side in Intermediate A of the SIL and a Veterans’ side in Division Three South of the Norfolk & Suffolk Veterans’ League, will also be joining the Bury & District Sunday League, after being voted in at the league’s AGM.

“As we are starting up a new Sunday side it is very timely to have won a new kit,” Joe added.

Cockfield United faced fellow Suffolk side ETC Lowestoft Veterans in the first round and won a 53.6% share of the vote compared to their opponents’ 46.4%

They then defeated Maidstone Jaguars of the Rochester & District League 75.5-24.5, before narrowly overcoming Oxfordshire opponents Goring United Good Old Boys 53-47 in the quarter-finals.

At the semi-final stage they lined-up against New Dales Vale of the Cheltenham League and won 60-40 to progress to Sunday’s final.

Cockfield were crowned champions after winning 54.5-45.5 when the result was announced on Monday afternoon.