The Scholars had lost their previous 11 meetings with their bitter rivals but picked the perfect time to end that unwanted streak with a thumping victory.

Joe Halsall headed them in front in the first half, Nick Wellecomme’s second-half brace sealed the win and Danny Bragoli put the icing on the cake with a fine 20-yard strike.

The only downside to a sparkling performance were injuries that forced striker Jazz Luckie off before the break and saw substitute Jono Gould stretchered off just minutes after coming on.

However, little could take the gloss off a memorable night for Harris’s men as they claimed the cup for the fourth time in their history.

Both teams looked lively in a spirited opening few minutes but it was Rushall who had the first chance and it was one they should perhaps have done better with.

Stan Mugisha led a swift Pics break and it was four-on-three for a moment but he slightly delayed his pass and although Matty Wood got a fierce shot off, it was straight at Scholars keeper Ryan Price.

Rushall came even closer ten minutes in as Mugisha chased down a short backpass and blocked Price’s clearance but to Chasetown’s relief the ball flew wide rather than in the net.

Price comfortably held a Josh Craddock header before Chasetown mounted their first threat as Simon Brown’s delicious ball appeared to put Jazz Luckie clear but the Scholars striker slipped at the vital moment.

Luckie had better fortune with his footing a few moments later as he attempted to turn home from a goalmouth scramble but Pics keeper Chris Gemmell was equal to the effort, making a point-blank save to turn it wide.

From that corner, though, Chasetown broke the deadlock as Brown floated his flag-kick to the far post where Halsall thundered in to head into the roof of the net despite the best efforts of a Rushall defender on the line.

Olympic almost levelled instantly as Mugisha raced through the centre but his shot from just outside the box flew a couple of feet wide.

From there, the game deteriorated into a niggly affair for a while – there is no love lost between the two rivals and that showed in a 20-minute spell where four players were cautioned.

Simon Brown and Danny Bragoli saw yellow for Chasetown, while the Rushall pair of Mitchell Tolley and Jimmy Turner went into the referee’s notebook too.

After that lull, Rushall had a great chance to equalise two minutes before the break as Turner’s deep far-post cross picked out the unmarked Mugisha but he headed wide from just a few yards out.

The second half began with Chasetown on the attack as a Brown thunderbolt from 25 yards whistled a few inches over Gemmell’s crossbar.

At the other end, Craddock was inches away from a Mugisha cross-shot that rolled agonisingly across the face of the goal for the Pics.

But Chasetown sealed the victory and the trophy just after the hour mark as the Scholars broke swiftly and Wellecomme latched onto Danny Smith’s perfectly-timed through ball, fended off Gavin Caines’ challenge and lashed low past Gemmell.

Craddock drove wide from 20 yards as Rushall sought an immediate response but it was game over on 71 minutes as Wellecomme beat the offside trap and cheekily lobbed the advancing Gemmell from just outside the box.

It turned into a rout four minutes later as Brown’s clever short free-kick found Bragoli free on the edge of the box and he swept a sweet finish past Gemmell into the bottom corner.

Rushall pulled one back a minute from time through a fine individual goal from Spencer who beat two men before firing home low and hard.

But it was Chasetown’s night and Wellecomme was inches away from completing a dream hat-trick in stoppage time, firing just over the bar.

Chasetown: Ryan Price, Jack Farmer, Grant Beckett, Chris Slater, Tesfa Robinson, Joe Halsall, Lee Butler, Danny Bragoli, Nick Wellecomme, Jazz Luckie (Danny Smith 45), Simon Brown (Jono Gould 77, Ramone Stephens 82).

Subs not used: Danny Watson, Richard Teesdale

Rushall Olympic: Gemmell, Turner, Tolley, Caines, Wood (Ellis 75), Mugisha, Craddock, Palmer, Martin (Obeng 57), Dance, Adebola (Spencer 69)

Subs not used: Maher, Daniel.

Attendance: 651

Match report unashamedly stolen from Michael Beardmore at the Lichfield Mercury. Am sure he won't mind