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Dumbleton Dynamite and Hatherley Hurricanes set for showpiece Cheltenham Premier T20 final

All Areas > Sport > Cricket

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Monday, 15th July 2024, 11:00

Leading Cheltenham Premier T20 runscorer Tom Kelly Leading Cheltenham Premier T20 runscorer Tom Kelly

Will it be repeat or revenge?

That’s a question that will be answered tomorrow evening when Dumbleton Dynamite take on Hatherley Hurricanes in the final of the Cheltenham Premier T20.

Hatherley won last year’s inaugural final between the two teams by 24 runs, but Dumbleton will not be short of belief tomorrow after winning the most recent clash between the two sides at the start of the month.

They won by four runs – it was the first time they had beaten Hatherley in the competition in four attempts – and their skipper Myles Holland said: “It will give us confidence going into the final but all the games between us have been close.”

That win two weeks ago was built around another standout performance by Dumbleton’s overseas star Tom Kelly.

The South Australian, opening the batting, smashed 66 from 37 balls and then took 1-15 from four overs, with his right-arm flat off-spin as Hatherley were restricted to 147-8.

“We were kind of in control of it for 80 or 90 per cent,” said Hatherley captain Joel Price. “We just let it slip.”

Price is a key player for Hatherley, of course, and nobody has taken more than his 16 wickets in this season’s competition.

A slow bowler who likes to mix up his pace, he has been opening the bowling in recent games so he will be in Kelly’s sights from the very first ball tomorrow.

Kelly has scored more than 560 runs, including three centuries, in this season’s tournament with a strike rate of well above 200 and Price readily admits he is the best batsman Hatherley have come up against in the competition “by quite some stretch”.

Price did dismiss him in the group game last month – he bowled him for 44 in a game Hatherley won by three wickets – and he is certainly relishing the challenge.

“I’ve opened the bowling in the last five or six games,” he said.

“We do feel that if we can get him out we can make inroads into their batting.

“Opening batsmen like pace on the ball from the start, but spinners can upset their rhythm. I like to play around with my pace."

Dumbleton will be hoping that Kelly can maintain his phenomenal form, of course, and Holland said: “It always helps when your best players perform. It always gives you a chance.

“It should be a great game, we’re really looking forward to it.”

And while Kelly has been grabbing most of the headlines over the past couple of months, Hatherley have an overseas cricketer of their own who can turn a game in a few overs.

CP Rizwan, like Kelly a top-order batsman, has captained the United Arab Emirates and Price said: “He’s played in the World Cup, he’s a very good player, he hits the ball very hard.”

Like Kelly, Rizwan is in his first season with his club and like Kelly he is desperate to win at the Victoria Ground, the home of Cheltenham Cricket Club, tomorrow.

“We take this tournament very seriously,” added Price. “We see it as being just as important as Saturday league cricket.

“The players are very similar for both competitions, everyone wants to play.”

Tuesday’s game gets under way at 6pm but the organisers, who are hoping for a crowd of around 500, are hoping that spectators will start arriving from 5pm.

There will be live music before the start of the game and children aged under-14 will be allowed to watch the final for free, although their parent or parents will have to pay. Tickets for the final, costing £10, are available at https://cheltenham.premiert20.com/book-tickets

A reserve day of Tuesday 23rd July has been set aside for the final of a competition which has captured the imagination of players and supporters alike with its coloured clothing, coloured balls, music and cash prizes.

The competition winners will receive £800 in prize money.

Dumbleton and Hatherley both play their Saturday cricket in Premier 2 Glos/Wilts of the West of England Premier League.

Other Images

Hatherley Hurricans are the defending Cheltenham Premier T20 champions

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