Penzance cricketers ready for Lord's challenge

Penzance will play at Lord's on Saturday

Penzance captain Brad Wadlan says his side's National Club Championship final at Lord's is the culmination of a decade-long ambition.

The Cornwall Premier League champions will face Lancashire side Ormskirk on Saturday at the home of cricket after thrashing Wanstead and Snaresbrook by 179 runs in last month's semi-final.

They are the first side from Cornwall to ever play in the event's final, and the first club side from the county to play at Lord's since Werrington were beaten in the 1994 Village Cup final.

Should Penzance win they would be the first Cornish side to take a national title back to the duchy since Troon won the third of their Village Cup titles in 1976.

"It's certainly something that the club have been desperate to try and achieve over the last 10 years," Wadlan told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"We've pushed and pushed and pushed and fallen at the last hurdle in previous years.

"But no Cornwall side has ever made a national knockout final.

"I know Troon and Werrington made the Village Cup final, but the national knockout is open to every club in the UK to enter so it's a huge achievement from from our boys."

'We've done all our research'

Penzance won this season's Cornwall Premier Division title

Ormskirk, who won the Liverpool and District Premier League last week, go into the game having lost just one league match all season.

They have a number of players who have been on Lancashire's radar, with batter George Lavelle having worn the red rose.

Wadlan is under no illusions how tough his side's challenge will be as they aim to make history.

"They're obviously a very good side as well to reach the final of the national knockout," he said.

"They won their league last week. They play 22 games in their season rather than the 18 that we play, so they've had two extra weeks of playing which you could look at as a pro or it could be tiring.

"I think us having a rest has actually helped us recharge and freshen up a bit.

"Ormskirk have got a couple of ex-professionals from Lancashire, obviously a very good overseas player as well.

"But we've done all our research for every round that we've played and we've left no stone unturned, so we'll be fully prepped, ready to go.

"There's a lot of coaches going up Saturday morning from Cornwall, we really appreciate all the support that we've had from around the county and hopefully we can bring the trophy back down south."