The Pirates (143/6) took down the Tridents (111/9) by 32 runs.
Finally, the Pirates have done it! After years of coming so close, they’ve finally captured their first Disability Premier League (DPL) title at Sophia Gardens, capping off an unbeaten season.
The weather was perfect, the crowd was buzzing, and the Pirates brought their A-game when it mattered most.
The match kicked off just before the England Men’s 2nd Vitality IT20 against Australia, but let’s be honest—the real action was right here.
The Tridents won the toss and decided to field first. Early on, it seemed like a smart call. Ben Sutton (1-20) made quick work of Brendon Parr, the tournament’s top run-scorer, who was sent packing after scoring just one. Ouch!
Things didn’t get much better for the Pirates when Liam Thomas followed him back to the dugout, managing only four runs.
For a moment, it looked like the Pirates were in trouble. But then Captain Anthony Clapham strutted out to the crease, looking like he had a point to prove. And boy, did he prove it. Clapham (55) teamed up with Dan Bowser (48) to dig the Pirates out of their early hole.
The duo racked up a 98-run partnership, swinging the momentum firmly back in the Pirates’ favour. The Tridents did manage to hit back with Jordyn Dore (2-10), who snagged both Clapham and Bowser in quick succession.
Still, some quick knocks from Jordan Williams (14) and Monty McKenzie (10) pushed the Pirates to a respectable 143. The Tridents would’ve been happy keeping them under 150, but 143 was still a solid score to defend.
Then came the Pirates’ turn with the ball, and oh, did they make it count. Adnan Ghani came out breathing fire, tearing through the Tridents’ top order like he was late for a bus.
Two quick wickets from him, and suddenly the Tridents were gasping at 23-2. Joe Moss (1-26) joined the fun, knocking Chris Edwards out for 11, leaving the Tridents at a shaky 27-3 after just six overs. Things were starting to look ugly.
Monty McKenzie (3-24) piled on the pressure with a spell that would make any bowler proud, and with Ghani (4-18) returning to mop up the mess, the Tridents’ middle order completely crumbled.
The lower-order lads—Matt Bailey (15*) and Luke Riley (8*)—tried to make a game of it, but by then, it was like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teaspoon. In the end, the Tridents fell 32 runs short, and the Pirates were the ones dancing in celebration.
This win had been a long time coming for the Pirates. After a couple of seasons of nearly getting there, they finally got their hands on that elusive DPL trophy.
And Captain Clapham, who picked up the Player of the Match award, couldn’t have been happier. “I’m over the moon to be stood here, finally winning it after the last two years!
I can feel how the Tridents are today [with our history], credit to them for getting here but honestly, I’m so happy to have finally done it,” he said, clearly relieved and ecstatic.
He also talked about a key turning point in the match: “We took the Explosion Over at a key period, we had a couple of low-scoring overs, and I wanted to change the momentum. So we took that, and obviously, Bowser hit the six, four, and we took 14 or 15 from the over. That was the momentum change for us, I think.”
And let’s give a shoutout to Brendon Parr, who, despite not having the best day in the final, was named Player of the Tournament for being the top run-scorer with 385 runs across seven matches. His bat was blazing all season long.
The Pirates can finally call themselves champions of the Disability Premier League in 2024. They played with heart, grit, and a never-say-die attitude.
Now, they’ve set the bar high, and you can bet they’re already plotting their next adventure to keep that trophy right where it belongs.