The rescheduled Toyota DPL final between Pirate and Tridents will be shown live on the ECB YouTube channel from 2pm tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Rain washed out hopes of a Toyota Disability Premier League final day in the sun at Cardiff, but the outlook for Pirates and Tridents skippers Anthony Clapham and Liam O\u2019Brien remained positive ahead of tomorrow\u2019s revised showdown.<\/p>\n
Shrugging off the disappointment of a final that was abandoned before the toss, the erstwhile England Physical Disability team-mates spoke to their respective teams, packed their bags, and headed home to redraw battle plans for the reserve day at Loughborough\u2019s National Cricket Performance Centre.<\/p>\n
The glare of the Sky Sports cameras \u2013 a final fixture these past four years \u2013 will be absent when the first delivery goes down in the East Midlands at 2pm, but the focus for those involved will be no less intense.<\/p>\n
As Clapham explained, 2025 has been another step change for a tournament now in its fourth iteration and expanding year-on-year as the pinnacle of the domestic disability game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been superb \u2013 the grounds have been very different, offering different challenges,\u201d he said of the group-stage games.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the kits, with Toyota coming on board as sponsors this year, have been great, too. Obviously, it\u2019s a real shame we haven\u2019t been able to play (at Cardiff), but it\u2019s been a brilliantly organised tournament, and another amazing summer of disability cricket \u2013 a tour for the PD lads at the start of the year, a mixed-disability series with India.\u201d<\/p>\n
A relatively late recruit to the disability game \u2013 learning of it through watching England\u2019s Hugo Hammond as a contestant on Love Island \u2013 Clapham, who plays his club cricket for Wokingham CC \u2013 has watched the landscape evolve quickly since his involvement with the first DPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery summer just gets better and better, which is really exciting,\u201d he added. \u201cHopefully Pirates can continue our unbeaten record and win on Sunday \u2013 and we\u2019ll see what the winter holds \u2013 a few of our squad will hopefully be on the plane to India with England in January.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clapham\u2019s views were echoed by Liam O\u2019Brien, whose Tridents side had the weather to thank for their place at Cardiff. It was O\u2019Brien\u2019s six that won them a critical group-stage victory over Hawks, sneaking past their DLS target before rain intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Anthony, I\u2019m really disappointed that rain got in the way, but we have a great chance to replay the fixture on Sunday \u2013 and hopefully this year, we can come out on top,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Combative all-rounder O\u2019Brien \u2013 England\u2019s player of the series in this summer\u2019s thumping win over India, shining with bat and ball \u2013 is another huge advocate of the Toyota DPL\u2019s potential reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s helped shine a real spotlight on the disability game,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, in turn, that makes it attractive for those out there who want to be part of it in the future. We\u2019re seeing young players starting to emerge through the county set-ups as more word gets round.\u201d<\/p>\n
After all the anticipation of Wednesday it will be fascinating to see who holds their nerve this weekend.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s competition history at stake, too. Both teams \u2013 Tridents inaugural winners in 2022, and Pirates defending champions and unbeaten since losing 2023\u2019s final \u2013 are striving to become the first to win the trophy twice.<\/p>\n
And, if the unthinkable should happen on Sunday, and a bowl out is required to separate them \u2013 there\u2019s no better place for it than England\u2019s indoor nets.
\u201cThat could be interesting,\u201d Clapham laughs. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a test for the seamers to hit those stumps \u2013 there\u2019s some good bounce in there.\u201d<\/p>\n