ECB Cornwall Premier League preview – Saturday, August 23

PENZANCE (1/10) v TRURO (10/10)

BOTH matters in the table could be decided with a game to spare tomorrow at leaders Penzance, but if Truro have anything to do with it, they will take the survival battle to the final day.

The city outfit are 15 points behind St Just who also have to take on the champions-elect in their final game, while Gareth May’s side head to Helston tomorrow looking to ensure they secure their status for another season with a game to spare.

If Truro pull off a great escape from here then it’ll be talked about for years to come, particularly as they go to a Penzance outfit who on Sunday became the first Cornish side ever to reach the National Club Championship final when they thrashed Wanstead and Snaresbrook by 179 runs.

They will take on Lancashire side Ormskirk at Lord’s on September 20, but before then they need to sew up the title, something which will happen with victory tomorrow.

Truro head west without seamer Freddie Bose who misses out again through injury, while young batsman Dan Phillips and all-rounder Joe Cardigan come in with batsmen Murray Wyatt and Ted Phillips both unavailable.

Penzance - who are 22 points ahead of second-placed Wadebridge - are without Jonny Ludlam who suffered a back injury on Sunday, but bring in left-arm spinner Charlie Hearn as they look to seal back-to-back titles and their fourth in five years.

PENZANCE: Christian Purchase, Jack Paull (wkt), Charlie Sharland, Brad Wadlan (capt), Nic Halstead-Cleak, Grant Stone, Josh Croom, Tommy Sturgess, Mehran Sanwal, Tom Dinnis, Charlie Hearn.

TRURO: Harry Phillips, Scott Harvey, Charlie Kent (capt), Akhilesh Sahani, Dan Phillips, Adam Price, Wilf Bartlett (wkt), Scott Kellow, Rob Harrison, Neil Ivamy, Joe Cardigan.

HELSTON (3/10) v ST JUST (9/10)

ST JUST head to third-placed Helston knowing victory would take them a long way towards safety.

They were narrowly beaten by just nine runs at Werrington last weekend as Neil Curnow’s 134 got them close in pursuit of 262, and head to Beacon Parc with a far stronger side.

Skipper Gareth May is back from a wedding, while Lewis Stephens and Phil Nicholas also return as Josh Semmens and youngster Thomas George drop out.

Director of cricket Justin Stephens is unavailable which is a blow, while wicketkeeper Rhys Brownfield is also out again as former Cornwall gloveman Gavin Edwards deputises once more.

It will be an emotional occasion for Helston as chairman Brad Bury plays his final-ever home game before retirement.

The left-arm spinner has bagged hundreds of wickets down the years for the Blues and neighbours Porthleven, but is taking a back seat to focus on the off-field activities.

From last weekend, Archie Martin is replaced by Tom Mitchell, while Australian overseas player Jayden Mitchell remains injured.

HELSTON: Dan Jenkin (capt), Billy Taylor, Steven Jenkin, Karl Leathley (wkt), Mark Jenkin, Sunny Osmont, Harry Saunders, Tom Mitchell, Ryan Tonkin, Ollie Black, Brad Bury.

ST JUST: Neil Curnow, Gareth May (capt), Ellis May, Jamie Semmens, Phil Nicholas, Chamikara Edirisinghe, Logan Curnow, Gavin Edwards (wkt), Lewis Stephens, Ben Stevens, Joe Clifton-Griffith.

WADEBRIGDE (2/10) v CALLINGTON (7/10)

CALLINGTON and Grampound Road both secured vital victories last week to ensure they need just a handful of points to be safe.

Cally head to a Wadebridge side who still have an outside chance of a remarkable treble, while the Roadies welcome a Redruth side who have slipped down the table in recent weeks.

Callington director of cricket Joe White has dropped himself with Rowen Taplin taking the gloves, as he looks to give some game time to some of the youngsters.

Ben Allsop comes in while seamer Ben Alford is preferred to fellow teenage bowler Spencer Whatley.

Wadebridge welcome back all-rounder Callum Wilson after missing the last three league games due to holiday, while batsman Alex Forward is also back as they name their strongest side in several weeks. Off-spinner Charlie Ellis is missing after taking six wickets in just two games since his return to top-flight cricket.

WADEBRIDGE: Jamie Beare, Lachlan Crump, Matt Rowe, Matt Robins, James Turpin, Callum Wilson, Alex Forward, Kelvin Snell (capt), Fred Wilkinson (wkt), Matt Lawrence, Elliot Dunnett.

CALLINGTON: James Brenton, Liam Lindsay, Graham Wagg (capt), Xavie Clarke, Max Tryfonos, Ben Allsop, Aidan Libby, Mohammed Danyaal, Rowen Taplin (wkt), Ben Ellis, Ben Alford.

GRAMPOUND ROAD (8/10) v REDRUTH (6/10)

ANTONY Angove has been the star of the Grampound show in recent weeks and the Roadies can guarantee safety tomorrow, although they will have to do without the former Falmouth and Penzance all-rounder.

Despite some agonising defeats, they have impressed everybody, particularly with their batting exploits, and sit 26 points clear of trouble with just 40 points to play for.

He is unavailable, as is hard-hitting oPener Dave Hoskings who blasted 57 from just 40 balls in last week’s 63-run success over Helston. In come former county all-rounder Tom Hughes and Cornwall Over 50s spinner David Neville.

Redruth are down to sixth having lost five on the spin and could end the day as low as eighth.

Their batting has been the big problem in recent games and need a response against a side who are full of confidence.

GRAMPOUND ROAD: Tom Orpe (capt), Tom Hughes, Alex Lean, Harry Gregory (wkt), Ravi Karunarathna, Harry Matthews, Jack Mingo, Nathan Keevil, Dan Ferris, Tom Fox-Dean, David Neville.

REDRUTH: Toby Whiteford, Toby Stoddard, Elliot Stoddard, Dulash Udayanga, Jack Hale, Lloyd Brock, Peter Howells (wkt), Ellis Whiteford, Justin Beaton, Piran Kent (capt), Craig Johnson.

ST AUSTELL (4/10) v WERRINGTON (5/10)

WERRINGTON will leapfrog St Austell into fourth if they win their clash at Wheal Eliza.

The North Cornwall outfit were immersed in a relegation battle for much of the season, but have since rocketed up to fifth having won five of their last seven games.

The batting has started to fire – led by Sri Lankan pro Thulina Dilshan’s 710 runs – although several have stepped up in the key moments.

They make one change from last weekend as Ben Smeeth is working. He is replaced by teenager Billy Uglow who has been on holiday.

St Austell have four first-choice players missing as skipper Alex Bone serves the second of a two-match ban while Connor Cooke is playing football and David Munn and Matt Lloyd are on holiday.

Ollie Sleeman – dad of Ben – gets a game as does exciting spin-bowling all-rounder Henry Johnson. Batsman Curtis Dalby also returns.

ST AUSTELL: Dan Jarman, Thevindu Dickwella, Mike Bone, Curtis Dalby, Ben Sleeman, Gary Bone (capt, wkt), Adam Snowdon, Ollie Sleeman, Henry Johnson, Andrew Libby, Liam Watson.

WERRINGTON: Sam Hockin, John Moon, Adam Hodgson, Thulina Dilshan, Mark Gribble, George Rickard, Ben Jenkin, Billy Uglow, Nick Lawson (capt, wkt), Dan Barnard, Jordan Duke.