ST JUST head into Thursday’s Vitality Girls Under-15 Club T20 semi-final at Wokingham CC (1pm) knowing they are just one win away from playing at Lord’s.

The Cape Road outfit – famous as the Duchy’s most successful men’s club of the last 25 years which has seen them win eight ECB Cornwall Premier League crowns and numerous T20 titles – have quietly put together a superb girls team, many of whom represent Cornwall in their various age groups.

Played as eight-a-side, St Just have two Under 15s in captain Ella Nicholas and Grace Ellis – while Jessica May, Libby May and Eva Curnow – just a year younger – are amongst those making waves with both bat and ball.

Having reached the last eight in three of the last four years, St Just were crowned Cornwall champions before seeing off Devon winners Exeter in the last 32 having been set 98 to win.

Frenchay from just outside of Bristol were defeated as St Just won by six wickets having only lost one in chase of 132, before a superb bowling performance in the quarter-final saw them dismiss Hampshire side New Milton for just 58 for a 38-run victory.

Head coach Neil Curnow, who alongside fellow coaches Scott and Tamsin May, will take his side to Berkshire to tackle Surrey outfit Spencer CC, hailed the girls’ efforts. He said: “As a club we’re beyond proud, but the ambition from when they were a young age was to get them through to a national final.

“We’ve got two under 15s and four under 13s on the Somerset Emerging Pathway who have been with us since starting on our All Stars and Dynamos programmes, while all nine of the squad play at county level for their respective age groups.

Girls cricket has come a long way in recent years, St Just being a prime example.

He continued: “We have probably 90 juniors at the club and there’s a pretty even split between boys and girls which is something you’d never have imagined 10 years ago.

“Some of the girls are already playing men’s cricket. Hopefully, over the next three or four years one or two of them can develop even further and maybe even play for us in the Premier League. I think a lot of it started three or four years ago as a result of watching women’s cricket on TV with The Hundred which has inspired more girls to give it a go.”

As for Thursday, Curnow continued: “We know they have the talent to win, but we don’t know much about each opposition, so it’s a case of taking it round by round. We’ve done well over the last few years, but have always been beaten by Frenchay or New Milton, so to knock them both out has given the girls confidence.

“We’re blessed with the number of good players we have. Whereas some teams have three or four decent players, we have a squad of nine who could all easily open the batting or the bowling - we even have four wicketkeepers.

“The other thing is they’re really, really keen. Often I’m up at the ground doing work on the pitch and there are girls just up there having a net, while as a coach they turn up, listen and just pull each other along. If we can win and reach Lord’s, it’ll be the icing on the cake.”