The Disability Premier League 2024 got off to a flying start at Oundle last weekend, with the Pirates unbeaten in the first two fixtures of their campaign.
Black Cats (161/5) beat Tridents (139/7) by 22 runs
A fantastic start for Black Cats and England Physical Disability batter, Angus Brown, saw his side over the line after scoring 86 against the Tridents in their first match of the season.
Pirates (159/6) beat Hawks (148/6) by 11 runs
A tough first match saw a replay of the 2023 Disability Premier League Final with the Pirates taking on the current title-holders, the Hawks.
Runs from the Pirates top three, Brendon Parr (38), Dan Bowser (47) and Anthony Clapham (46) set the side up well contributing over 120 between them.
Chasing 160 to win, Hawks fell 11 runs short in their chase following a terrific bowling performance from Pirates, Monty McKenzie taking 3-21 from his three overs.
Pirates (170/9) beat Black Cats (163/9) by 7 runs
The biggest score of the day came from Pirates batter Brendon Parr, who caused havoc for the Black Cats bowling attack.
His 97 from 55 did the bulk of the work to secure his Pirates side their second win of the day, despite Black Cat’s Gregor McKenzie (62) scoring big early on in their innings.
Pirates opening batter and top scorer of the day, Brendon Parr, said: “I’m really excited about our start in this year’s DPL. It’s always nice to contribute but we have a well-balanced squad with a lot of talent on show, it’s an exciting space to be in this early on!
“Personally, I’ve been backed throughout the summer by my PD [England Men’s Physical Disability] teammates and coaches giving me the opportunity to bat upfront and it’s a role I’ve really enjoyed. They backed me to go out there, express myself and play bigger shots inside the powerplay, something we’ve had similar discussions about with the Pirates.
“We can take a lot of confidence from Sunday's wins as a team; I'm hoping we can take that energy into Neston this weekend and produce the same.”
Tridents (178/4) beat Hawks (137/9) by 41 runs
In the afternoon, Tridents got their first win of the day over the Hawks thanks to a magnificent 80 from just 44 balls from Will Flynn.
The Hawks had a troublesome afternoon with bat in hand, George Greenway's effort of 22 their top scorer. With no-one able to contribute further, the side failed to chase the required 179.
The Pirates' opening two wins sees them become the initial pace-setters in the Disability Premier League.
There are two more weekends of fixtures before the DPL Final, held as a double-header with England Men v Australia Men at Sophia Gardens on Friday September 13.
Sunday September 1
Neston CC, Station Road, Cheshire
Hawks v Black Cats @ 10:30 (pitch 1)
Tridents v Pirates @ 10:30 (pitch 2)
Tridents v Black Cats @ 14:30 (pitch 1)
Pirates v Hawks @ 14:30 (pitch 2)
Sunday September 8
NCPC, Loughborough University Campus, Leicestershire
Hawks v Tridents @ 10:30 (pitch 1)
Black Cats v Pirates @ 10:30 (pitch 2)
Black Cats v Hawks @ 14:30 (pitch 1)
Pirates v Tridents @ 14:30 (pitch 2)
Friday September 13
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
DPL FINAL - TBC v TBC
The DPL is live-streamed on ECB's YouTube channel. To find out how to watch and to find out more about this year's competition, click HERE.