Shrewsbury, Tamworth, Barnt Green and Berkswell will contest the 2026 Graham Williamson T20 Challenge Cup when Finals Day takes place on Sunday July 19^th at Shifnal CC.

This means all four BDPCL counties retain chances of being home to the new champions, while Divisions One and Two are equally represented in the semi-finals stage.

Shrews tame Champs

Peter Clark and Dustin Melton led a brilliant bowling and fielding display which enabled Shrewsbury to record a thrilling seven-run quarter-final win at Smethwick.

The two-time league champions seemed in control of a low-scoring contest for much of its duration only for the visitors to hold their nerve when it mattered.

Chasing 140 Smethwick’s strong batting line-up looked odds-on to clinch the spoils when they reached 80/2 in the eleventh over with Deepak Khatri and Viken Kedaria well set.

But the loss of both plus acting skipper Bilal Shafayat in a ten-ball mid-innings spell then left the lower order with work to do.

While Rawait Khan was at the crease the hosts would still have fancied their chances. But when he became William Jenkins’ second victim the 20 runs required from 15 balls was beyond Smethwick’s last three. Clark took 2-23 while Melton finished with 2-14.

After slipping to 43/5 an enterprising knock from Seb Scott had earlier kept Salop’s hopes afloat. The Shropshire star, who made 43 from 24 balls, received useful support from county colleague Lewis Evans (22) and Jenkins (25) as the visitors added a further 97 invaluable runs. Khatri claimed three wickets for the home side.

Ed-ifying win lifts Tamworth’s hopes of a promotion/cup double

An excellent all-round display from Ed Smith led upwardly-mobile Tamworth to a memorable 20-run quarter-final win at Harborne.

The Division Two promotion hopefuls overturned both league ranking and a club who have dominated short-form cricket in the West Midlands over the last five years to book a well-deserved Finals Day appearance.

Smith arrived at the crease at 105-4 following the departures of Alec Price, who made 40 from 22 balls, and Australian left-hander Alex Capulletti for a 40-ball 38.

And the Staffordshire all-rounder went on to blast three sixes while making 41 from just 25 balls as the visitors closed on 190-6.

Hasan Mahmood and Felix Haines both claimed a brace of wickets for Harborne whose response quickly slipped to 39-4.

Fifth wicket pair Ben Shepperson (38) and Ben Langdell, who finished with a 37-ball unbeaten 45, then added 49.

The home side’s faint victory hopes eventually hinged on a fine late cameo from skipper Andy Sutton, who made 35 from just 15 balls, but with Smith’s four overs yielding just 18 runs Harborne fell short.

James Rudge, Myles Botfield and George Thacker all claimed two wickets for the South Staffs-based visitors.

Brilliant Banton batters Barnards

Jacques Banton’s brilliant unbeaten 134 saw Barnt Green to an emphatic 112-run success over county rivals Barnards Green.

Banton struck 18 boundaries and four sixes in his scintillating 64-ball knock and with skipper Romi Brar (44 from 26 balls) and Indian pro Harpreet Singh Brar (49no from 20 balls including five sixes) offering excellent support the home side piled up 246/3.

Archie Greaves-Hall then grabbed 3-25 from four tidy overs to ensure the visitors’ response never got past first base. Ryan Tongue (31) and Ben Sutton (33no) top-scored for Barnards Green who closed on 134/7.

Dazzling Tarrant sinks Spa

A phenomenal all-round display from Will Tarrant steered Berkswell to a three-run win over local rivals Leamington.

The tall opening bat contributed nearly 70 per cent of his team’s 149/5 by carrying his bat for an unbeaten 66-ball 103 containing five sixes and nine fours.

Leamington’s spinners otherwise held most of the aces with slow left-armer Shailan Srikanthan’s 4-20 especially catching the eye.

When Berkswell also removed pace through off-spinners Ethan Wragg (1/21) and Umar Shaikh (1/17) Leamington’s batters then found life equally difficult and this set the stage for Tarrant to claim 4/23 from four overs of leg-spin.

Freddie Ackermann (26) and Kalan Niyarepola (27) made some headway with the bat but the cause looked hopeless for Spa until ninth-wicket pair James Vaughan and Oscar Reynolds (38no) added 51 from the final 20 deliveries of the response.

However, when Reynolds was unable to hit Josh Aspinall’s final delivery over the ropes it was Berkswell who clinched a Finals Day appearance.

Semi-Finals:

Tamworth v Berkswell at 10.30am

Barnt Green v Shrewsbury at 1.30pm (approx.)

Final at 4.30pm (approx.)

The winning club will go on to represent the BDPCL on the national stages of the ECB’s Vitality Club T20.