Scott Borthwick said he is “proud” to lead out his home county for the Royal London Cup final against Glamorgan at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
The one-day showpiece event arrives in Nottinghamshire having been cancelled in 2020, with Durham in tremendous form having won their last five matches in the competition.
Tickets for the fixture, which will commence at 1pm, are priced at £10 for adults and £1 for under 16s and are available here
31-year-old Borthwick will be making his 77th List A appearance for the North-Eastern outfit, having previously won the competition in 2014 before his four year spell with Surrey.
“One of our goals this season was to win a white-ball competition,” he said, “We have taken this competition seriously, we are excited to be in the final and we can’t wait.
“For me, personally, to captain Durham at a one-day final is something I am very proud of. I know Durham fans will travel and show their support and it has been brilliant to have them back.”
The Sunderland-born all-rounder also lauded the contributions of openers Alex Lees and Graham Clarke, the top two run-scorers in the competition with 547 and 606 respectively, the latter scoring at over a run-a-ball.
“Alex is a very strong character, and is much improved over the last few years,” he said, “He knows his game, is a mature batsman, and he loves playing and scoring runs.
“For how well Graham batted in the T20s, he didn’t get those big scores. He was getting twenties and thirties getting us off to a flier.
“I said to him at the start of this campaign I wanted him to open and continue playing in that same way. He gets off to a good start but he has the ability and skill now to make those thirties into big scores.”
Durham and Glamorgan have only met six times in List A cricket since 2002, with Durham winning the latest clash in 2014 on their way to the title. Meanwhile, Glamorgan are yet to win a List A knock-out trophy, but have won silverware in the League format of the one-day game by lifting the titles in 1993, 2002 and 2004
This season, the Welsh side have won five and lost two of their nine games in the competition, most recently beating Essex by five wickets thanks to an inspired five-wicket haul and fifty from all-rounder Joe Cooke.
Captain Kiran Carlson admitted his side are eager to step onto the historic Trent Bridge turf, praising the efforts of his full squad.
“I think we always had that belief at the start of the competition,” he said.
“The way we have fought back from tough situations the whole way through, there have been times where we have lost a couple of close games, but people have chipped in throughout and that’s the main thing we have been pleased with.
“Especially in white ball competitions it is very easy to get on a roll, and we did that from the start. The boys are very hungry to do well and every time we stepped on the pitch it was about seeing where we can get to.
“We want to go out there and enjoy it, play with a smile on our face and do our best to win it. I am so proud of the lads for getting this far and we will approach tomorrow like any other game and try and enjoy the atmosphere of Trent Bridge and what it will bring.”
*****************
Tickets for the inaugural staging of the Royal London Cup Final at Trent Bridge are on general sale now, with the county season’s first silverware set to be claimed on Thursday 19 August.
Tickets for the fixture, which will commence at 1pm, are priced at £10 for adults and £1 for under 16s and are available here, with a family of four able to attend the midsummer 50 over showpiece for a total of £22.