Three local sides to battle on finals day

Staffordshire north group winners Milford Commoners, from Stafford, will face Tamworth Tigers in the first semi-final at Cannock Cricket Club.

South group runners-up Old Hill Strikers also take on West Bromwich Blast in a Black Country derby. The final will start at 3pm and entry will be free for all spectators.

Yorkshire, Surrey, Kent and Durham hosted the first tournament last year, after the English Cricket Board called on clubs to come up with a way keeping cricketers aged 16 to 19 interested in the game.

The competition has been rolled out to more than 30 counties this year, with Staffordshire Cricket Ltd signing up 13 teams.

Organiser Kevin Herbert said: "The ECB realised players aged 16 to 19 were leaving the game for numerous reasons.

"The idea was to set up a tournament complete with coloured kits and white balls to get teenagers playing again.

"The competition is run entirely by the teams and they have one instruction, which is to complete their group games before August 13.

"Finals day will have a T20 feel to it, much like Warwickshire down at Edgbaston for the T20 Blast finals, with all the music and fun in the crowd."

Thirteen teams signed up for this year's tournament, with seven teams in the north group and six in the south.

The competition was whittled down to the top two from each section who will compete to become the first Staffordshire NatWest Under-19 Club T20 winners.

Herbert said: "We're very happy with how this competition has gone. We think it will grow each year because it gives the players the chance to organise the games themselves."

Finals day will start at 11am on the main pitch at Cannock Cricket Club.