CALMORE romped to a Lord’s showpiece final with a ten-wicket victory over Stoke Green at Loperwood Park, with captain Mark Lavelle admitting: “

The Hampshire cricket side made it a day to remember after bowling the away side out for just 117 runs inside 36 overs.

Thanks to half-centuries from openers Will Brewster and Ben Johns, they chased down the total with ease after rain had disrupted play for two hours.

With the ball, Lavelle and young Liam Carty each picked up four wickets, conceding 20 and 21 runs, respectively, while Ben Perry and Steve Wright collected one apiece.

The win marks a debut appearance in the competition and Calmore will play a special final at the ‘Home of Cricket’ in London.

They will face either Alvanley or Neyland, who play their semi-final this weekend for a spot in the final two.

Speaking to the club website following the game, Lavelle said: “How good was that?

“We left the most convincing win of the run to the semi-final. That was special. We know how to play our own ground, they couldn’t resist when they batted.

“Johnsa and Will, they’ve done that on a few occasions this year. That was special, an unbelievable chase from them two.

“We’ve believed all along, we know how good we are, what are strengths are and what we need to do. It’s less about worrying about other times and focussing on what we can do ourselves. Through those gates, down the Long Room and onto that hallowed turf at Lord’s now.

“I’ve been at this club since I was eight/nine, I can’t put it into words. For everyone it’s been the worst 18 months, we’ve gone through hell and now we’ve put smiles on faces.”

Opening batsman Brewster said: “Over the moon for the boys, everything we’ve gone through in this competition we’ve stuck together well.

“It’s not just about the 11 players here today, everyone at the club that contributed, all around the club, guys getting the ground on. The club spirit here is amazing.

“We wanted to make sure we did everything we could to knock it quickly, the rain came which didn’t help us but we reset and thankfully we’ve managed to get it over the line.”