Kerrigan looking forward to Finals Day as Second XI prepare to defend T20 title

Warwickshire County Cricket Club Coach, Simon Kerrigan, is looking forward to the challenge of T20 Finals Day, as the Bears Second XI look to defend the title they won 12 months ago.

2026-07-06T14:15+01:00

The Second XI take on Northamptonshire at 10:30am on Tuesday 7 July at Wormsley Cricket Club in the first of two T20 semi-finals, with the winners progressing to the final at 5:00pm as part of a bumper Second XI T20 Finals Day.

It’s been an outstanding campaign by the Bears who registered seven wins from ten games to top the Central Group and seal their progress through to Finals Day for the second successive year.

Kerrigan says it’s an ideal opportunity for some of Warwickshire’s brightest prospects to test themselves.

“It's an exciting day and it's a good platform for us to showcase our skills,” he said.

“Tuesday may not necessarily be the destination the lads are wanting to get to, but it does play a role. Winning things becomes a habit. If you’re winning knockout games, that's a habit that can filter down.

“The players can use it in the years or the months to come, that if we have a must-win game, we’ll have that to fall back on.

“I feel like we've built on last year's success as a group. The younger lads are all a bit more experienced and the academy lads are all that bit more experienced too.”

With three games scheduled to take place, starting with semi-finals between Warwickshire and Northants, and Nottinghamshire and Sussex, Kerrigan is expecting it to be a frenetic day in Buckinghamshire.

“It all happens very fast on Finals Day,” he added. “It comes quick.

“There's lots of chaos that happens, whether it's that you don't get as much prep time on the day, or you're moving change rooms, all that sort of stuff. It could be a slow over rate in one of the games, and you have to quickly turn things around.

“It all adds to it. Watching the lads perform with a bit of uncertainty and a bit of chaos is a reflection on cricket because the game isn't always straightforward. T20 cricket is quick, it's fast, it's unpredictable and I'm looking forward to watching the lads in that environment.”

The Bears have played their semi-final opponents twice in the Second XI cup this year, winning one apiece, with Northants chasing down 139 for victory in the first meeting before the Bears returned the favour with a five-wicket win at Edgbaston Community Sports Ground two weeks ago.

“Northamptonshire have gone really well this year, not just their first team, but in the second team they've got a settled XI as well,” Kerrigan added.

“There’s lots of experience, and lots of good young lads coming through so it's going to be a competitive game.

“They're strong, but that's what you want. You want to be playing against good opposition and watching our lads show how good they are.”

Second XI Finals Day squad: Hamza Shaikh (c), Vansh Jani, Theo Wylie, George Garton, Eddie Miller, Che Simmons, Nathan Gilchrist, Omaris Khan, Arjun Nahal, Jack Pidgeon, Tazeem Ali, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Alex Davies, Ethan Bamber