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Bill Carne says, “I'll go for Neyland – but not with any certainty!”

Look at every aspect of a two-innings each match between teams that play superbly in their causes and it is evident that on talent and current form there is just a cigarette paper between Cresselly and Neyland so that one outstanding individual performance could swing it either way.

Because there is absolutely no doubt that this year's Harrison-Allen Bowl Final features two of the very best limited-overs teams this county has known, with big hitters that can destroy the opposition and fielding of the highest quality.

Cresselly and Neyland both possess varied bowling attacks and although there is a feeling that both could do with an out-and-out strike bowler who might unnerve the opposing batting line-up, it must be said that they have accuracy and guile aplenty, especially in the field of spin bowling, where are some of the best in the county on view.

Cresselly will start as slight favourites after their epic extra-over win over Haverfordwest but whilst it is fair to say that Neyland haven't been firing on all cylinders this campaign they do have a 'big match' mentality which has taken them to four finals in recent seasons, three of them as winners of the coveted Bowl.

They will give 100% over the four innings but so will Cresselly as another superb side with a wonderful record - and the seriously strong mutual respect between the clubs is always very evident!

On the batting front in this competition, every successful side needs at least one 'batting destroyer' who can not only score runs galore but at a quick rate - and for Cresselly it would be Iwan Izzard who would be nominated by most opponents because once he is in the groove it is a case of 'spectators look out'

But the village side also has other seriously powerful stroke players like Alex Bailey, Simon Cole and Ryan Lewis, with former Glamorgan player Dan Cherry lurking in the wings and available for selection. That makes for a scary quintet but throw in that run-gatherer extraordinaire Adam Chandler and Phil Williams and it is easy to see how strong the home batting line-up is, especially since Mike Shaw and Dan James are other very good batsmen alongside skipper Neilson Cole.

But the very fact that Neyland could have former skipper Andrew Miller, as classy a batsman as comes along every so often, batting at 8 or 9 in their order shows what they have to offer in response.

If Paul Murray and Nick Koomen might be their 'destroyers' than what about the run-making qualities of Patrick Bellerby, Ashley Sutton, Nathan Banner, Henry Durrant and another former captain in Gregg Miller?

Scott Jones and skipper Sean Hannon are also capable of scoring runs so it could be a case of bowlers toiling hard on the Big Day!

On the bowling front, Sam Harts showed real 'bottle' in volunteering for the 'golden over' in Cresselly’s semi-final success over Haverfordwest and his strike colleagues could well be Dan James, who has fitted in really well in his first season at the club with both bat and ball, as has Neil Gregory with his left arm deliveries. But it is the slow bowling skills of Mike Shaw, Ryan Lewis, Simon Cole and Dan Cherry which are also likely to be utilised.

It is a similar story in the Neyland camp where the left-arm pace of talented teenager Jamie Smith and Henry Durrant are likely to be utilised alongside Nathan Banner and Nick Koomen, whilst Andrew Miller has been a key wicket-taker with his slow stuff and both Scott Jones and Gary Lloyd, if selected, are very useful spin bowlers, and there is even more variety via Ashley Sutton, Gregg Miller and Patrick Bellerby.

On the fielding front both teams are in fine fettle, with good ground work and boundary catching, with vociferous support for anyone who does well from his team mates.

Both teams also have strong leaders in Neilson Cole and Sean Hannon, who are coincidentally the wicket-keepers, and it is thought that whoever wins the toss will bat first on a belter of a track - although that might change due to weather conditions.

Some pundits think that home advantage might be a factor but I don't believe that this will play a significant part - and so I go for Neyland in the knowledge that they have previous 'Man of the Match' winners in Andrew Miller, Nick Koomen and Ashley Sutton - and others queuing up to take the accolade.

But so do Cresselly in the likes of Chandler, Izzard, Bayley, Cole, Shaw and others - and I opt for Sean Hannon's men without any real conviction in this classic 'Battle of the Titans' - and I can't wait for the tussle to start!


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