Cornwall Super 9s Crowned National Disability Champions
Cornwall’s Super 9s disability side have written their name into history, crowned national champions for the first time after a ruthless finals day in Kidderminster.
The team from Truro, still only in their third competitive season, arrived in Worcestershire as South West champions for the second year running. That alone underlined their rapid rise. What followed confirmed it.
They first brushed past the Isle of Wight in the semi-final to book their place in Sunday’s showpiece. Then they tore into Middlesex.
Batting first in the final, Cornwall piled up 176 for 8 from their 30 overs, a statement total on a pressure day. With runs on the board and belief to match, they squeezed the life out of Middlesex’s reply, attacking with the ball and in the field. Middlesex never recovered. Bowled out for 79, they finished 97 runs short of Cornwall’s target.
The margin said everything. This was not a nervous edging over the line. It was a title seized.
Head coach Dan Tonkin could barely hide his pride, calling it a “fantastic achievement” and insisting he was “unbelievably proud” of a group he sees rewarded at last for “the phenomenal work they put in”.
They did it as underdogs, at least on paper. Inside the dressing room, it sounded very different.
“Although we went in as underdogs in the final we always believed in ourselves,” Tonkin said. “We got what we deserved. We are a tight knit group, we aren't just cricketers we are friends. We came together in the final and absolutely smashed it.”
That bond has become Cornwall’s edge. A squad built quickly, but not cheaply. Hours of training, long trips, and the shared sense that they belong on this stage.
Now they have the silverware to prove it.
Tonkin is already looking beyond the celebrations, describing the national title not as a destination, but as a “stepping stone”. For a team that has conquered the country inside three seasons, the obvious question hangs in the air.
If this is only the beginning, just how far can Cornwall go?
