Filham Park, home to Ivybridge Cricket Club, will host the T20 finals day on Sunday, July 8. This promises to be a day of swashbuckling cricket, razzmatazz, food and fun.

The first match to be played will be the plate final at 11am, with the T20 grand final scheduled to begin at 2.30pm.

Chairman Steve Ansell says: 'We are hoping for a good crowd at Filham for this special day of cricket.

The great thing about T20 is that its all-action format appeals to the whole family. Each innings lasts only around an hour and the best teams can post scores of 150 runs in that time.

We are hoping that the town will come out in force to enjoy the cricket, have a barbecue lunch, enjoy a drink or two in the clubhouse and cheer on whichever teams will have made it through.

If Ivybridge have managed to qualify to compete on finals day all the better, but whoever reaches the finals the crowd is assured of high-class cricket'.

With both the second XI and Sunday league team making good starts to the season, and the first XI now turning in some solid performances after narrow defeats at the outset of their campaign, July could be a make or break month for Ivybridge Cricket Club.

First XI skipper Gareth Andrews will be hoping that the Ivybridge batsmen can start turning good starts into big scores.

With the big hitters like Kelvin Trent and Adam Birch and experienced stroke-makers Andrews, Johnson and Jacobs playing alongside youngsters such as Josh Zimmerman and Harry Solomon, there is the potential to do mighty damage with the bat.

With the bowlers not yet firing on all cylinders, Ivybridge need big scores in order to put pressure on the opposition and tempt them into taking on Sri Lankan star bowler Jeewan de Silva.

De Silva will be hoping that the hoped-for drier pitches of July will assist him in bamboozling batsmen with his prodigious turn. Mike Hibberd will be trying to reprise the form that brought him his maiden Ivybridge century earlier in the season.

There are also plenty of 2nd XI and Sunday league players anxious to get their break in the 1st XI. Mike Tuckwell's twos are developing into a real force, with youngsters such as Neil Lancaster enhancing his reputation, alongside experienced campaigners such as Dan and Tommy Newman, long-serving medium paceman Gareth Stuckey and the ever-reliable Chris Greenhouse.

In their first full seasons, all-rounder Sijo Kopparambil and leg spinner Martin Templar are also making a big impression.

Youngsters Adam Huxtable, Tom Hall, George Berry, Andy Statton, Gemma Lancaster and brothers Rob and Luke Forward, helped along by seasoned campaigners such as Des Solomon and Jon Sparkes, will all be hoping to make big breakthroughs as the season progresses.

As well as plenty of cricket to watch, at the end of the month and moving into August the clubhouse will open in the evenings for those who wish to come down and watch the Olympics.

Filham Park key dates in July are as follows: Sun. July 1 : Ivy Sunday v. Stokeinteignhead 2pm, followed by Euro Football Championship final on TV (7.45 pm) in clubhouse. All welcome.

Sat. July 7: 1st XI v. Ashburton, 2pm.

Sun. July 8: T20 finals day – Plate final 11am. Grand final 2pm. BBQ and raffles.

Sat. July 14: 2nd XI v. Torquay, 2pm.

Sat. July 21: 2nd XI v. Plymouth Civil Service and Roborough III, 2pm.

Sun. July 22: Ivy Sunday v. Paignton, 2pm.

Mon. July 23: Club XI v. Darley Dale, 2pm

Weds, July 25: Club XI v. Shrivenham CC, 2pm.

Sat. July 28: 1st XI v. Stoke Gabriel, 2pm.

Sun. July 29: Club XI v. Cornwood, 2.30 pm.

Players are welcome at all ages and levels. For adult cricket enquiries please contact Gareth (07944 978570) or Des (07984 456060), junior enquiries to Stafford (07941 247207) or Dave (07979 542155). Alternatively, e mail jonsparkes1974@aol.

com.