Johnny Connell will return to captain Berkshire in Sunday’s T20 Finals Day at Wormsley.

Connell led Berkshire in all of their group matches but missed the Super-12s victory over Cornwall at Wargrave as he was playing for Somerset in the Metro Bank Cup.

Connell played in all eight of Somerset’s matches in that competition but had limited opportunities to display his talent as he batted down the order in the majority of those games.

Somerset have not extended Connell’s short-term contract so he is available to lead Berkshire against Devon in the second semi-final at Finals Day (1pm) with the winners facing either Bedfordshire or Staffordshire, who meet in the first match of the day at 10am, in the final at 4pm.

It will be Connell’s first appearance for Berkshire since they beat Cheshire to win the NV Play National Counties Trophy in the final at Copdock in mid-July having missed all four of their three-day matches in the NCCA Cluberly Championship having been rested for the first match against Oxfordshire and their most recent against Herefordshire last weekend.

Andy Rishton, who captained Berkshire in the Championship, comes into the 13-man squad for Finals Day having missed the Super-12s with batter/slow left-armer Eddie Campion also added to the side that beat Cornwall.

Hampshire Academy all-rounder Ben Salter, who was Player of the Match in the Trophy final, is available for Berkshire duty this weekend as their leading run scorer with 309.

Berkshire’s main wicket-takers have been their trio of spinners with Euan Woods leading the way with 16 closely followed by Rhys Lewis (14) and Sulaiman Akhtar (13).

Devon, who drew with Berkshire at Blundell’s School in the Championship earlier this month, have named a 12-man squad which includes the 11 that featured in their Super-12s victory over Buckinghamshire at Exeter.

All-rounder James Matravers, who was unavailable that day due to his commitments with the Gloucestershire Academy, returns to the squad on Sunday.

Matravers made a century against Shropshire on his Championship debut last month and has been a regular in Gloucestershire’s Second XI this season.

Seb Linnitt, who was released from the Somerset Academy 12 months ago, has been a consistent run-scorer for Devon across all formats and goes into Finals Day with 265 T20 runs in the bank.

Ben Privett is not far behind with 239 runs and he has also taken 14, as has off-spinner Harry Passenger.

Seam bowler George Daldorph as earned his place at Finals Day having taken 15 wickets in his first four Championship matches despite not having played in any of Devon’s age group teams.

He made his Devon Lions debut last year and a combination of excellent form for his club Thorverton and a spate of injuries gave Daldorph an opening in the senior side.

Devon have gone beyond the group stage for the first time since 2018 when they went down by 50 runs to Devon in a semi-final at Wormsley.

There are no survivors from that match in Devon’s squad this weekend but Rishton featured for Berkshire as did Dan Lincoln who will line-up for Staffordshire in the first semi-final having joined them earlier this year.

Berkshire (from): Johnny Connell (Henley - C), Rhys Lewis (Wargrave), Ben Salter (Finchampstead), James Isbell (Finchampstead), Euan Woods (Wargrave), Charlie Dunnett (Henley) , Andrew MacEwen (Wargrave), Andy Rishton (Henley), Sulaiman Akhtar (Datchet), Samm Daniel (Henley), Nilesh Bhandari (Wargrave),  Eddie Campion (Finchampstead), Matt Dalrymple (Henley).

Devon (from): Ben Privett (Midsomer Norton), Dan Pyle (Exmouth), Seb Linnitt (Exeter), Lawrence Walker (Valley End), Rhys Davies (Tavistock), Cameron Kidd (Exmouth), Callum Harvey (Midsomer Norton  - C), Matt Whalley (Callington), Sam Read (Exeter), Harry Passenger (Torquay and Kingskerswell), George Daldorph (Thorverton), James Matravers (Bedminster).

Bedfordshire, who have reached Finals Day for the first time since 2015,  have included Worcestershire batter Kashif Ali in their squad.

Ali, who was educated in Dunstable, made his debut for Bedfordshire in 2021 and has continued his association with them, making his most recent appearances for them in their T20 double-header against Oxfordshire at Didcot in June.

Ali has been a regular in Worcestershire’s white ball side this season but he has not featured in the Rothesay County Championship since mid-May and is not required for their current match against Lancashire at New Road.

But batter Gus Miller who played in Bedfordshire’s double-header against Berkshire at Luton last month, is unavailable this weekend as he is required for county duty by Northamptonshire.

There are two former Scotland Under-19s players in Bedfordshire’s squad – batter/wicketkeeper Theo Robinson and batter Jamie Dunk.

Dunk will go into Finals Day as the leading run-scorer with 373 including four half-centuries with two of them coming in their Super-12s games at Sprowston – 57 in the victory over Shropshire in the eliminator and 79 not out in the final against defending champions Norfolk.

Staffordshire have Derbyshire off-spinner Joe Hawkins available for Finals Day and they welcome back seamer Jake Garlick who was contracted by Warwickshire for their Metro Bank Cup campaign and retained by them for their recent Second XI Championship matches.

Nils Priestley, who made a spectacular century in Staffordshire’s semi-final victory over Berkshire at Tring on their win to winning the T20 competition three years ago, also returns to the squad along with Himley all-rounder Ollie Walker.

Captain James Kettleborough and slow left-armer Tom Brett will face their former county having left Bedfordshire at the end of the 2022 season.

Bedfordshire (from): Jake Tarling (Flitwick - C), Theo Robinson (Shenfield - wk), Jamie Dunk (Welbeck), Kashif Ali (Smethwick and Worcestershire), Jamal Richards (Witham), Pat Harrington (Oundle Town), Nabil Moughal (Flitwick), Archie Houghton (East Molesey), Joe Lowe (Flitwick), Oscar Phillips (Flitwick), James Anson (Driffield Town), Zaid Faleel (West Herts), Danyaal Khalid (Moorlands), Max Hunt (Spencer).

Staffordshire (from): Nils Priestley (Checkley), Dan Lincoln (High Wycombe - wk), James Kettleborough (Checkley - C), Reeve Evitts (Wolverhampton), Matt Morris (Leek), Ollie Walker (Himley), Callum Hawkins (Moddershall & Oulton), Joe Hawkins (Moddershall & Oulton and Derbyshire), Sam Atkinson (Moddershall & Oulton), Liam Hurt (Leyland), Sam Keeling-Wright (Old Hill), Jake Garlick (Moddershall & Oulton), Tom Brett (Finedon Dolben).

Tickets for National Counties T20 Finals Day at Wormsley on August 30 can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ncca-t20-finals-day-2026-tickets-1992951356155