DEVON’S white-ball cricketers enter unknown territory on Sunday when the Dojo Twenty20 Super12s roll into Exeter for the first time.

Devon have home advantage in the Super12s as they topped their qualifying group to reach what is effectively the quarter-final stage of the competition.

Super12s is a relatively new addition to National Counties Twenty20 cricket. Four group winners are hosts for a play off between a second and third-placed qualifier.

The winners of that 11am contest – either Wiltshire or Buckinghamshire – stay on to face Devon (3pm) for a place in finals day later this month.

The last time Devon reached finals day, traditionally staged on the Getty family’s private ground at Wormsley, was back in 2018 when Super12s didn’t exist. They were semi-final losers to Berkshire then.

Devon have been serial under-achievers in Twenty20 cricket since the Covid 19 disruptions back in 2020 and 2021. Bad weather washing out games has been a particular obstacle to progress.

With a new-look team – only Sam Read remains of the team that started the 2022 season – and some fresh ideas from the coaching team, Devon have prospered this season. Only two games out of eight were lost reaching the Super12s.

Tim Western, Devon CCC’s performance director, believes it is a huge achievement to get this far. He hopes the cricket-loving public will be out in force on Sunday.

“We have gone from virtual no-hopers to genuine contenders in a short space of time thanks to the effort put in by the players and coaches, especially during our winter sessions,” said Western.

“Just reaching finals day would be something to be proud of – and if we get there we would want to win it.

“It would be great on Sunday to have the boundary at Exeter ringed with cricket enthusiasts enjoying the thrills of Twenty20 cricket and urging the Devon team on.”

Devon’s Twenty20 teams have been fluid since the start of the season with 19 players used so far. Only Rhys Davies, Seb Linnitt, Harry Passenger, Ben Privett and Matt Whalley have played in all eight matches.

Big-hitting batter Dan Pyle comes in for his first game of the Twenty20 campaign having been ruled out until now due to injury.

Changes of personnel to those deployed against Cornwall in the final round of group matches include the return of Pyle and all-rounders Callum Harvey and Sam Read. Omitted are all-rounder Hugo Hughes, batter James Horler and seamer George Daldorph.

Devon: R W Davies, C F Harvey, C G Kidd, S J Linnitt, J R Matravers, H J Passenger, B H Privett. D R Pyle, S O Read, L S Walker, M G Whalley.