The Pirates secured their second Toyota Disability Premier League title on 21 September 2026, defeating the Hawks by four wickets in the final at Cardiff, in a match that was followed immediately by the announcement of the first-ever Mixed Disability Ashes series between England and Australia, scheduled for the summer of 2027.
Jamie Goodwin’s 59 off 30 balls gave the Pirates the early momentum they needed, and Anthony Clapham’s unbeaten 24 off 25 balls saw them over the line with seven balls to spare. The result ended the Hawks’ unbeaten run through the entire 2026 campaign and denied a side that had beaten the Pirates twice already during the season.
Hawks set a challenging target
Inserted by the Pirates, the Hawks posted 141-5 from their 20 overs. The innings was built almost entirely around opener Ronnie Jackson, whose 78 from 60 balls anchored a total that the rest of the batting struggled to supplement. Stephen George contributed 18, the next-highest score, and only three other batters reached double figures, according to the Wisden match report.
The Hawks’ innings began in the worst possible fashion. Michael Weathersby, bowling for the Pirates, clean bowled Hawks captain Gregor McKenzie with just the second ball of the match. Weathersby, who had been one of the tournament’s more consistent performers with the ball, finished with figures of 1-16 from four overs. Dan Hamm, Chris Edwards and Luke Riley each took one wicket as the Pirates kept tight control throughout.
Goodwin blazes, Clapham steadies
The Pirates’ reply got off to a positive start, with Goodwin and Joe Moss putting on 59 for the first wicket inside the opening seven overs. Moss departed for 15, caught off Jake Vosloo, and the very next ball brought a further blow when Brendon Parr was run out, bringing the Hawks firmly back into the contest.
Goodwin fell shortly afterwards, caught off Gregor McKenzie for 59 — an innings of ten fours and one six — with the scoreboard reading 84. Four runs later, Weathersby was dismissed to leave the Pirates 88-4 at the halfway stage, still needing 54 from the final ten overs.
Monty McKenzie contributed 15 in a stand of 30 with Clapham before being trapped lbw by James Nordin. Clapham then guided the chase to its conclusion, finishing on 24 not out and supported by Edwards, who made six, and Tayler Young, who was unbeaten on seven as the Pirates reached 142 with seven balls to spare. Vosloo was the Hawks’ most economical bowler with figures of 2-9 from four overs, while Nordin, Gregor McKenzie and Tom Meskell each claimed one wicket.
Sibling subplot adds colour
The match carried an additional narrative through the McKenzie brothers. Gregor, the older of the two, had been in outstanding form during the tournament — Wisden noted his 167 not out against the Tridents in July — and captained the Hawks side. Monty, the younger brother, lined up for the Pirates and played a useful hand in their victory. Gregor’s duck, courtesy of Weathersby’s second delivery, meant the subplot was resolved early, though it did not diminish what proved to be an absorbing contest throughout.
Pirates’ record in the competition
The DPL was founded in 2022 and the Pirates have appeared in every final since. Their previous title came in 2024, when they defeated the Tridents. Last year they were runners-up, losing to the Tridents in a bowl-out at Loughborough. The Hawks, who won the competition in 2023, have now appeared in two finals without adding a second title. The final was broadcast live on Sky Sports.
First Mixed Disability Ashes announced for 2027
After the presentations at Cardiff, the ECB’s head of disability cricket, Ian Martin, announced that England will host Australia in a T20I Mixed Disability Ashes series in the summer of 2027, with exact dates and venues yet to be confirmed, according to Wisden.
Martin said the announcement represented the next step for Mixed Disability cricket and described it as a hugely meaningful progression for the game. He said the series would give England’s men’s Mixed Disability squad the opportunity to compete in a contest that carries the same significance as the Ashes do across other formats, and expressed a desire to continue developing the format. He added that he was looking forward to welcoming Australia to the UK.
The competitive weight of the announcement is reinforced by what is already in place. Several players who featured in the Cardiff final also represented England in a Mixed Disability series win over India earlier in the 2026 summer, giving an established group of performers an immediate target to aim at. If the 2027 schedule proceeds as described, England’s men’s, women’s and Mixed Disability teams will all take part in Ashes series during the same summer — a development that reflects how far the disability pathway has advanced within the domestic structure.
| Team | Score | Top performer |
|---|---|---|
| Hawks (batting first) | 141-5 (20 overs) | Ronnie Jackson 78 off 60 |
| Pirates (batting second) | 142-6 (18.5 overs) | Jamie Goodwin 59 off 30 |