AFTER a stunning semi-final victory to oust defending champions Lannaman’s, Mona Prep will seek to go one better when they face Hydel in the Surrey final at Kensington Cricket Ground today.

With both teams already assured of a berth in the national play-offs, today’s final could act as a dress rehearsal for the June 22 grand finale in the manner they did last year when Lannaman’s and Hydel contested the finals.

However, there is no such luck for Cornwall finalists St James Prep and Supreme, as only the winners will advance to the four-team play-offs.

The two will clash at Cornwall College, with favourites St James Prep putting their unbeaten record on the line against a Supreme unit that clinched a nerve-racking one-wicket semi-final win over Teamwork.

Match time is 11:00 am, while the Surrey final is slated to start at 12:00 noon.

The Middlesex championship will be played a day later at Belair Prep, with the hosts taking on St Thomas More of Clarendon.

The winners of this contest already know who their opponents will be in the play-offs.

But the burden of bringing back the national title to the county of Middlesex, last achieved by Monymusk Prep back in 2008, will be paramount for whoever wins tomorrow.

St James Prep seem the best bet to bring the title to Cornwall for the first time, with talismanic batsman Tevin Thompson expected to lead from the front.

Thompson, who has recorded two centuries this season, was instrumental with the ball in last week’s easy seven-wicket semi-final victory over Mt Alvernia.

Supreme’s top players will enter the final with confidence following a successful high-scoring run chase. Top all-rounder Trey Robinson holds the key for a Supreme win as it was his 68 and 3-43 which enabled them to topple Teamwork, who had set them a victory target of 208.

Having come out of the Manchester zone unbeaten, Belair face their toughest challenge against a St Thomas More side which also finished the preliminary round without losing a game.

Femi Harris, who bagged 3-33, was the hero last week for St Thomas More, as it was his unbeaten 29 that won the contest over Choreography after the Clarendonians suffered a collapse, chasing 138 for victory.

Belair are a good all-round unit, but their batting has been their greatest strength,and anything below 130 could be easy pickings.

Hydel, the 2010 champions and Mona, the 2009 winners, will be aiming to be the first team to win the Surrey title twice since the competition was expanded four years ago.

The Ferry-based Hydel will, however, start as favourites, as they possess Raewin Senior, who is the competition’s leading batsman with over 400 runs this season.

The national play-off is set for June 19 with the Surrey runners-up facing the champions from Middlesex, while the Cornwall champions go up against the winners of Surrey.