In what is domestic cricket’s most glamorous day in the marathon county cricket season calendar, Hampshire Royals have a golden opportunity to taste Twenty20 glory on their own doorstep tomorrow.

With the Rose Bowl expected to be drenched in sunshine come Saturday, Coach Giles Whites men stand only two victories away from writing their names on a cricketing prize which has significantly grown in stature since its introduction in 2003. This, being the same year and the last time a club hosting the hard hitting frenzy won the competition, Surrey Lions being the victors.

Amid, a flurry of excitement ahead of Hampshire’s clash with Essex, the first of two games followed by Nottinghamshire Outlaws against Somerset, the Royals have been stricken by a perplexing injury nightmare ahead of arguably the clubs biggest match since their 2009 Friends Provident Trophy win at the Home of Cricket.

In what has been a rollercoaster campaign for the South Coast outfit, where firstly a Dimitri Mascarenhas Achilles injury bought a premature end to the Club Captain’s season and a wear and tear knee injury to wicket-keeper batsman Nic Pothas curtailed his role behind the stumps, this added to with one or two problems over the arrival of overseas players (or lack of) to Rod Bransgrove’s clubs cause. It looks like Hampshire physio Craig Dewaymarn will be charged with working overtime tonight following three pivotal injuries picked up by members of White’s first XI away to Somerset this week.

Captain Dominic Cork, the evergreen paceman and middle order destroyer Sean Ervine, who has scored over 400 runs in this seasons FP Twenty20 were both struck down with persistent back pain at Taunton. But the experienced duo, who still face a race against the clock to perform in front of the Sky Sports cameras tomorrow did not endure the same unlucky fate of opener Michael Lumb. Whilst fielding at short leg, the player who was just starting to find his form with the bat again was struck, ironically by England opening World Twenty20 partner Craig Kieswetter, breaking his foot-subsequently ending his involvement not just for Saturdays encounter but for the rest of the season.

Australian ace Dan Christian was on the receiving end of a bouncer which cracked him on the helmet during the draw at Taunton but looks likely to be fit to start, in a third successive draw which was a welcome boast for the club taking them slightly out of the jaws of the relegation mire. With the fitness of several key performers rated doubtful ahead of Saturday’s lunch time start its Hampshire who will need to call on all their resilience and squad depth to reign supreme.

The arrival of talented youngsters, left armer Chris Wood, spinner Danny Briggs and stylish batsman James Vince this season have given the club and its future signs of optimism in a squad full of experience, which hasn’t quite been able to handle the pre season pressure thrust upon their shoulders last March to secure a domestic clean sweep haul of prizes this term.

Limited over’s cricket, has been something of a Hampshire speciality in recent seasons, however, and with a strong Rose Bowl record to call upon, home advantage could well be a telling factor on Saturday. Essex, Hampshire’s opponents in the first semi-final will be able to recall a crushing victory against the Royals little over six weeks ago when a Ravi Bopara 96 helped the Eagles cruise home to a convincing victory. This time round, though, Hampshire will be looking to make better use of the home track, they are all too familiar about and the higher proportion of support they may receive from the watching crowd.

Two key men whom the Royals will be pinning a lot of their hopes on are the club’s leading Twenty20 and the tournament’s highest run scorer this term, Jimmy Adams, in turn with England man Michael Carberry. The latter has been touted about again as a possibly player to return to the international fray, with one of his opposite numbers on Saturday Alastair Cook struggling for form at the moment. Currently a ‘one Test wonder’, Carberry will certainly have to be at the top of his game especially if he has to face Essex’s Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, fresh from being dropped from the Pakistan side touring England and he’s sure to have a point to prove. England’s star batter Kevin Pietersen will not play for the Royals tomorrow in a move that underlines Hampshire’s commitment to building a consistent team where the clubs youngsters have a chance to shine. The 30 year-olds lucid outburst claiming he wants to play for a London county, has seen Middlesex touted for his signature but the player should of waited to the end of the season until he spoke of his future as he has missed out, albeit undeserved, on a possibility to find a couple of form striking knocks.

The likes of Nott’s David Hussey and Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick are two players whose collective experience is unrivalled in a big game scenario like tomorrow’s second semi-final, and you would not bet against one of them making devastating inroads with the bat for their respective sides on Saturday.

With now under 24 hours to go until the Rose Bowl gears up for its second Twenty20 Finals Day (its first being in 2008) it is another challenge of the grounds credentials as an aspiring Test arena which will come to the fore next summer. It passed with flying colours in the first One-Day International between England and Australia a few weeks ago, and let’s hope it can install a bit of luck in Giles White’s Hampshire as they look to put the demons of this summer behind them and claim one of domestic crickets biggest accolades.