Bridgnorth Cricket Club hosts Shropshire’s first home match in this season’s NCCA Cluberly Championship this weekend.
The Western Division Two fixture against Wales starts at Cricket Meadow on Sunday (11am), with free entry for spectators on all three days.
Shropshire will be looking to respond positively following the nine-wicket defeat against Cornwall at Truro in their Championship opener earlier this month.
Wales were also beaten in their first three-day match of the season as they lost by 263 runs at Ebbw Vale against Dorset.
Ed Ashlin, Shropshire’s first-team coach, said: “We’re looking forward to visiting Bridgnorth for three days of cricket and they always look after us well.
“The intention is to hopefully have three days of good cricket and bounce back and get a win.
“There were some positives from the Cornwall game. We had the opportunity in the first innings to get a big score on the board and unfortunately we didn’t do that.
“We were behind the game from then on. We battled, but it was always going to be difficult after the first innings, so hopefully we can put that right come Sunday.”
The Shropshire side selected to face Wales shows three changes from the XI on duty against Cornwall.
Promising Shrewsbury batter Finn Jones will make his Championship debut after featuring in the National Counties T20 competition earlier this season.
First county appearance this year
Experienced former Oswestry all-rounder Warrick Fynn makes his first county appearance this year, while Shifnal batter Joe Johnson also returns.
They replace the unavailable Tom Fell, who misses his first Shropshire match in all formats this season, Theo Wylie and Sam Wisniewski.
All-rounder Wylie is unavailable owing to Warwickshire commitments. He hit 65, his maiden List A half century, for the Edgbaston club against Northamptonshire in the One-Day Cup earlier this week.
“That’s credit to Theo,” said Ashlin. “We know what a talent he is. It’s great to see him doing well for Warwickshire and it’s what the system is all about.
“We enjoy having him in the team when he plays for us, and we wish him well with Warwickshire.”
As for the inclusion of Fynn in the Shropshire side for the first time since he struck a century in the final Championship match of last season, against Wales at St Asaph, Ashlin added: “Bringing Warrick back in gives us another bowler to take the ball away from the right-handers, and with his batting and experience, he’s a player we’re looking forward to having back around.
“We saw last year the impact he made in the games he played. He’s obviously a very experienced cricketer and a quality player with bat and ball.”
Ashlin is also pleased to welcome teenager Jones, a regular in Shrewsbury’s Birmingham League team this season, into Shropshire’s Championship side for the first time.
He said: “We are looking forward to handing Finn his Championship debut. He is a young batter with good potential. He has had some very good experiences and opportunities via league cricket with Shrewsbury, his involvement with Worcestershire’s academy and playing in the T20 competition for us so far this summer.
“This game is just another chance for him to continue his development and we look forward to having Finn in the team at Bridgnorth.”
Shropshire: Finn Jones (Shrewsbury), Harry Chandler (Wem), Joe Johnson (Shifnal), Seb Scott (Shrewsbury), Warrick Fynn (Stone), Charlie Home (Shifnal, captain), Roman Walker (Leicester Ivanhoe), Ben Lees (Shifnal), Joe Stanley (Wolverhampton), Ben Roberts (Shifnal), George McCormick (Bowdon).
Pictured: Shropshire will face Wales in the NCCA Championship at Bridgnorth’s Cricket Meadow ground.