There are a number of new faces in the squad of 12 selected by Shropshire for Sunday’s NCCA Twenty20 Cup double header at Northumberland.
Six of the players in the XI which beat Suffolk last weekend to reach the NCCA Trophy final will not be involved as Shropshire complete their group fixtures in the shorter format at South Northumberland Cricket Club in Newcastle.
That provides first-team opportunities for the first time for Wellington duo Josh McDonald and William Lewin, Shifnal’s Ollie Parton and former Yorkshire left-arm wrist spinner Sam Wisniewski, who plays his club cricket for Wakefield Thornes.
Sahal Malvernkar, Seb Scott and George McCormick, who all featured in the group matches against Staffordshire and Cumbria earlier this month, return to the squad.
Ed Home, Shropshire’s head of cricket, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the players that are new to National Counties cricket to get a taste of it, and I’ve no doubt this will be the first steps for a lot of them leading to a long and successful senior Shropshire career.
“Josh McDonald and Ollie Parton are both all-rounders, while William Lewin is a top order batter. They have all been on the Shropshire pathway since juniors, have progressed, and are now in line for their senior debuts. That is positive news for our system and hopefully means we all must be doing something right.
“Sam Wisniewski has played for Yorkshire’s first team in T20 cricket. He came to our winter training and is keen to get involved. He’s now got his opportunity, so I’m looking forward to seeing him bowl. His top level experience will be of benefit to the younger guys.”
Long trip to the north east
Shropshire make the long trip to the north east bottom of the Group One table after winning one and losing five of their T20 Cup fixtures this season.
“Although on paper, we haven’t had as many wins as we would have liked in this competition, it’s been a great chance to get younger guys involved and playing at this level,” added Home.
Shropshire beat Northumberland, this weekend’s opponents, earlier this month when the teams met in the NCCA Trophy quarter-final at Shifnal.
“We had a competitive game against Northumberland at Shifnal and I’m looking forward to playing them again,” said Home.
“The teams got on well that day and I’ve no doubt that they will be keen to turn the tables on us this weekend, so we have to be ready for that.”
Sunday’s first game at South Northumberland CC starts at 11am, with the second beginning at 2.30pm.
Shropshire, from: Sahal Malvernkar (Milford Hall), Seb Scott (Shrewsbury), Josh McDonald (Wellington), Charlie Home (Shifnal, captain), William Lewin (Wellington), Ollie Parton (Shifnal), Joe Stanley (Wolverhampton), Ben Lees (Shifnal), Lewis Evans (Shrewsbury), Sam Wisniewski (Wakefield Thornes), George McCormick (Chester Boughton Hall), Will Jenkins (Shrewsbury).
Pictured: Shropshire players after taking a wicket in a Twenty20 Cup group match against Cheshire at Wem earlier this season.