Shrewsbury seamer Luke Thornton will captain Shropshire Leopards – the new name for the county’s Academy/Development side – in their opening fixture of the season, a T20 match against Ellesmere College’s 1st XI on Friday (5.30pm).
The Leopards, under the guidance of coaches Ed Ashlin and Tyler Ibbotson, will also face Shrewsbury School’s 1st XI in a T20 match next month.
There will be 50-over contests later in the summer against Herefordshire’s Development XI, North Wales under-19s and Cheshire’s Development XI.
A two-day match against North Wales towards the end of August has also been arranged for the county’s promising young players.
Thornton who made his Shropshire first team debut last season, is joined in Friday’s side by two more players with county 1st XI experience from last season in Shifnal’s Matt Lamb and Bridgnorth’s Charlie Walker.
Shropshire Leopards: Alex Johnson (St Georges), Dan Walker (Shelton), Matt Lamb (Shifnal), Luke Thornton (Shrewsbury, captain), Oliver Parton (Shifnal), Theo Truss (Shrewsbury), Matt Kenvyn (Bagnall Norton), Henry Walker (Oswestry), Charlie Walker (Bridgnorth), George Cheshire (Sentinel), Hugh Morris (Wellington).
Pictured: Luke Thornton, bowling against Northumberland in the NCCA’s T20 competition last season, will captain Shropshire Leopards against Ellesmere College’s 1st XI.