Shropshire continue their National Counties Twenty20 campaign with a long trip north to play a double-header against Cumbria at Cockermouth Cricket Club on Sunday.
Shropshire are currently positioned third of the five teams in Group One with a record of two wins and two defeats from their four matches in the competition as they chase qualification to the Super 12s stage.
Both of their T20 match days this season have seen Shropshire lose the opening fixture before then hitting back impressively to gain eight-wicket victories over Cheshire and, most recently, Staffordshire at Wem.
Dave Cartledge, Shropshire’s team manager, said: “I would like to win the first game on Sunday as we’ve lost the first games against Cheshire and Staffordshire before then winning the second game against both.
“If we win the first game then you stand a chance of winning the double-header, and at this point in the group having two wins would probably more or less put you through. It would be terrific if we could achieve a double-header.
“It is a tight group and there’s some good sides in it who have still got to play one another with Staffordshire playing Cheshire this weekend when we go to Cumbria.
“We have already played Cumbria this season when they beat us in the 50-over competition at Bridgnorth. They beat Staffordshire last weekend in the quarter-finals of that competition, so I think they will be on a bit of a high.”
Probably got the better of both sides
Reflecting on Shropshire’s T20 performances so far this season, Cartledge added: “The two sides we’ve played in Cheshire and Staffordshire are very good sides. We beat Cheshire comfortably in the second game and then beat Staffordshire really comfortably in the second game at Wem.
“We probably got the better of both sides on the day we played them without winning both matches, so we’ve done really well. There was a good crowd at Wem and I think they enjoyed it. It was good cricket all round.”
Shropshire will take a squad of 12 to Cumbria, with three changes from last time out against Staffordshire.
Warwickshire’s England under-19 all-rounder Theo Wylie, Shrewsbury batter Seb Scott and former Yorkshire left-arm wrist spinner Sam Wisniewski, set to make his first Shropshire appearance this season, return to replace the unavailable Matt Simmonds, Connor Marshall and Anis Raza.
Teenagers Finn Jones, Ollie Smith and Morgan Ward, who have all come through the Shropshire pathway, retain their places after making the most of their opportunity to impress at first team level in this competition.
Cartledge, pleased with their contribution, said: “The highest praise I can give them is that they look as though they should be there.”
Shropshire will follow up their double-header against Cumbria with two more T20 games to close their group fixtures against Northumberland at Wellington on June 21.
Shropshire, from: Joe Johnson (Shifnal), Sahal Malvernkar (Milford Hall), Tom Fell (Shifnal, captain), Theo Wylie (Milford Hall), Seb Scott (Shrewsbury), Finn Jones (Shrewsbury), Morgan Ward (Wellington), Joe Stanley (Wolverhampton), Ben Roberts (Shifnal), Sam Wisniewski (Wakefield Thornes), Ollie Smith (Wellington), George McCormick (Bowdon).
Pictured: Shropshire celebrate after taking a wicket against Staffordshire in their last National Counties T20 group fixture at Wem.