Staffs have their fingers crossed for full campaign
MANCIENNE MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR HIS FIRST START
STAFFORDSHIRE County Cricket Club will take on the professionals this summer – hopefully making it second time lucky.
Staffs will play Leicestershire in a 50-over contest ahead of the first-class counties’ Royal London Cup campaign.
All National Counties – as the Minor Counties are now called – were handed a game against first-class opponents last year, but the matches were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The same contests have been kept in the calendar this year, with the match due to be played on Tuesday, July 20. The venue has yet to be decided.
Counties will be keeping their fingers crossed that Government and ECB restrictions are suitably lifted to enable the matches to take place.
Staffordshire have not tested themselves against professionals since they lost to Surrey by three wickets in a Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy tie at Leek in 2005.
Staffs have faced Leicestershire’s senior side a couple of times before. Their last meeting was in 1998 when they were beaten by six wickets in the Natwest Trophy at Grace Road.
Staffordshire, under the captaincy of Steve Dean, were bowled out for 189, before West Indies allrounder Phil Simmons compiled a century to comfortably see his side home.
However, Dean’s men still enjoyed a productive season as they were crowned Minor Counties champions.
The two counties’ first meeting came in 1975, when Ray Illingworth’s Leicestershire triumphed by 214 runs in a Gillette Cup encounter at Longton.
John Steele – brother of former Staffordshire and England batsman David Steele – and Barry Dudleston both hit tons for the visitors.
Staffordshire did not play any competitive cricket in 2020 because of the pandemic, although their schedule has been announced for this summer.
They are due to begin on Sunday, April 18, when they take on Shropshire in a T20 double header at Himley.
Alterations have also been made to the Championship format, with four divisions replacing the traditional two-league structure.
The top five in the East and West sections are forming Division One East and West, with those ending 2019 in sixth to 10th plying their trade in Division Two East and West.
That means a reduction from six three-day matches down to four.
As champions, Staffs are in Division One East and open up on July 25 to 27 against Lincolnshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth.
Staffs are due to play at Rolleston on May 9, when Cumberland are the visitors in the Twenty 20 Cup.
STAFFORDSHIRE FIXTURES
TWENTY20 CUP, Group One: April 18 Shropshire (Himley), April 25 Cheshire (Nantwich), May 9 Cumberland (Rolleston), May 23 Northumberland (South Northumberland), June 24 Finals Day.
KNOCKOUT TROPHY, Group One: June 13 Cumberland (Cockermouth), June 20 Northumberland (Checkley), June 27 Shropshire (Wem), July 4 Cheshire (Knypersley), July 18 quarter-finals, August 8 semifinals, September 2 final.
CHAMPIONSHIP, Division One East: July 25-27 Lincolnshire (West Bromwich), August 1-3 Norfolk (Manor Park), August 15-17 Cambridgeshire (Longton), August 22-24 Suffolk (Copdock), September 5-8: Championship final.
JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink has the luxury of five centre-halves to choose from when – weather permitting – Burton Albion return to their League One survival battle away to Northampton Town today (3pm).
It is a battle of the bottom two, as three defeats and three goalless draws in their last six games have seen the Cobblers tumble down the table – and they sacked manager Keith Curle earlier this week.
Hasselbaink has strengthened the numbers in Burton’s defence since his January arrival and they have conceded one goal in his three games so far.
With the arrival of former Chelsea, Hamburg and Nottingham Forest centrehalf Michael Mancienne this week, the manager has added two central defenders, Blackburn Rovers loanee Hayden Carter having already established himself in the starting line-up.
Hasselbaink welcomes the decision he will now have to make but would not be drawn on whether or not the experienced Mancienne will start immediately.
“Michael is the kind of lad you can throw in straightaway but the boys who have been playing in the back four have done well,” he said.
“I’m always looking to strengthen my team and to be better but you also have to be a bit loyal to your players, to get the cameraderie and the team bond.
“He is someone who will breathe behind their backs because he wants that position and, mentally, he is ready.
“Michael Bostwick is back and John-joe O’toole has also been training the last two days so he is back. It’s a decision for me to make. I have four centre-halves to choose from – and John Brayford also played well in that position in the last game.
“I am happy to have to make that difficult decision.” Hasselbaink is, of course, returning to the club where he last held a management job. Northampton dismissed him with five games of the 201718 season left on their way to relegation from League One.
If he holds any grudges about that, he is not talking about them now.
“It will feel very normal, with no strings attached,” he said.
“We have prepared as normally as we can for this match and we want three points.
“They have a caretaker manager, so little things or big things might change but I can’t speculate. “We can only work on what we know and go there confidently to try to win.
“I can’t stand still with what they might do or how they might react.” Hasselbaink worked with Jon Brady, who is in caretaker charge, and rates him.
“He was the youth team coach when I was there, a real football guy,” he said.
“We have an indication what he might do but we’re not certain. The players are the same, they are not going to change.
“It’s about our players being sharp because something new might happen and you can’t prepare players for everything. They will need to go with their instinct and we will have to trust our players.
“I think he will try to play attacking football and put numbers forward.”
The freezing weather could be another factor, with most of the League Two programme already postponed by yesterday lunchtime and three League One games also already off.
Until a month ago, Burton were the last League One club who had not had a game postponed this season but now they have seen four of their last five go down and have
games in hand on the teams above them.
The manager is wary of the effect that may have but knows he cannot control it.
“The only things that I can affect concern me. I try to plan,” he said.
“Now the others have played more games, there will be a spell when we have to play Saturday-tuesday-saturday-tuesday and that means it will help that we have a bigger squad.
“The way we are living with Covid and the weather, games will be postponed. We wanted to play at Blackpool and, hopefully, this game is on.
“But yes, we would like to have the points on the board rather than fewer games played.”
Colin Daniel will again miss out for Burton with a nerve-related injury to his back, while Kieran Wallace is 50-50 but has trained and Hasselbaink thinks he will be available.
Michael is the kind of lad you can throw in straightaway but the boys have done well.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink