FRIENDLY ENCOUNTERS ARE ON THE AGENDA FOR STAFFORDSHIRE PLAYERS

STAFFORDSHIRE County Cricket Club are playing two friendlies this weekend.

Staffs have seen the start of their National Counties Cricket Association season delayed after the Twenty20 Cup competition was called off because of on-going coronavirus restrictions. However, director of cricket Dave Cartledge will put squad members through their paces with games on Saturday and Sunday.

Staffs head to Longton’s Ripon Road ground tomorrow to take on the North Staffs and South Cheshire League Premier Division club in two Twenty20 matches, starting at noon.

And on Sunday they host Shropshire at Himley in a 50-over friendly (11am).

There are some relatively new faces in the squad for tomorrow’s T20s. Eccleshall’s hard-hitting batsman Myles Coughlan and Leek duo Rory Hayden and Josh Hudson are included in the 12-man Staffs line-up.

For the Shropshire game, former Warwickshire seamer Grant Thornton will line-up for Staffordshire. He played in a T20 clash for the county against Warwickshire last summer. Subject to Government and ECB guidelines, Staffordshire are hoping to start their competitive season on Sunday, June 13 when they head to Cockermouth to play Cumbria in the Knockout Trophy group stages.

They didn’t play any formal cricket in 2020 because of the pandemic. Staffordshire v Longton: Alex Mellor (Leek), Peter Wilshaw (Meakins), Michael Hill (Meakins), Rory Hayden (Leek), Dan Gibbs (Porthill Park), Jack Redman (Audley), Louis Allison (Porthill Park), Dan Richardson (Moddershall & Oulton), Liam Banks (Hem Heath), Myles Coughlan (Eccleshall), Josh Hudson (Leek), Paul Byrne (Meakins). Staffordshire v Shropshire: Alex Mellor (Leek), Spencer Byatt (Nantwich), Grant Thornton (Berkswell), Zen Malik (Burslem), Jack Redman (Audley), Amit John (Walsall), Michael Hill (Meakins), James Cox (Wollaton), Billy-jo Cox (Walsall), James Middleton (Knowle & Dorridge), Alex Coates (Longton), Liam Banks (Hem Heath).