Home double-header to start NCCA Trophy campaign

May 24, 2023

SUFFOLK will begin their NCCA Trophy campaign with a home double-header this weekend.

They face Shropshire at Sudbury CC on Sunday, before meeting Cheshire at Mildenhall CC on Bank Holiday Monday. Both matches will start at 11am.

Suffolk have named a 12-man squad which includes four Sudbury players who will be appearing on their home ground in a match sponsored by Fenn Wright estate and letting agents.

Adam Mansfield will skipper the side and is joined by team-mates all-rounder Darren Batch, bowler Paddy Sadler (pictured above) and batter Ben Parker.

The three notable absentees from Suffolk’s frustrating T20 campaign, which saw two of their four double-header matches washed out, are Josh Cantrell, Freddie Heldreich and Michael Comber.

Cantrell and Heldreich are unavailable and Comber’s body can’t cope with the pressures of two consecutive days of cricket at this level.

Those washouts ended any chances Suffolk had of qualifying from Group 3 of the competition which was won by Staffordshire, who defeated Cornwall by four runs in a low-scoring final at Tring Park.

Suffolk head coach Andy Northcote said he did not feel Suffolk’s inconsistent displays in the T20 competition would have any bearing on their performances in the forthcoming 50-over format.

Northcote said: “The two competitions are very different, so I don’t believe our inconsistent showing in the T20s will have a bearing.

“Throughout my whole tenure, we have struggled to get things right in the T20s before we generally turn on the fireworks and perform above expectations in the 50 overs. Here’s to hoping the same applies in 2023.

“We have the two games at home before hitting the road for the final two, so hopefully come Monday evening we will be in a steady position having played good cricket.”
Suffolk’s match against Shropshire last season was abandoned without a ball being bowled, although they did defeat Cheshire by 66 runs to ensure qualification from the group, before losing away to Oxfordshire in the quarter-finals off the last ball of the match.

Northcote said: “We do not know too much about either opposition which, in a way is great and makes the weekend all the more exciting.”

Suffolk squad: Jack Beaumont, Ben Claydon, Darren Batch, George Rhodes, Alex Oxley, Darren Ironside, Ben Parker, Adam Mansfield (capt), Marston (wkt), Tom Harper, Dan Shanks, Paddy Sadler.

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