Wareing back for Championship opener

MATT Wareing returns to the Suffolk side for their opening NCCA Championship match of the season.

The 30-year-old opening bowler is recalled for his first match of the season in the three-day Eastern Division One fixture versus reigning NCCA champions Buckinghamshire at Tring Park CC, starting on Sunday at 11am.

The inclusion of Wareing (pictured bowling above) in place of opening bat Alex Maynard is the only change to the Suffolk side that bowed out of the NCCA Trophy in disappointing fashion to Cambridgeshire a fortnight ago.

Suffolk head coach Adam Mansfield said: “The NCCA Trophy campaign was a roller-coaster ride. We played fantastically well against Norfolk, Shropshire and Herefordshire, but were bitterly disappointing against Staffordshire and Cambridgeshire.

“You could say we were lucky to make it through to the quarter-finals as Herefordshire were going for an early win to improve their net run-rate but to bow out as we did, is hugely disappointing.

“The lads were down after losing at Cambridgeshire, but hopefully after a couple of weeks off they’ll be right up for the Championship.”

Wareing joins Raj Singh and Dan Shanks in a three-pronged seam attack, which will be supplemented by Suffolk’s spinners.

“Matt has historically done well for us in the longer format. He’s really keen to get back playing for Suffolk, and hopefully he can play a big part in us winning games of cricket,” said Mansfield.

Wareing claimed four wickets in each innings as Suffolk beat Buckinghamshire in their final Championship match of last season – and Mansfield will be looking for a similar performance against strong opposition.

He said: “Buckinghamshire are a very good side. They recruit well, so I would assume they will be stronger than last year. However, we know that if we perform as well as we can, we’ll be a match for any side in the division. Historically we’ve done well in Championship cricket, so hopefully that continues.

“It’s always good to start well but we lost our first NCCA Trophy fixture and still managed to qualify for the quarter-finals, so anything is possible regardless of what happens this weekend.

“Our aim is to win the division and play in the final but we know how hard that is and we are fully aware we need to be at our best in every session of every game.”

Suffolk squad: Darren Ironside, Jack Beaumont (capt), Ben Parker, George Rhodes, Alex Oxley, Josh Cantrell, Jacob Marston (wkt), Tom Harper, Dan Shanks, Matt Wareing, Raj Singh. 12th man: Barney Morton.

Tags: Adam Mansfield, Buckinghamshire, Matt Wareing, NCCA Championship, Tring Park CC

Categorised in: Suffolk CCC