Double blow ahead of title decider

August 21, 2026

SUFFOLK have been dealt a double blow ahead of their title showdown versus Staffordshire on Sunday.

Captain Jack Beaumont and fellow opening bat Ollie Burle are both unavailable for the final NCCA Cluberly Championship match of the season at Stafford CC, start 11am.

Former Copdock & Old Ipswichian opener Nico Boje, who played twice for Suffolk in the Championship last season, comes into the side along with Alex Maynard.

Both Boje, who now plays for Frinton in the AVL East Anglian Premier League, and Maynard of Bury St Edmunds, made their Championship debuts against Cambridgeshire at Sawston & Babraham last year. Boje is pictured above batting during that match.

In Beaumont’s absence, Dan Shanks will skipper Suffolk for the first time in the Championship, after he led the side in the T20 double-header victory over Lincolnshire earlier in the season.

Suffolk head into the match top of Eastern Division One following their thrilling 35-run victory over Cambridgeshire at Copdock on Tuesday.

They lead the table by one point from Northumberland, who have finished their fixtures, and are two ahead of Buckinghamshire, who head to Peterborough Town CC to face Cambridgeshire.

Staffordshire are 13 points behind Suffolk, but could still win the title if they defeat their visitors and the reigning champions fail to beat Cambridgeshire.

The match is likely be the last in a Suffolk shirt for Darren Ironside, who is emigrating to Australia, unless they win the division and qualify for the play-off final against the Western Division winners.

Ironside, who made his debut in 2017 and scored 122 in Suffolk’s second innings at Copdock, said it was ‘potentially’ his last game for the county.

“Whatever happens, happens. I would love to play more for Suffolk, but other things take priority, so we will see.

“We know a lot about Staffs. We know they are a good side and they have got some big names, but we won’t treat it any differently.

“We will go out there and play our way and hopefully come out on the winning side,” he said.

Suffolk: Nico Boje, Alex Maynard, Darren Ironside, Alex Oxley, Josh Cantrell, Freddie Heldreich, Tom Harper, Jacob Marston (wkt), Freddie Cloud, Dan Shanks (capt), Chris Steele. 12th man: Hamad Arshad.

 

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