Shropshire have named a 14-man squad for this weekend’s opening matches in the new Twenty20 competition for Minor Counties clubs.
The county will take on Berkshire at Wargrave on Sunday before facing Oxfordshire at Shrewsbury’s London Road ground on Bank Holiday Monday (both 11am starts).
Shrewsbury’s Will Parton will captain Shropshire in two T20 matches on each day as a group which also features Herefordshire and Buckinghamshire gets under way.
The group winners will progress to the Unicorns Counties Twenty20 Finals Day at Wormsley in August.
David Laird, a promising allrounder who joined Bridgnorth from Sentinel during the winter, receives his first senior call up from Shropshire.
There is also a place in the squad for Wellington seamer Jack Twigger, who was 12th man for last Sunday’s Unicorns Trophy victory over Herefordshire at Whitchurch.
Former Worfield batsman Will Cook, now with Wombourne, Bridgnorth’s Ryan Lockley and Shifnal’s Jack Edwards are also added to the players on duty last weekend.
Bryan Jones, Shropshire’s chairman of selectors, said: “Everybody is really looking forward to what will be a busy two days of cricket to get this new competition under way.
“We’re starting off against arguably the strongest team in the competition in Berkshire, last year’s double winners, but it’s a test we are looking forward to. We want to give it our all and put on a show.
“Twenty20 cricket is very exciting both to play and watch, so we’re hoping for a good crowd at Shrewsbury to support the team in the two matches against Oxfordshire on Monday.”
Shropshire’s 14-man squad is: Will Parton (Shrewsbury, captain), Omar Ali (C&R Hawks), Alexei Kervezee (Halesowen), Will Cook (Wombourne), Ryan Lockley (Bridgnorth), Jack Edwards (Shifnal), Ross Aucott (Shifnal), Simon Gregory (Bridgnorth), Sam Whitney (Bridgnorth), Gurjit Sandhu (Twickenham), Mike Barnard (Shrewsbury), Alex Wyatt (Shifnal), Jack Twigger (Wellington), David Laird (Bridgnorth).
Pictured: Bridgnorth’s Ryan Lockley is one of the players added to the T20 squad from the Shropshire team which beat Herefordshire in the Unicorns Trophy last weekend.