One Day Trophy Preview

Nils Priestley’s eye-catching performances for Staffordshire this season have been noticed by Worcestershire.

All-rounder Priestley was released by Derbyshire at the end of last season and in addition to signing for Staffordshire he put himself in the shop window for new employers by attending the second National Counties Player ID Day at Loughborough in March which was attended by coaches and scouts from a number of first-class counties.

He has since backed that up by playing a prominent role in helping Staffordshire to win the National Counties T20 competition and topping the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Rankings.

Priestley pummelled 147 not out from 66 balls to set up victory over Berkshire in the opening semi-final on Finals Day at Tring Park last Sunday and followed up with a more restrained 57 and four wickets with his left-arm spin to help Staffordshire defeat Cornwall by four runs in the final later in the day. 

Priestley has since been trialling with Worcestershire’s Second XI and marked his debut for them with a half century in a narrow defeat by a strong Warwickshire side at Barnt Green. There are close links between Worcestershire and Staffordshire as Kadeer Ali captained the latter before taking up a coaching role at New Road last year.

Priestley will be back on Staffordshire duty on Sunday when they face Wales NC in their opening National Counties Trophy match at Port Talbot.

Hem Heath all-rounder Callum Leese will make his debut for Staffordshire with Warwickshire Academy seamer Rory Haydon recalled for his first appearance of the season. Callum Hawkins returns as wicketkeeper in place of Spencer Byatt.

Wales have three of their contracted Glamorgan players – Ben Morris, Andy Gorvin and Alex Horton – available.

Swansea batsman Steffan Roberts is set for his first Wales appearance in seven years and experienced wicketkeeper/batter Cameron Herring will make his seasonal debut having sat out the T20 programme.

But talented batter Harry Friend misses out as he is on study leave.

The other Group Four match will be played on Monday at Marlborough College where Wiltshire host Buckinghamshire.

Chippenham batter Dylan Church will make his debut for Wiltshire with Buckinghamshire giving a first appearance to Buckingham Town off-spinning all-rounder Hashan Ramanadanpulle, a product of their age groups.

Holders Berkshire begin their title defence with a Group Two match against Hertfordshire at Henley on Monday where seamer Tom Nugent is in line for his seasonal bow.

Berkshire have none of their contracted county players available but they have included Wokingham batter Jayden Barson, who played for both their Under-16s and Under-18s teams last year, in a 12-man squad.

Slow left-armer Adam Searle, son of Olympic gold medal-winning rower Greg, is called up for the first time this season.

Hertfordshire welcome back wicketkeeper Ben Cowell in place of Charlie Mumford who is on Second XI duty with Hampshire.

Batter Dom Chatfield also returns with Reece Hussain, Luke Chapman, Alan Jones and Alex Gosling dropping out of the squad that was named for last weekend’s T20 semi-final defeat by Cornwall.

Cornwall face Devon at Truro on Monday looking for a quick treble over their near neighbours following two wins in the T20 double-header at Cornwood three weeks ago which clinched their place at Finals Day.

Devon have included Plympton batter Ben Privett and Somerset Academy batter/left-arm spinner Josh Thomas in their 12-man squad for potential debuts.

All-rounder Seb Ansley returns having missed the T20 double-header at Cornwood.

Cheshire face a busy Bank Holiday weekend with matches against Norfolk at Horsford on Sunday and Suffolk at Mildenhall on Monday on their East Anglia tour.

Former Glamorgan batter Joe Cooke, who has been trialling with Worcestershire, will make his Cheshire debut having previously played for Hertfordshire between 2014 and 2018.

Matt Strong of Neston and Alderley Edge’s Ben Kohler-Cadmore will also make their first appearances for Cheshire in a side captained by former Leicestershire batter Harry Dearden.

Norfolk have included Nat Laws, a product of their youth system, in their squad with Luke Caswell, Brett Stolworthy and AJ Hanby all set for their first county cricket of the season.

Suffolk also host Shropshire at Sudbury on Sunday when Adam Mansfield, Darren Batch, Ben Parker and Paddy Sadler will be in familiar surroundings at their home club ground.

But Josh Cantrell, Freddie Heldreich and Michael Comber are not available for the two matches.

Shropshire welcome back former Worcestershire batter Olly Westbury and George Hargrave, who played for Oxford University in the T20 Varsity Match at Lord’s earlier this month.

Herefordshire hope that they will be able to play their first home competitive cricket of the season against Cumbria at Brockhampton in Group One on Monday.

Herefordshire’s only scheduled home T20 matches – a double-header against Wiltshire at Eastnor – were washed out although they did manage to play a friendly against MCC at Brockhampton last Sunday.

Nick Hammond, who helped MCC to victory in that match, will be back in Herefordshire’s ranks on Sunday along with skipper Matt Pardoe and wicketkeeper Luke Powell. Batter Olly Rogoff will make his seasonal debut.

Cumbria have named eight of the side that was beaten by Berkshire in last season’s final, in their side for Sunday.

Ben Walkden and Nico Watt will make their seasonal bows.

Scunthorpe Town batter Karanjit Bansal will make his first appearance for Lincolnshire in five years at his home club ground against Northumberland on Monday.

Former Leicestershire batter Sam Evans is set for his first outing of the season and his Trophy debut.

Northumberland will be captained for the first time by slow left-armer Oli McGee with Durham Academy prospect Haydon Mustard, who impressed on debut in the T20 double-header against Shropshire three weeks ago, retaining his place in the side.

National Counties Trophy  

Sunday May 28 (11am) 

Group Three 

Horsford: Norfolk v Cheshire, Sudbury: Suffolk v Shropshire. 

Group Four 

Port Talbot: Wales NC v Staffordshire. 

Monday May 29 (11am) 

Group One 

Brockhampton: Herefordshire v Cumbria, Scunthorpe: Lincolnshire v Northumberland. 

Group Two 

Henley: Berkshire v Hertfordshire, Truro: Cornwall v Devon 

Group Three 

Mildenhall: Suffolk v Cheshire 

Group Four 

Marlborough College: Wiltshire v Buckinghamshire