Matthew Morris says a winter move has reignited his cricket fires – and hopes that Staffordshire will reap the rewards.
The 26-year-old swapped life with Westhoughton in the Greater Manchester League to link up with Burslem in the North Staffs and South Cheshire League.
Morris was the first signing announced by Burslem following last year’s miserable season in Premier A, which saw them relegated after failing to win a game.
And while recruiting Morris was a statement of intent from the Festival Heights club, it also proved to be a breath of fresh air for the player himself.
“Moving to Burslem has really helped me,” said Morris. “The club and the environment benefits me. It’s a weight off my shoulders and I’m enjoying my Saturday cricket again.
“That’s down to the hierarchy – Johnno (Paul Johnson, chairman) and Liam (Pattison, captain). I’m really enjoying it.
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“I think everything has its time and it was right to part with Westhoughton. We didn’t have a fall out or anything and we were open and honest with each other.
“It was my club for seven years and we won a lot of trophies, but it was a good opportunity for me to come to Burslem and have a fresh challenge.
“We’ve made a good start as well. We’ve won both league matches so far and chased more than 200 on both occasions.”
‘Staffordshire pride’
Morris, who has been a fixture in the Staffordshire side since 2019, says the move has also helped to forge stronger links with the county.
NCCA counties are allowed to field three ‘outsiders’ in their team – players who were either not born or play their club cricket in the county they represent.
He says that playing in the North Staffs and South Cheshire League can also ensure that he remains an integral part of the Staffs set-up moving forward.
“You always think you are one of three, along with Liam Hurt and Tom Brett, when you are selected for Staffs,” admitted Morris.
“Now you feel like one of the eight homegrown players. That’s not to say I felt any different playing for Staffs, but it does make you appreciate more what playing for the county means when you’re in the league.
“It’s important to me playing for Staffordshire and I feel a lot of pride in doing so. Moving to the league was crucial because I’m determined to prolong my Staffs career for as long as possible.”
‘Paying off’
The early signs of Morris’ winter transfer, from a Staffordshire perspective, are looking promising.
The left-hander made 49 in Sunday’s NCCA Knockout Trophy victory over Herefordshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth.
He followed that up with 55 on Monday, but Staffs fell 67 runs short of Suffolk’s 312-6 at Bignall End.
“I was happy with my contributions, but not totally satisfied. I was fine on Sunday because the main thing was the team winning,” added Morris.
“But on Monday I was disappointed with myself because I felt I could have done more to get us over the line.
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“For me, it’s not just about contributing to games, it’s about trying to win matches for the team now.
“We felt that one of the factors why we didn’t win on Monday was that none of the four batsmen who got in went on and got a big score.
“Then there were the runs we leaked late on in both matches, and the batting lower down didn’t quite fire.
“We speak openly and honestly in the dressing room and that’s why we enjoy it and have such a good environment around the group.”
‘Versatile’
Morris was asked to perform two different roles with the bat in the Bank Holiday double header.
He batted in the middle order on Sunday before being promoted to open the innings alongside Callum Hawkins the next day.
And keen to always be involved in games, Morris’ off-spin was utilised in both matches.
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“I’m not bothered where I fit it, it’s about winning so where or how I contribute is irrelevant,” he said. “If my job is at six that’s fine and if I’m needed to bat up top that’s fine as well, My preference is to be opening because it gives you the chance to play a big innings.
“Since last year at Burslem in the T20s against Northumberland, I’ve resurrected my bowling with Staffs.
“It was out of the blue that Ketts (James Kettleborough) threw me the ball that day.
“I had another opportunity on Sunday and I know the role to play – it’s about keeping it tight in the middle overs, so I’m ready whenever the opportunity arrives.”
‘Looking forward’
Despite only winning one of their first two Knockout Trophy matches this season, Morris insists there are signs of progress.
It has been a disappointing couple of season in the 50-over format for Staffs as they failed to qualify from their group.
But intense winter work has seemingly pushed Staffordshire in the right direction.
“It looks a lot brighter for us after our first two 50-over performances. There’s a lot of positives to take away, even on Monday when we lost,” said Morris. “I felt for the first 40 overs against Suffolk we were in the driving seat, but they took over in the last 10. And then for the opening 30 overs of our chase we were in control.
“But it’s the key moments of the match – the last 10 of their innings and last 20 of ours – we fell away and Suffolk won those. We spoke about reflecting on the positives and negatives – but there were certainly more positives to take.”
‘Victory mission’
Staffordshire have plenty of work to do, though, in order to avoid a third successive year of group elimination.
They head to Shifnal to play Shropshire on Sunday needing to beat their hosts, who have won both matches, to stay in the hunt for qualification.
A defeat would almost certainly see them eliminated, while a victory sets up the chance to advance if they can win at Norfolk on May 18.
“I’m confident for Sunday, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be. We’ve had a few little blips and they can cost you,” explained Morris.
“On Sunday, if we don’t win we could nearly be out and we would be relying on other people. We don’t want that to be happening.
“If we win we can go down to Norfolk with a chance of qualifying. We’ve got match winners with bat and ball, so we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
Main image: Matthew Morris made the winter move to North Staffs and South Cheshire League side Burslem. Picture: David Peters