Staffordshire head coach Andy Carr says he’s excited for the future progress of his side in the NCCA Championship format.
Staffs were frustrated by the weather in last week’s Division One East match against Bedfordshire, which ended in a draw.
The contest, at Checkley, saw Staffs on top – boasting a 196-run lead going into the final day – but the rain meant no play was possible on day three.
However, Carr took plenty of positives from the one-and-half days of action, notably the young nature of his side.
Staffordshire handed debuts to 17-year-old batsman Joe Hawkins and 19-year-old seamer Jacob Garlick.
And that meant seven of the side were aged 25 or under – which Carr insists gives great encouragement.
“We saw some fresh faces in the team and that was one of the big takeaways for us,” said Carr.
‘We were confident we could have forced issue if weather had held’
“To see that cohort of youngsters that were in the side on merit was brilliant.
“They didn’t look out of place at all and that bodes really well for the future.
“We obviously want them to push on to bigger and better things, but while we have them with us, we’ll give them opportunities.
“Jacob bowled really good areas and 80 per cent of his deliveries were where we wanted him to bowl.
“He’s been on our radar for a while now, one of the players we highlighted to get involved.
“For Joe, it was a fantastic accolade to play in the same side as his brother (Callum Hawkins). He was nervous, but he slotted in at number five and looked perfectly comfortable.”
‘The best about’
Garlick, part of the Warwickshire set-up, has been in impressive form for Moddershall & Oulton and recently took 6-53 in an NSSCL Premier A victory over Checkley.
And club-mate Hawkins has also shone this summer, racking up 324 league runs for Modd, as well as impressing for Derbyshire Academy.
Carr says that league form will continue to be rewarded by himself and captain James Kettleborough moving forward.
“We believe we selected the best 12 players available for the game,” added Carr.
“Unfortunately because the lads are not under contract to us, we can’t tie them down and they may have to work or have other commitments which prevent them from playing.
“It’s an open door in terms of selection and we look county-wide when we select our squads.”
Staffordshire were bowled out for 204 in their first innings at Checkley, but still managed to establish a first-innings lead.
Bedfordshire tumbled to 25-6 in reply, before rallying to 141 all out.
‘Rory on fire’
Rory Haydon picked up his maiden five-wicket haul for the county, finishing with 6-22, while new-ball partner Liam Hurt claimed the other four wickets.
Staffordshire then made their way to 133-1 in their second innings on the back of unbeaten half-centuries from Matt Morris and Zen Malik.
Carr says he was delighted to see Haydon produce his best performance in a Staffordshire shirt.
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“We know what Rory can do and he’s done ok in the league so far this season,” he added.
“He’s not reaped his rewards at Staffs level, so it was nice to see another good performance finally earn the wickets he deserved.
“His technical ability, his rhythm and the way he went through the crease was really pleasing.”
‘Terrific Tom’
There was also a first-innings half-century from Tom Moulton, who held Staffordshire together.
That continued a good run of form for Moulton who went into the game on the back of a century for the Development XI in their tie with Worcestershire.
“Tom has consistently been in the squad for both white and red-ball matches,” explained Carr.
Day One report: Staffordshire forced to dig deep against Beds
“I’m sure he would hold his hands up and admit that the red-ball format is his preferred one.
“He’d performed well in the Development side and justified being called up.
“He’s not batted much at number four, but he has experience of league cricket. He bolstered that position with Michael Hill unavailable.”
‘Looking forward’
Staffordshire took nine points from the opening three-day fixture of the campaign.
And with the other match in the division between Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire also ending in a draw, it’s all pretty even-steven after round one.
Day Two report: Rory Haydon has six appeal to put Staffs in control
Staffs are sitting out the latest round of matches which sees Beds host Lincs and Bucks entertain Suffolk.
Staffordshire return to Championship action on Sunday, July 28 when they head to Cleethorpes to play Lincolnshire.
“We can’t dictate the weather, but we felt that half-a-day on the final day could have been enough for us to push for victory,” said Carr. “No-one has really picked up significantly more points from the games.
“We’ll go to Lincolnshire full of confidence. Hopefully we get three days’ of cricket for the lads to settle in to.”
Main image: Staffordshire head coach Andy Carr took plenty of positives from the NCCA Championship draw with Bedfordshire. Picture: Alfie Shenton
