James Kettleborough is hoping it’s a case of third time lucky when Staffordshire start their Knockout Trophy campaign this weekend.
In the two seasons since skipper Kettleborough and head coach Andy Carr took on their respective roles, Staffs have failed to progress from the group stages of the competition.
So Kettleborough, whose side sat out the opening round of fixtures, is looking to buck the trend in what is a frantic start to Staffordshire’s 50-over commitments.
They entertain Herefordshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth on Sunday, before hosting Suffolk at Bignall End on Bank Holiday Monday. Both matches start at 11am.
The squad have been putting in the hard yards over the winter as they try to find a winning recipe in the Trophy – and Kettleborough now wants to see the fruits of their labour.
‘Optimistic’
“I’m as confident as I can be heading into the Knockout Trophy,” said Kettleborough.
“We’ve had many a conversation and sessions in thw winter around the 50-over format and how we go about it. It’s now about executing it on the day.
“You look at some of the performances in the games last week and counties that have been performing year in, year out delivered again.
“It’s not just as a simple as us doing our winter work and then thinking that we’ve cracked it.
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“We’ve done a lot of reflecting on what went wrong and now we want to move forward. We need to go out there and show it.
“There’s only so much we can do. You can come up with the best plans, but it’s about executing our skills.
“Against Suffolk last year we showed what we were capable of, but then we followed it up with three disappointing performances.
“If we’d not had a performance like the Suffolk one, it might have been back to the drawing board, but that was an example of how exciting we can be in 50-over cricket. We got to make that the norm.”
‘Home advantage’
In last weekend’s Group Two matches, Suffolk thumped defending champions Norfolk, while Shropshire defeated Herefordshire.
Kettleborough says it’s a positive that Staffs fit in their two home matches in successive days as they look to hit the ground running.
“It always felt like the start of the season was in the distance, and having the first weekend of competitive fixtures off, the lads are really ready to go and looking forward to it,” added Kettleborough.
“I think it’s a positive having the back to back games. If we have a good performance on Sunday we go again on Monday and in the space of two days hopefully we could be two wins from two.
“On the flip side, if it doesn’t go our way on Sunday, we have a chance to bounce back the next day and put ourselves in the mix.
“It’s nice to have the double header and it will give us the chance to quickly reflect on what happens on Sunday in preparation for Monday.
“Before you play the first game you are excited, but it could be beneficial to have taken a back seat last weekend.
“You can look at some of the results and observe what has happened – which you do before any competition. It also gives the lads a chance to get some more club cricket before we start.”
‘Friendly success’
Staffordshire didn’t quite have their feet up last weekend, though.
A team ventured to St Asaph to play Wales and returned home with a five-wicket win.
Seniors Kettleborough, Reeve Evitts and Matthew Morris were joined by fringe and development players for the friendly.
Staffordshire name squads for NCCA Knockout Trophy double header
“The friendly was a beneficial day. Reeve got overs under his belt, Matt played a really good innings and I managed to spend some time out in the middle, so the three senior players got plenty out of it,” explained Kettleborough.
“It was an inexperienced side, but they stepped up to the challenge really well.
“There were lots of positive signs and also things that we can do better. It wasn’t a full run out, but it was certainly worthwhile.”
‘Strength in depth’
Staffordshire have named 12-man squads for Sunday and Monday’s encounters.
Hem Heath all-rounder Liam Banks features on Sunday, although he is not available for Monday, neither is Evitts nor is seamer Rory Haydon.
“It’s exciting to field the team we have for Sunday and it’s pretty much full availability and it’s as strong as we can be,” enthused Kettleborough.
“We lose a couple for Monday, but that doesn’t diminish us and it gives opportunities to other players.
“Not having done well in the 50-over format does give us focus and especially with the restructure of the season and this format kicking off the campaign we are straight into it.
“It’s what we’ve got first up and now we have to attack it.”
Main image: James Kettleborough is eager for Staffordshire to embark on a successful NCCA Knockout Trophy campaign. Picture: Alfie Shenton