Chris Milward says Staffordshire will leave every ounce of energy and effort out on the pitch in Carlisle as they chase a place in the NCCA NV Play Trophy semi-finals.
Head coach Milward takes his side on the long trip north to Cumbria for Sunday’s last-eight tie aiming to take another step towards 50-over glory.
It’s a competition Staffordshire haven’t won since 1993 – but they did reach the final in 2016 and the last four in 2017.
This season marks a sea change for the county after they qualifying for the quarters for the first time in four years.
And Milward says it’s an opportunity he’s confident Staffs won’t let pass by as they look to maintain their Trophy revival.
‘Seize the day’
“Cumbria won all four of their group games to qualify, but I don’t necessarily think that makes us underdogs,” said Milward.
“They are well organised and will back themselves because they’re at home, but I’m confident we can go there and execute our skills.
“We have to be respectful of what they’ve done, but certainly not fearful of them. We have to hit that sweet spot.
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“We will talk before the game about how we go about our plan and continue their momentum we’ve got.
“I just don’t want the players to come back with any regrets. They have to walk off at the end – and I’m sure they will do – having left everything out there and given it their all.
“The result is something we can’t really control, but if we put in a performance we’re capable of, that’s gives us every chance.”
‘Momentum’
Staffordshire had opened their Trophy campaign with a home loss to Norfolk.
But they bounced back manfully to reel off a hat-trick of victories over Bedfordshire, Northumberland and lastly Lincolnshire to clinch the runners-up spot to clinch their place in the next round.
Milward says that the emphasis on their final three group fixtures stands them in good stead heading into this weekend’s challenge.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” added Milward.
“It’s great to get to this stages. We spoke about the last three games being knockout cricket because one slip and we wouldn’t have gone through.
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“But this is now genuine knockout cricket and we’ve managed to get here because of the hard work we’ve put in.
“We’ve seen incremental improvements from the Bedfordshire game onwards. We probably focused on the 50-over stuff over the winter a bit more than the other formats.
“That’s partly because it’s the first competition we face, but also because we know that we’ve underachieved in it over the past few years.
“Even after the defeat by Norfolk in the opening game there was still a huge amount of positivity in the dressing room.
“The message from myself, Pete (Wilshaw, assistant head coach) and Ketts (James Kettleborough, captain) has always been to get better every time we play.
“That’s been the golden thread – how we keep getting better as a group.”
‘Players deserve credit’
The work ethic has been fronted by Milward and Wilshaw – but the county head coach says the players have to take the plaudits for reaching this stage.
And he says however good Staffs’ preparations are, it’s down to the players to execute on the day.
“The lads have to have the ability to problem solve. As coaches we can only do so much, it’s down to them when they cross the white line,” explained Milward.
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“We’ve given them autonomy to make decisions for themselves under pressure – but they will make mistakes at times because they’re human and not robots.
“Players need to be able to adapt and you can’t underestimate the power of communication as the game is taking place.
“Helping each other out and having that desire to push each other forward are key traits for players to have.”
Main image: Staffordshire head coach Chris Milward takes his side to Cumbria for the NCCA NV Play Trophy quarter-finals this weekend. Picture: Pete Stonier