Tom Brett insists Staffordshire proved a point in their NCCA NV Play Trophy win at Bedfordshire.
Staffs picked up their first win of the 50-over competition with a 34-run success on Bank Holiday Monday’s trip to Ampthill Town.
It was a much-needed success after Staffordshire had been beaten in their opening Group Two encounter by Norfolk.
Left-arm spinner Brett concedes the county’s Trophy woes would have likely continued if they failed to win against his former county.
Staffs have failed to progress from their group for the past three seasons, but now have a spring in their step.
However, they now make the long trip to play Northumberland at Jesmond buoyed by getting off the mark.
And victory in the north east this weekend, followed by another positive result at home against Lincolnshire the following week, will see the county through.
‘Victory was a must’
“It was a really good result for us. It was almost do or die for us and if we’d have lost, we’d have been out,” said Brett.
“The lads were happy with how Monday went, but we know that we have two tough matches to come.
“Northumberland, this weekend, are a good white-ball side and know the dimensions of the ground.
“We know that we’re going to have to play at our best to pick up another win.
Captain leads the way as Staffs pick up Trophy win at Bedfordshire
“It was really disappointing at West Brom (against Norfolk) and we usually have a debrief at the end of the match.
“But Milly (Chris Milward, head coach) and Ketts (James Kettleborough, captain) just said that we have a good enough side to win games.
“We then had to go out and do the business and people stood up and were counted – especially the captain.”
‘Batting business’
Kettleborough top-scored with 104 at Beds to form the backbone of Staffs’ 231 all out after they elected to bat.
Reeve Evitts (51) and Ollie Walker (37) also impressed with the bat.
Staffordshire then dismissed Beds for 197 on a wicket which offered plenty of assistance to the bowlers.
“I’ve played in games in the past at Ampthill where Bedfordshire knocked off 400 for the loss of one wicket in a 50-over game,” explained Brett.
“But this wicket was a bit two-paced and had a tennis ball bounce, so for Ketts to score a century is credit to him.
“The one thing we probably haven’t done in the past is give ourselves a score to defend.
“We gave ourselves a platform and although we didn’t launch as we would have liked at the end, we put a total on the board.
“It was certainly a nice wicket to bowl on and after we saw that the seamers got a bit of movement, I knew it was going to do a bit.
“That gives you a lot of hope and we managed to take advantage.”
‘Bowlers shine’
Evitts led the way with three wickets with the ball, while Brett, Jake Garlick and Sam Keeling-Wright all took two wickets.
Brett finished with superb figures of 2-22 from his 10-over allocation – and seemed backed to his best after recovering from a side strain.
“In the first game at West Brom, I was a bit undercooked,” he admitted.
New surroundings excite Staffordshire all-rounder Ollie Walker
“I’d had six weeks where all I could do was rest and not do anything. I had to leave it as late as possible to play in the Norfolk fixture.
“I only went into the nets a couple of days before. But before the Bedfordshire game I managed to get out on grass and play in a match, which made a world of difference.”
‘Aiming high’
Brett made the move from Bedfordshire to Staffs ahead of the 2023 season.
He’s since won the Twenty20 Cup, Division One East title and shared the overall Championship crown with Berkshire.
The Trophy is the one piece of silverware to so far escape the clutches of Brett and his team-mates.
Brett insists there’s no special focus on the 50-over competition… instead the thoughts are about winning all three formats.
Nick Archer pays tribute to former Staffs bowler David Blank
And he says Staffs are in a good place following the winter recruitment of Herefordshire duo Walker and Keeling-Wright, as well as ex-Berkshire captain Dan Lincoln.
“We want to win all three competitions,” he declared.
“With the players we have brought in and the depth we have, that has to be the target.
“I think it’s the strongest group we’ve had. The lads who have been involved since I joined are three or four years’ more experienced.
“And there’s more to come from us. We’re waiting for everything to click and hopefully that comes on Sunday.”
‘Squad changes’
Staffordshire have made two changes to their 12-man travelling party for this weekend’s clash in the north east.
All-rounder Evitts and paceman Keeling-Wright are both unavailable.
Seamer Liam Hurt – who was expected to just focus on T20 and Championship cricket this summer – is included in the squad.
He’s joined by Derbyshire all-rounder Joe Hawkins for the Jesmond encounter.
Main image: Spinner Tom Brett picked up a couple of wickets in the victory over Bedfordshire. Picture: David Peters