James Kettleborough wants his Staffordshire players to take the opportunity to create more memories in this weekend’s NCCA Showcase Game.
Staffs welcome Warwickshire to Knypersley tomorrow (11am) for a 50-over-per-side contest.
The sides will have different objectives on the day. For Staffordshire, it will be the chance to claim a first-class scalp, while Warwickshire will be putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the Metro Bank competition.
And Staffordshire are out to repeat last year’s success when they defeated Leicestershire at the same venue under the Duckworth/Lewis system.
“They are really nice days. It’s a good opportunity to play against first-class counties with cricketers who are deemed to be the best in the country,” said skipper Kettleborough.
“It’s good fun and a chance for one or two to come away from the day having put in a performance against a professional side.
“We have a range of people in our side at different stages of their careers. We have a few senior lads and then the younger ones who can show off their quality.
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“You compete against first-class players and if you can come away with a win, all the better. That’s a real positive, but we just want to show our ability.
“We want to win the game. We beat Leicestershire last year and they went on to win the Metro Bank competition.
“Last year’s game wasn’t the be-all and end-all for Leicestershire. The game was just a warm-up for them and they won’t have been too concerned by the result.
“But for us, that win made us feel good about ourselves and gave us a huge amount of confidence to take into our remaining NCCA fixtures of the season.”
‘Underdog status’
Kettleborough admits that the result should take care of itself at Knypersley.
But regardless of the outcome, he wants his Staffordshire side to benefit from the experience of pitting their wits against the pros.
And he pointed to how Leicestershire’s Colin Ackermann compiled a superb century for Leicestershire last summer as a case in point.
“We saw how Ackermann batted last year and it would have been an eye-opening experience for some of our lads,” added Kettleborough.
“It’s testing to play against these type of players, but I’m sure we’re all looking forward to it.
“I don’t think we will be embarrassed. We are playing a pro team and the expectation is that they will win the game comfortably.
“We want to prove that wrong, but if they do win, we want to make sure we take learnings from the day.”
One specific aspect Kettleborough wants to take from the contest is Staffordshire’s ability in white-ball cricket.
‘Prove a point’
For the second season running they failed to qualify from their Knockout Trophy group.
So the county captain wants his players to prove that they have the skills to compete – and be successful – in 50-over cricket.
“There are things we want to put right from our 50-over campaign. If we can take a couple of good things from the day, that will be a positive for us, whatever happens,” he explained.
“I don’t think there is a hidden gem about 50-over cricket. It has just been a case of execution for us.
“We proved that we can win matches, though, like when we executed our skills against Leicestershire last summer.”
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Warwickshire are missing at least eight players for tomorrow’s encounter due to Test match and Hundred commitments.
That could potentially raise the prospect of a surprise result, and Kettleborough says Staffs can make the most of home advantage.
“Warwickshire will be missing a few players due to the Hundred, but they will be looking to put out their first-choice team for the Metro Bank competition, I would imagine,” he said.
“It’s a warm-up game for them, but they will be playing on a club wicket which they might not be used to.
“It won’t have the pace they like, so it will pose a different challenge to them.”
‘Personal achievements’
Kettleborough himself has enjoyed a run of fine form in these fixtures.
He scored 73 and 192 for Bedfordshire in two matches against his old county Northamptonshire.
And last summer he compiled an unbeaten 64 for Staffordshire in that D/L triumph over Leicestershire.
“Personally, it’s one of those things that I’ve been fortunate enough to have a couple of scores in these games,” he added.
“It’s nice to come away from the game having shown that I’m still capable of scoring runs at that level.
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“I’d like another score, but plenty of our players will be thinking the same thing and want to show what they have to offer.
“My role in the squad as a senior player, I want to lead from the front and set the tone. It’s one of the few games where there’s no consequences in terms of the outcome.
“The players can relax and enjoy their cricket. That’s been my approach in the last two or three years this fixture has been played and it seems to have worked.
“We had a positive performance in our first Championship game at Checkley and we want to take that into this match and then on to Cleethorpes (against Lincolnshire) next weekend.”
Main image: Staffordshire captain James Kettleborough is looking to spring a surprise against Warwickshire in the NCCA Showcase Game. Picture: Pete Stonier
