Image taken by: Suffolk Cricket

Suffolk coach Adam Mansfield expects side’s National Counties Trophy semi-final against Shropshire at Shifnal on Sunday to be a “spin-off”.

Both sides have spin-heavy attacks and spinners have prospered at Shifnal this season where, in Shropshire’s group match against Staffordshire and quarter-final victory over Northumberland, 22 of the 32 wickets taken went to slow bowlers.

Each side on Sunday will include four spinners with Suffolk hoping to avenge a 36 runs defeat by their hosts in a group match at Mildenhall last month and reach the final of the Trophy for the first time since 2007 when they went on to win the 50 overs competition for the only time under the captaincy of Phil Caley, who is now President of NCCA.

“Shropshire are a good side and they have got some good players. We probably didn’t play as well we would have liked on the day when we played them last month and hopefully we can play a bit better on Sunday,” Mansfield said.

“We know Shropshire have a quite a few spinners, but so do we. We tend to go with only two seamers in the 50-over format so it could be a bit of a spin-off.

“We are really pleased with how things are going this year and the group have been putting in some decent performances. We’ve changed the team quite a bit between the 50 overs and the T20. Those boys who came in for the T20 stuff have done really well and kept the ball rolling.

“We have tried to go a bit younger this year and get some players in who are hungry and who want to prove a point that they can perform at National Counties level and they have done really well.

“We try our best to promote from within. We are quite a small county but we feel that our pathway system is in a good place and when those players deserve a chance we need to provide it for them.”

Suffolk have named an unchanged side from the one which beat Cambridgeshire in the quarter-finals with George Rhodes, the former Worcestershire and Leicestershire all-rounder, among those returning after missing last week’s T20 double-header against Lincolnshire.

“George is a huge player for us. He’s a quality player and we definitely miss him when he’s not around so it will be great to have him back on Sunday,” Mansfield said.

“He’s also a really good bloke and he’s very good with our younger players. He’s always trying to help them out and, for us, that’s really important from our professional. You want them to contribute on the field but off it as well.”

Sunday’s match will be Suffolk’s third semi-final in eight seasons, the previous ones ending in defeats by Devon in 2018 and Cumbria two years ago.

“We are really keen to get to a final. We have had a lot of knockout games in recent years, we have done OK but we have never quite managed to get ourselves over the line and get to the final and showcase our skills in a final. It would be really nice for the young players to get that chance,” Mansfield said.

“We’ve won quarter-finals but then lost in the semis where we have not really clicked. You need to have two games where things work well for you.”

Shropshire will give a Trophy debut to Worfield seamer Ravan Chahal who has impressed in their recent T20 matches. He replaces Jack Home, is required by Worcestershire, in the only change to the side that got them through the quarter-finals.

This will be Shropshire’s first appearance in a Trophy semi-final since 2018 when they were beaten by eventual winners Cheshire at Bridgnorth. They were beaten finalists in 2013 but won the competition in 2010 and were also runners-up in 2003 when they beat Suffolk at Copdock in the semi-finals.

Berkshire are no strangers to success in National Counties cricket, and in this competition in particular.

They have won the Trophy a record eight times since it was first contested in 1983 with last year’s semi-final defeat by Cheshire at Alderley Edge deny them the chance to go for a fifth consecutive title.

Before that defeat Berkshire had won nine Trophy semi-finals in a 19-year period with their only defeat in the final coming at the hands of Devon in 2008.

This year Berkshire host Dorset at Finchampstead which is a re-run of the 2022 semi-final there which Berkshire won by 88 runs.

There are only eight survivors from that tie in the matchday squad for Sunday – Dan and Josh Lincoln, Adam Searle and Andy Rishton (Berkshire ) and Alex and Joe Eckland, Luke Webb and Jake Gordon – as both counties have successfully regenerated by introducing new players mostly from their pathway systems.

Berkshire have included two of those players, slow left-armer Samm Daniel and batter Andrew MacEwen – a potential debutant – in Sunday’s squad.

Dorset have recalled slow left-armer Connor Smith and also included seamer Jacob Stevenson in their 12-man squad as they attempt to reach the final for the first time since 2006 when they were beaten by Northumberland at Lord’s.

Dorset only Trophy title came in 1988 when they beat Devon by two wickets in the final at Weymouth although they were also runners-up in 1985 when Durham beat them by 100 runs at Fenner’s.

National Counties Trophy semi-finals

Sunday June 22 (11am)

Berkshire v Dorset at Finchampstead

Shropshire v Suffolk at Shifnal