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Staffordshire have named three of their winter recruits plus Derbyshire off-spinner Joe Hawkins in their side for Sunday’s opening group match in the NV Play National Counties Trophy against Norfolk at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Former Berkshire batter wicketkeeper Dan Lincoln will make his debut for Staffordshire having joined earlier this month with pace bowler Sam Keeling-Wright and all-rounder Ollie Walker, who have moved from Herefordshire, also having their first outings.

Hawkins is no stranger to Staffordshire as he is a product of the Moddershall club and the county’s pathway programme and he made his senior debut two years ago.

Hawkins was signed by Derbyshire last summer and played both first-class and List A cricket for them before he played for England Under-19s in two one day youth internationals against Ireland in September.

Hawkins will return to National Counties cricket on Sunday and play alongside his elder brother Callum.

Another Moddershall player, former Nottinghamshire batter Sam Kelsall, will be making his first Staffordshire appearance in seven years having played for Bedfordshire two years ago.

Norfolk give Trophy debuts to all-rounders Nathan Muggeridge and Lewis Reeder, whose only previous county appearances came in a rain-blighted NCCA Cluberly Championship match against Cumbria last season.

Batter Alfie Cooper plays having returned from a successful MCC tour of Hong Kong and India earlier this month.

Northumberland have included Durham off-spinner George Drissell in their side for Bedfordshire’s visit to South Northumberland in the other Group Two match.

Drissell last played for Northumberland three years ago but was keen to play having had limited opportunities with Durham so far this season.

Former Durham players Harry Crawshaw, Sol Bell and Johhny Bushnell are also in Northumberland’s side.

Bedfordshire give debuts to slow left-armer Max Hunt, who was educated at Bedford School and is now playing for Cardiff UCCE, and James Anson, a fast bowler from Yorkshire.

Batter/wicketkeeper Narzm Mohammed makes his Trophy debut having played in two T20 matches last season.

Hertfordshire have included Hampshire batter/slow left-armer Andrew Neal in their squad for the Group Three match against Berkshire at Hitchin.

Neal, who has played for Hertfordshire since 2017, was signed by Hampshire on an initial short-term deal for last season’s Metro Bank Cup but he did so well that he has now joined them on a full contract.

Batter Jake Gordon will make his debut for Hertfordshire having joined from Dorset during the winter. Gordon helped Dorset reach last season’s Trophy final but did not play when they beat Shropshire to lift the title.

Tom Arnold, a left-arm seamer who has county Second XI experience with Essex, is another Hertfordshire debutant.

Andy Rishton will lead Berkshire for the first time having succeeded the departed Dan Lincoln as captain of their Trophy and Championship sides.

Batter James Isbell and slow left-armer Nilesh Bhandari, who are both on Middlesex’s books, will play with Bhandari making his Berkshire debut and Isbell his first appearance in two years for his native county.

Herefordshire have named a new-look side for their Group Three match against Devon at Bovey Tracey.

Four players will be making their competitive debuts for the county including former Worcestershire and Leicestershire all-rounder George Rhodes who is a winter recruit from Suffolk.

Old Hill batter Hasan Ahmed and Barnards Green batter Sam Clements are newcomers to National Counties cricket as is left-arm pace bowler Theo Barker who has joined Brockhampton having moved into the area from Sussex.

Former Wales NC batter Harry Friend, who played his formative cricket in Herefordshire, has been named as twelfth man with Luke Tulacz captaining the side for the first time.

Devon are missing batter Lawrence Walker, who is nursing a broken thumb, and will make a late decision on the fitness of pace bowler Kazi Szymanski who suffered a side strain in last Sunday’s 70 runs victory over Cornwall in a friendly.

If Szymanski is ruled out one of Charlie Ward or Craig Penbrthy will make their Trophy debut.

Batter Dan Pyle returns to Devon’s side after a seven-year absence and competitive county cricket returns to Bovey Tracey after a gap of 13 years.

Shropshire have named three debutants in their side to face Cumbria at Bridgnorth in Group One.

Former Glamorgan and Leicestershire pace bowler Roman Walker will make his Shropshire debut against the county he played for in 2024.

Batter Joe Johnson, a winter recruit from Bedfordshire, has his first game for Shropshire and Milford Hall seamer Clark Haddrell is a newcomer to National Counties cricket.

Former Worcestershire batter Tom Fell will captain Shropshire in the absence of the injured Charlie Home with Wellington all-rounder Matt Simmonds back in the county side for the first time in three years.

Warwickshire staff man Theo Wylie is also available for Shropshire duty this weekend.

Cumbria have named two debutants, former Yorkshire Academy batter Tom Fraine and ex-Cheshire batter Calum Rowe, in their side.

Former Leicestershire slow left-armer James Sykes will captain Cambridgeshire for the first time against Cheshire at Peterborough. Sykes has been appointed Cambridgeshire’s captain in the two white ball competitions this season, succeeding Wayne White.

Cambridgeshire have recruited former Hertfordshire all-rounder Mo Rizvi, who was released by Kent at the end of last season, and he will make his debut at Peterborough.

Ethan Rice and Sam Thain are called up for their Trophy debuts.

Cheshire introduce Isaac Brooks, a slow left-armer from Lindow, and give a Trophy debut to Timperley wicketkeeper Freddie Vaughan-Hawkins who played in three T20 matches last season.

Wales NC have five contracted Glamorgan players in their side for Buckinghamshire’s visit to Usk in Group Four. Will Smale, Callum Nicholls, Jack Hope-Bell, Henry Hurle and Alex Horton all played their formative county cricket for Wales before joining the first-class ranks.

Buckinghamshire have a new captain in slow left-armer Conner Haddow who has succeeded Alexei Kervezee. Kervezee led Buckinghamshire to the Championship title last season but he has since been appointed Worcestershire’s Second XI coach and joined Herefordshire.

Another former Worcestershire batter, Matt Pardoe, has gone in the opposite direction to Kervezee and joined Buckinghamshire after 11 years with Herefordshire. Pardoe, who is in charge of cricket at RGS High Wycombe, has also opted to play his club cricket in Buckinghamshire with High Wycombe.

Trophy holders Dorset begin their title defence against Cornwall at Wimborne in Group Four where nine of the side which beat Shropshire in last season’s final will play.

The exceptions are all-rounder Will Chesterman, a product of Somerset’s youth system, who makes his National Counties debut, and Mo Abbas.

Cornwall give debuts to four players including former Gloucestershire batter Chris Dent. Charlie Mumford, a batter/wicketkeeper, has previous National Counties experience with Hertfordshire in 2023. He is now a student at Exeter University.

Helston seamer Ryan Tonkin and Oscar Coleman, a Cornwall-born all-rounder who is on Somerset’s academy, will also have their first taste of National Counties cricket.

NV PLAY NATIONAL COUNTIES TROPHY

Group One: Cambridgeshire v Cheshire (Peterborough), Shropshire v Cumbria (Bridgnorth).
Group Two: Northumberland v Bedfordshire (South Northumberland CC), Staffordshire v Norfolk (West Bromwich Dartmouth).
Group Three: Devon v Herefordshire (Bovey Tracey), Hertfordshire v Berkshire (Hitchin).
Group Four: Dorset v Cornwall (Wimborne), Wales NC v Buckinghamshire (Usk).