Suffolk have NCCA Trophy fate in own hands ahead Shropshire encounter at Mildenhall Cricket Club

‘It’s all to play for’ declared Suffolk head coach Adam Mansfield ahead of his side’s final NCCA Trophy Group 2 game thi

Suffolk, who are second, face leaders Shropshire in the 50-over competition at Wamil Way, home of Mildenhall CC, on Sunday, start 11am.

Shropshire sit top of the table with a maximum six points after winning all three of their group games so far following last Sunday’s impressive six-wicket success versus Staffordshire.

Herefordshire, meanwhile, defeated Suffolk by 35 runs at Sudbury CC last weekend to move level on points with their hosts, but Suffolk occupy second spot on net run-rate.

Having finished their four fixtures, qualification is now out of Herefordshire’s hands.

The winners of the group will be guaranteed a home tie in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition versus the second-placed side in Group 1.

Hence, Suffolk will want to not only return to winning ways but earn that right.

Although Northumberland currently top Group 1, the winners of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, who play each other at Sawston & Babraham CC on Sunday, are likely to finish first.

The Group 2 runners-up will be away, most likely against the winner of those two sides, with Northumberland expected to be the county to miss out on net run-rate.

It was Cambridgeshire, of course, who knocked Suffolk out of the competition at the same stage of last season’s competition.

Mansfield said: “It’s all to play for when we host Shropshire on Sunday. We know they are a good side and that we will have to play at our best if we are to beat them.

“We won away to Shropshire last season at Shifnal and I am confident the players can recover from last Sunday’s loss to get a positive result.”

Suffolk make two changes to the side that lost last Sunday, with in-form Sudbury batter Adam Jones replacing Kieran Pell and Bury St Edmunds all-rounder Tom Rash coming in for the unavailable Matt Wareing.

Suffolk: Jack Beaumont, Ollie Burle, Darren Ironside, George Rhodes, Alex Oxley, Adam Jones, Josh Cantrell (capt), Jacob Marston (wkt), Tom Harper, Tom Rash, Dan Shanks. 12th man: Bobby East.