Talented Taylor to miss out

Shropshire will have to do without talented all-rounder Steve Taylor for Sunday’s MCCA Trophy clash with Cheshire at Neston.

The St Georges ace misses out through work commitments in the fire service and will be replaced by Shifnal’s Bruce Thomason.

The only other change to the squad selected for last weekend’s washed-out game with Oxfordshire sees Shropshire under-21 player Richard Oliver come in as 12th man, replacing Shrewsbury’s Rob Foster in the squad who has commitments at Cardiff University.

“It’s disappointing to lose Steve but he has said that he will be available for four of the six-three day games and we have a talented replacement in Bruce,” said chairman of selectors Trevor Sheperd.

While Shropshire were being frustrated by the weather last weekend, Cheshire were defeating Bedfordshire by six wickets to take an early stranglehold on the five-team group, from which two will qualify for the quarter-finals.

“Last week was frustrating but we can’t do anything about the weather,” said Sheperd.

“It will be tough at Cheshire. We got well beaten there at the start of last season in the one game we played poorly in so hopefully we can put that right.”

The full Shropshire squad is: James Ralph (captain), John Maunders, Andy Gray, Ed Foster, Jack Shantry, Duncan Catterall, Asif Sultan, Jono Whitney, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Ted Baylis, Bruce Thomason, Richard Oliver.