Young gun Richard Oliver could be in line for his Shropshire debut as the Minor Counties Championship campaign gets under way on Sunday.Shropshire will host Herefordshire at Shifnal’s Priorslee Road in their first three-dayer of the Western Division season.
Oliver is the only new cap in the 11 men named so far as they look to put the disappointment of their elimination from the MCCA Trophy behind them.
That means he will get his chance unless anyone else is added to the squad in the coming days.
Wrekin College batsman Oliver is called up with Ed Foster and brother Rob both unavailable - but chairman Bryan Foulkes insits he is ready.
“We’ve gone for Richard because he’s been with us twice as 12th man now and he’s come through the structure and played right up to the under-21s,” he said.
“He’s keen and it fits in with our policy of playing Shropshire lads and getting the youngsters in as early as possible.
“It’s what Peter Bradley (the vice-chairman) and myself set out to do five years ago, and it’s only in the last two years that we’ve started to see them coming through the system and getting into the senior side.”
The other big decision is over the choice of wicketkeeper, where Shifnal’s Anthony Parker has been given the nod over Matt Tilt of St Georges - the man who has been seen as first choice for most of the last few years.
Foulkes admits it was a decision “that was too close to call”, with Parker getting the nod on this occasion.
Pro John Maunders will make his championship bow for the county, with the selectors hoping the former Leicestershie man can continue the decent form he has already shown in the one-day form of the game.
The Shropshire XI: James Ralph (Shifnal, captain), John Maunders, Richard Oliver (Woore), Andy Gray (Walsall), Attiq-ur-Rehman (Old Hill), Jono Whitney, Anthony Parker (both Shifnal), Jack Shantry (Shrewsbury), Mark Robinson (Oswestry), Ted Bayliss (Kidderminster), Adam Shimmons (Shifnal).
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