James Ralph has revealed his desire to remain as Shropshire captain after a Minor Counties Championship near-miss.

Shropshire eventually finished fifth in the western division – but would have won an historic title had they defeated Cheshire at Whitchurch yesterday.

It was the visitors, however, who were celebrating after a five-wicket triumph.

Ralph admitted he was disappointed with his side’s showing on the final day yesterday, but is keen to remain at the helm for a third full season.

“I would like to carry on,” he said. “It means a lot because I look at the people who have captained Shropshire and it’s a great honour to be on that list.

“But it all depends on the committee. They have to decide these things.”

Ralph admitted his side’s poor availability and indifferent batting displays had proved costly against Cheshire and over the season,

“In my three years as captain, we have never been in a position where we have got massive scores,” he added.

“The great Shropshire players of the past – the likes of Bryan Jones, Tony Parton, Mark Davies – they scored a lot of runs and won a lot of games because they showed a lot of determination and a lot of grit.

“It meant a lot to them to score runs for Shropshire.

“We have got quite a young side and I think they take it for granted a bit that they are playing representative cricket when it’s a great honour. We need to show a bit more ticker, as the Aussies would say.”

By JAMES GARRISON