Ed Foster is eyeing a club and county double this weekend to really get his season up and running.
The Shrewsbury skipper is hoping his men can bounce back from a heavy opening day defeat at the hands of Old Hill when they travel to Bromsgrove in the Birmingham League first division on Saturday.
Then he will open the batting for Shropshire against Cumberland on home soil at London Road in the Minor Counties KO Trophy on Sunday, a match the county have to win to keep alive their hopes of making progress in the competition.
Foster is currently involved in a three-day Second XI Championship match for Leicestershire against Glamorgan at Hinckley, with fellow local lad Adam Shantry on the opposing side.
But, come Saturday, he will be concentrating all his energies on leading an unchanged Shrewsbury side at Bromsgrove.
“We were a little bit rusty against Old Hill,” admitted Foster. “We did well in patches but the boys know they have to do better. But we always expected a tough game as Old Hill are one of the strongest sides in the division.
“It won’t be easy at Bromsgrove and I know a few of the lads who play there as they’re attached to Worcestershire. They’ll be a decent side and I’m sure they’ll be in the top half of the division.”
Shrewsbury are still without several key men with Australian ace Reece O’Connell and Jack Brydon set to make their seasonal bows the following weekend.
And they will probably have to wait until the end of the month to be able to include Warwickshire newcomer Tom Allin and Rob Foster, both currently playing for Cardiff University in a three-day clash at Northamptonshire.
Foster added he was hopeful of being on the winning side when he lines up for Shropshire alongside clubmate Jack Shantry at London Road on Sunday.
“Shrewsbury’s one of the nicest grounds in Shropshire and it’s always nice to play there,” he said. “We were a little bit unlucky at Cheshire last weekend both with the weather and the regulations.”
Shrewsbury hope a good crowd will turn out to support the county on Sunday (11am start) for the 50 overs per side contest with Cumberland. There’s a cost of £2 for the car park and the bar will be open all day.
SHREWSBURY: E. Foster, J. Gale, W. Merrick, T. Somerville, D. Manders, E. Green, M. Swift, J. Anders, J. Shantry, D. Rees, W. Davies.