Nixon: "Let's end on a high note"
Wed 6 Jun 2018
Leicestershire CCC Head Coach Paul Nixon is urging his side to finish the Royal London One-Day Cup on a high as Durham visit the Fischer County Ground for a floodlit fixture tomorrow afternoon (2pm start).
The Foxes has the incentive of leapfrogging their opponents with victory, and Nixon also wants his players to take momentum into the return of the Specsavers County Championship at Northants on Saturday.
“It’s vital that we put on a good performance for our Members and supporters and show them exactly what we are capable of in this format,” said Nixon.
“We know that the last couple of performances have been below par with the bat, we haven’t put enough runs on the board and were therefore not able to sustain any pressure.
“The schedule has been tough with a lot of matches in a condensed period, and that followed on from four back-to-back Championship fixtures.
“But everyone is in the same boat - Durham have to travel home after tomorrow’s game for a [Specsavers County] Championship match on Saturday, so every team is facing challenges.
“It’s naturally disappointing not to be in contention to qualify but we’re determined to end with a win in front of our own supporters.”
Sides have a lot to play for in the North Division at both ends of the table. It is incredibly tight at the top of the group.
Like last year, the first qualification criteria is the number of wins followed by net run rate. The division winners qualify for a home semi-final while the teams finishing second and third move into the play-offs, with those finishing higher enjoying home advantage.
The victors of the Warwickshire (2nd, 10 pts) v Worcestershire Rapids (1st, 10 pts) game at Edgbaston is guaranteed to land a home semi-final – the Bears and Pears are the only teams that can reach 12 points.
However, there is a twist for the top two, as the losers of the Warwickshire v Worcestershire game are in danger of missing out on qualification altogether.
Yorkshire Vikings (3rd, 9 pts) can leapfrog either side if they beat Northants Steelbacks (7th, 5 pts) at Headingley tomorrow, as can Notts Outlaws (4th, 9 pts) and Derbyshire Falcons (5th, 8 pts), who meet at Trent Bridge.
A total of 11 points should be enough to qualify - although there is a scenario where four teams could finish on that amount - but it’s a potentially trickier qualification path for Derbyshire, who can get to a maximum of 10.
Derbyshire’s simplest path into the play-offs is if they beat Notts and Northants win at Headingley.
But there are another couple of potential routes if Derbyshire and Yorkshire both win. In that scenario, if Warwickshire lose, then Derbyshire would qualify by virtue of landing more wins than the Bears. If Worcestershire lose, the Falcons will also need to see a shift in net run rate to finish above the Pears.
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The equation is simpler for the Foxes, who will finish eighth by beating Durham.
There are a few changes to the 14-man squad that travelled to Warwickshire. Mark Cosgrove (back) and Dieter Klein (side) will not be involved tomorrow while Neil Dexter, Gavin Griffiths and Callum Parkinson are being rested.
Young ‘keeper/batsman Harry Swindells and seam duo Richard Jones and Ben Raine are included in a 12-man squad while Ateeq Javid, Harry Dearden and Aadil Ali, who were part of the 14 at Edgbaston, are also in contention.
Nixon said: “We are giving an opportunity to some of our exciting young players, and it is a great chance for them to showcase their skills.
“Selection is a balancing act, because we naturally want to end the tournament on a high note by beating Durham but we also have to be mindful of Saturday’s game.
“It’s important that some of our senior players have a rest and we’ve had a number of injuries in this tournament, which is a situation we’ve had to manage.
“We have tried to get some rest into our bowlers at various stages with Ben Raine and Gavin Griffiths not playing every game, and we should also have Muhammad Abbas back with us at Northants on Saturday, which will be a great boost for us.”
Foxes (from 12): Aadil, Ackermann, Chappell, Dearden, Delport, Hill, Horton, Javid, Jones, Raine, Swindells, Wells.
* Advance tickets for our final Royal London One-Day Cup group fixture against Durham are available for £12 adults & £3 for under 16s HERE. Please note that prices will increase tomorrow.
