There's everything to play for - Cosgrove

Leicestershire Foxes batsman Mark Cosgrove said that there is everything to play for as the team travels to Warwickshire for their penultimate Royal London One-Day Cup group game tomorrow (11am start).

The Foxes is unable to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition after losing to Lancashire on Thursday but Cosgrove knows that the match holds significance for a number of reasons.

And the left-handed batsman, who is the Foxes joint leading run-scorer in the competition, is looking forward to playing at Edgbaston. It is a ground that holds happy memories for the team over the last few years – not least the victories in the T20 Finals of 2006 and 2011.

Cosgrove said: “There’s still a lot to play for, as far as we’re concerned: we need to put a smile on everyone’s faces. Hopefully we can turn it around against Warwickshire and get a bit of momentum back into our cricket.

“It’s always great to visit a test match ground and we’ve made some good memories at Edgbaston over the years. It’s a game that we’re all looking forward to.

“You want to win any match that you play. We’re returning to red ball cricket next week, and have T20 later in the summer, so it’s important that we gain some momentum from these next two matches.

“It’s also important that we keep learning. The 50-over format is a difficult game to learn, but when you do, it’s good fun to play. So as well as wanting to gather momentum, we want to win the last two matches to make sure we go into next season’s competition in good spirits, as we need to keep improving in this format.”

Cosgrove - like captain Paul Horton - has notched 257 runs at a healthy average of 42.83 in the tournament so far. Remarkably, the duo has also scored the same amount of runs in the Specsavers County Championship as one another, 207 runs at 34.50.

The left-hander top-scored at Oakham School with 52, his third successive half-century in the competition, but admitted that it is hard to fully enjoy personal form when the team doesn’t win.

Although Cosgrove is modest, the nature of those three innings has again demonstrated the batsman’s ability to be adaptable as well as his temperament and class.

Cosgrove batted in the toughest conditions of the day against Lancashire on Thursday, got runs against Yorkshire when the team was in a tricky position, and pressed down on the accelerator when a platform had been laid at Worcestershire.

“I’m hitting the ball really well but I want to get a big hundred and take a game away from someone soon,” said Cosgrove.

“Oakham School was a lovely ground to play at, it was great being there, and everyone was friendly and welcoming. It’s definitely one of the best outgrounds that I have played at.

“You can’t control the weather, and you never like to blame the conditions, but we didn’t have the rub of the green against Lancashire. It did swing around early on when it was a bit foggy and the sun came out in the afternoon.

“But that’s part of the game and something that you have to adjust to. You have to be able to put a score on the board that you can defend for a longer period of time.

“We know we're in for a tough game against a Warwickshire side that is still right in the qualification mix but it is important that we produce a good performance and get the win.”

The Foxes has announced a 14-man squad for tomorrow’s trip to Edgbaston. Zak Chappell, Gavin Griffiths and Aadil Ali come into contention alongside Lewis Hill and Harry Dearden, who were part of the 13 that was named ahead of the Lancashire game.

Ned Eckersley and Varun Aaron will miss out because of injuries while all-rounder Ben Raine is again being rested.

Foxes (from 14): Aadil, Ackermann, Chappell, Cosgrove, Dearden, Delport, Dexter, Griffiths, Hill, Horton, Javid, Klein, Parkinson, Wells.

* Our final Royal London One-Day Cup home group fixture is a floodlit game against Durham on Thursday, June 7. Advance tickets are available for £12 adults & £3 for under 16s HERE