Hill shows his class to be Staffs' hero once again...

MICHAEL Hill proved to be Staffordshire’s savour once again on the opening day of their crucial NCCA Championship clash against Cambridgeshire.

- Chris Travers

The left-hander compiled a brilliant 112 not out to rescue Staffs from a precarious position at Peterborough as they look to keep themselves in the Division One title hunt.

Hill’s 13th Championship ton for the county came at an opportune time as his knock enabled Staffordshire to recover from 98-5 to eventually close on 287-8 from their allotted 90 overs.

The 34-year-old has long been one of Staffs’ most stylish batsmen, but in recent times has had to curb those natural instincts in order to navigate the side through choppy waters in matches.

And he produced another display of careful shot selection and mental fortitude in his 178-ball innings, which included nine fours and three sixes.

The magnitude of the innings will only be truly known in the coming days, but it has at least given Staffs a chance to defend their divisional title.

They went into the match knowing that they needed to beat Cambs and hope that Bucks failed to emerged victorious against Lincolnshire to keep themselves in the frame for top spot.

There was also the other aspect of requiring seven points to mathematically secure topflight survival - and Hill’s star turn ensured three of those were chalked off.

Cambridgeshire then successfully negotiated a half-an-hour spell at the end of the day to close on 15-0 from eight overs.

Staffordshire’s preparations for the final three-dayer of the campaign were far from ideal, with Jack Redman and Reeve Evitts being forced to pull out of the team on the eve of the fixture.

That meant debuts were handed to young batter Niall McHale and spinner Jack Batchelor, while there was the surprise sight of seeing Pete Wilshaw don the county whites once more.

Wilshaw stepped back from Staffs playing duties at the end of the 2023 season and has taken on a coaching role with the side.