'We will need to be on the money from ball one in Bucks meeting'

STAFFORDSHIRE have to continue to live in the moment on the NCCA Championship front, according to captain James Kettleborough.

- Chris Travers

Staffs won Division One East last summer and went on to share the overall title with Berkshire following a rain-affected final at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

And they're in a handy position at their halfway point of this season's three-day competition, sitting top of the table, a point clear of Cambridgeshire.

Cambs sit out this weekend's round of matches but entertain Staffordshire in their final encounter later this month.

That leaves Staffordshire able to potentially strengthen their position at the summit when they host Buckinghamshire at Stafford, starting on Sunday.

But Kettleborough isn't looking at permutations, he's more intent on continuing to produce the brand of cricket Staffs have displayed in their two games so far.

"We are playing good red-ball cricket at the moment," said Kettleborough.

"Where we are in the table is a reflection of the positive cricket we want to play. We've done that so far and now have a big couple of weeks ahead.

"Bucks will be a huge challenge and over the past few years they've been one of our closest opponents.

"We're going to have to be on the money from ball one and who knows what the situation will look like on Tuesday evening.

"The players might be flagging a bit after a long three days at Suffolk, but we told them to rest and recover as best as they can at the end of the game."