Kettleborough: Staffs took eye off the ball in T20 clash

JAMES Kettleborough says Staffordshire must brush up on their game management after seeing two NCCA Twenty20 Cup points slip through their grasp against Shropshire.

- Chris Travers

Staffs did win a rain-reduced second game at Burslem by seven wickets to keep their Group One campaign ticking over.

But there was disappointment that a maximum haul wasn’t banked to back up their win and defeat at Northumberland in the T20 curtain raiser.

Staffordshire looked to be on course for victory in the opening match against Shropshire at the weekend.

Openers Liam Banks and Nils Priestley guided Staffs to 92-0 from 7.3 overs in pursuit of their rivals’ 182-5 from their 20 overs.

Banks top-scored with 74, while Priestley made 49 before being the first wicket to go down.

Shropshire battled back and Staffordshire stuttered to leave them requiring 17 off the final six balls.

And ultimately they lost by one run - finishing on 182-7 - to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

“We should have won both games,” conceded captain Kettleborough.

“It was a similar story to up at Northumberland in the fact that we bounced back really well to get the two points in the second game.

“The two up top (Banks and Priestley) got us off to a great start and maybe we were guilty of coasting a bit beyond that.