Joe Leach poised for a debut in championship

All-rounder Joe Leach will make his Shropshire Minor Counties Championship debut in the crunch trip to Dorset aiming to help fire his side a step closer to the title.

Shrewsbury's Leach has spent the last three seasons playing one-day cricket for Shropshire but has been unavailable for three-day games due to his commitments at Worcestershire, where he is a second XI regular.

But the Pears are without a game this weekend, opening the door for Leach to feature in the clash at Dean Park in Bournemouth which gets under way on Sunday.

That represents one of four changes to the side from the rain-affected clash with Berkshire last week which ended in a draw.

Leach's brother Stephen is drafted in to open the batting while the bowling department is bolstered by the return of professional Chris Whelan and Mark Downes.

Former Middlesex and Worcestershire ace Whelan is back in the fold after a one-match suspension for showing dissent to an umpire at Herefordshire, while Newport seamer Mark Downes is available for the first time this season with his teaching commitments now completed.

Regular opener Richard Oliver is unavialbale as his club side Reigate Priory have a Surrey Twenty20 finals day, while Whitchurch's Richard Oliver, Shifnal's Jack Edwards and Joe Clarke – the Wellington 16-year-old who became the youngest player to feature for Shropshire – are all omitted.

Squad: Ed Foster (captain), Stephen Leach, Joe Leach (all Shrewsbury), James Ralph (Bridgnorth), Rob Foster (Shrewsbury), Jono Whitney (Bridgnorth), Anthony Parker (Shifnal), Mark Downes (Newport), Chris Whelan (Liverpool), Elliot Green, Dan Bowen (both Shrewsbury