Shropshire & Herefordshire golfers urged to upset the odds

McCarthy is hoping for a much improved showing on last season when his team were on the wrong end of the scoreline in all five matches.

Encouraging signs were on display in the pre-season friendly victory over North Wales and the captain is hoping to carry that form in to tomorrow’s trip to Stanton-on-the-Wolds.

McCarthy said: “The Midland League is always tough because most of the counties we play against have more clubs to select from and, therefore, have a better chance of having strength in depth.

“But we have shown in the past that we can compete and get results and that is the challenge again this season.

“We need the players to punch above their weight and they have shown they can do that. Staffordshire were very strong last season and won the league - but we came within a whisker of beating them away from home at Enville.

“One of the big challenges for us this season is to perform better in the singles. Time and again last season we were still in contention in the foursomes and then fell away in the singles and that is an area we need to improve.”

Fresh from Jeffrey Clee Salver success with Conor White last week, Ludlow’s Dave Fish is given a first-team debut while the same applies to Wrekin’s Cameron Dhir

McCarthy added: “We are missing a few lads due to injury and unavailability but most the players involved tomorrow have shown good form in the Clee and the Spring Trials already this year so we are going into it in confident mood.”

Team: Sean McCarthy (Shrewsbury), Trey Niven (The Shropshire), Cameron Dhir (Wrekin), Jay Showell (Telford), Callum Brown, Conor White (both Bridgnorth), Matt Birch (Market Drayton), Tom Kerr (Shrewsbury), Harry Lines, Dave Fish (both Ludlow).