SUFFOLK skipper Justin Bishop believes the current one-day squad is the strongest he has figured in for the county.

Bishop’s assessment comes on the eve of Sunday’s Minor Counties Trophy quarter-final tie against Staffordshire, and should not be taken lightly considering Suffolk won the 50-over competition in 2007.

Five of the side that played in the victory over Cheshire at Lord’s will be on duty on Sunday - Tom Huggins, Ben France, Justin Bishop, Chris Swallow and Chris Warn - plus ex-professionals Hassan Adnan and Simon Guy.

And Suffolk will be boosted by the inclusion of Essex duo Michael Comber and Tymal Mills, who were named in the squad for the opening Minor Counties Championship match of the season against Norfolk but subsequently withdrawn by the first-class county.

The three-day fixture, at Bury St Edmunds, petered out into a draw after the opening day’s play had been abandoned without a ball being bowled – just like three of Suffolk’s group games in the one-day competition.

After wash-outs against Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Wiltshire, Suffolk won against Shropshire at Shifnal to book their place in the last eight at Longton CC, start 11am.

Comber and Mills should both play this time and Bishop said: “They are available and both keen to play, which is good news for us. Tymal was clocked bowling at 91mph recently, and Minor Counties batsmen won’t have faced anything as fast as that.

“Staffordshire are always difficult opponents, whatever form of cricket we are playing in. They have keen followers of their side, so there should be a good crowd there.

“But we have every chance of winning with our line-up – I couldn’t pick a stronger squad in all the years I have been involved with Suffolk.

“The young lads (Simon Rees and Matt Hunn) are hitting form, so it makes selection of the final XI tricky.”

The winners of Sunday’s match will have a home tie in the semi-finals, with the final being staged this year at Wormsley.

Suffolk: T Huggins, B France, M Cull, H Adnan, S Guy, S Rees, J Bishop (capt), C Warn (wkt), C Swallow, M Hunn, T Mills, M Comber.

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