Herefordshire are looking for another bowler before the Shropshire match

Herefordshire are looking to sign a new bowler before this weekend's Minor Counties Championship opener against Shropshire at Eastnor.

"I currently have got only four bowlers and that is going to present us with a problem," chairman of selectors Gwynne Jones told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"Shropshire are always a good side and they are always tight battles, but they have got ahead in the last few years."

Herefordshire won only one of their four group games in the MCCA Trophy.

It meant they again missed out on a place in the knock-out stages, which Jones put down to poor player availabilitya lack of players.

Business is hard to get these days and bosses want workers working rather than off two days per fortnight playing cricket Herefordshire chairman of selectors Gwynne Jones

"It was a great disappointment," he said, "mainly because a lot of players we thought were going to be available weren't for all sorts of reasons.

"Simon Roberts wasn't available while we had several injuries so we weren't able to play our best side all the time.

"The bowling wasn't good enough to contain sides so we were always chasing 300 apart from the one match against Devon when they played into our hands to a degree."

Herefordshire officials know that if they are struggling to get key players on to the field for one-day games, then it is not likely to be any easier persuading them to commit to three-day cricket - especially in the current economic climate.

"Business is hard to get these days," said Jones. "And bosses want workers working, rather than off two days per fortnight playing cricket.

"That is one of the problems I have got this week in that I am struggling for bowlers again."

Herefordshire are likely to be without batsmen Richard Hall and Huw Jones for the Shropshire game (7/9 June), but feel they have enough cover in this area.

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