Boroughs - 'Adshead should be in the first-class game'

Steve Adshead was released by Gloucestershire in 2009

Herefordshire captain Chris Boroughs says he is surprised that wicketkeeper Steve Adshead is not playing first class cricket this season.

Adshead was released by Gloucestershire last September and Boroughs feels he has slipped through the net.

"I can't understand why Steve is not playing first class cricket but it has worked out well for us," he said.

"Everything he has brought with him has been superb and it has given the guys a real lift."

Adshead first played for Herefordshire in 1999 and has regularly played for them in the Minor Counties Trophy ever since, despite being on the books at Leicestershire, Worcestershire and the Gloucestershire.

Herefordshire's batsmen were in good form on day two of their Minor Counties Championship match against Wales at Usk as they made 441-7.

Boroughs made an unbeaten 140 while Adshead made 71 and they were well supported by Faisal Shahid (63) and the vastly-experienced Harshad Patel (62).

Patel is playing in his 100th Minor Counties match for Herefordshire and Boroughs praised him for his contribution to the club so far.

We stuck to our task quite well in that we bowled in the right areas and made it difficult for them to score

Chris Boroughs

"One hundred games for Herefordshire is a fantastic achievement in itself but he is there on merit," he said.

"We had talked about how laying a platform for the type of batters we have got in our middle order was going to be vital and he has done a very good job.

"To be honest he just got a good ball that got him out otherwise he might well have gone on to get 100 in his 100th game which would have been lovely," he added.

Boroughs believes he has seen enough from his side's performance at Usk to give him grounds for optimism for the rest of the summer.

"We are a bit light on our bowling for this game but we stuck to our task quite well in that we bowled in the right areas and made it difficult for them to score," he said.

"Perhaps they could have been a bit more positive in the way they were playing.

"But we were quite happy that we kept them down to 360-ish, although it was perhaps a bit daunting to chase with that kind of total on the board."