Belief the key behind Staffs’ success
Staffordshire senior men’s county team pulled off a victory of ‘Titanic proportions’ in this year’s Crosfield Cup.
After a winless campaign last time out, Staffordshire won the competition for only the fifth time since the competition began in 1908, the first time since 1996.
And team manager Nick Newey believes a player meeting before the start of the competition is to thank for their new-found form.
“At the start of the year we had a meeting to set out what was expected from each other,” explained Newey. “We haven’t made many changes, 18 of the 24 players who played in this year’s final were with us last year.
“The mindset changed; the players started to believe in themselves.”
Staffordshire defeated Cumbria and Leicestershire in the group stage of the cup, setting up a clash with Shropshire in the semi-final.
They won both home and away against one of the favourites for the competition, setting up a final with Derbyshire.
In a fantastic final, Staffordshire won by 82 in the home leg at Stafford Bowls Club, before losing by 45 at Stretton No.1 in Burton-upon-Trent, giving an overall win of 37.
Across the competition former Wolves footballer Mark Jones won all four of his games for the side, as did Darrell Handley and Nathan Dawes.
