Cumbria played their first home game in NCCA Championship against Cambridgeshire at Kendal with Sunday the first of the three days.
Rain spoiled the opening game of the season when they were denied a chance to bowl-out their hosts Northumberland at Jesmond as they were set to chase 252 on the final day.
For the second game Cumbria give a debut to the Workington wicket-keeper, teenager Sam Bates who has played for the Development side and has shone behind the stumps for his club side.
Carlisle spinner Josh Stirling plays for the first time since 2022 when he made his championship debut coincidentally against Cambridgeshire at Barrow.
Ben Davidson plays his first game for the County since the T20 match, also against Cambridgeshire, at Fenner’s earlier this season and Evan Williams makes his first appearance for the County since the opening T20 games against Cheshire and his first championship appearance since 2022.
The average age of the team is under 23 and will again be led by Cockermouth captain Matthew Sempill..
Cambridgeshire also make changes travelling with just seven of the players who were in the XI who played Hertfordshire last weekend including Dan Andrew, Yousuf Choudhary and Ben Cliverd plus Jack Loveday and James Sykes who also featured in that match at Fenner’s.
Contrasting the experience of the teams James Sykes and Wayne White have combined between them played over 250 first class, List A and T20 games earlier in their careers whilst playing their first class counties.
Sykes, 32, is a left hand bat who had his first class experiences with Leicestershire, actually making his debut in 2012. His best season was the year after when he took 12 wickets in seven County Championship matches with his slow left arm.
White is 38, and has played for Derbyshire, Lancashire and Leicestershire who between his services for them had 2,769 first class runs to his name and 202 wickets. He also had over 1,000 runs in limited overs and just over 100 wickets.
Cumbria: Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth, capt), Sam Bates (Workington, wk), Ben Davidson (Carlisle), Freddie Fallows (Kendal), Ed Moulton (Chorley), Sam Sharp (Kendal), Oliver Spedding (Carlisle), Josh Stirling (Carlisle ), Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows), Nico Watt (Carlisle), Evan Williams (Kendal).
Cambridgeshire from: Wayne White (Sawston & Babraham, capt), Will Routledge (Bury St Edmunds), Callum Guest (Sawston & Babraham), Lee Thomason (Sawston & Babraham), Dan Andrew (Woolaton, wk), Alex Peirson (Saffron Walden), Yousuf Choudhary (Sawston & Babraham), Mohammad Saif (Brigstock), James Sykes (Godmanchester), Jack Loveday (Mildenhall), Matthew Rees (Castleford), Ben Clilverd (Sawston & Babraham).
