DORCHESTER v SHERBORNE

DORCHESTER face being without Sean Fitzgerald for up to six weeks after the wicketkeeper broke a thumb during his side’s defeat to Wimborne & Colehill Seconds.

Fitzgerald, who also coaches the team, sustained the injury last Saturday when attempting to field a ball down the leg side.

Skipper Dan Belt has been left in something of a quandary as Fitzgerald is the only recognised wicketkeeper at the club.

Fergus Guppy will don the gloves in the meantime, starting tomorrow when the county town outfit host Sherborne at Dorchester Rec in Dorset Premier Two (1pm).

“Sean will definitely be a big miss for us,” said Belt. “He did it going for a ball down the leg side and it looked quite innocuous.

“He carried on after it happened but realised that night he had broken it.

“Fergus kept wicket when he was younger and is going to keep for us for the next few weeks, though he might be a bit rusty for a week or two.”

There are three changes in all to the Dorchester line-up for tomorrow’s encounter, with Quenton Miller unavailable and Matt Porter dropping to the second XI, who travel to Beaminster in County Division Two.

Will Caldwell and Joe Power return to the side after missing the defeat at Wimborne while Pete Phillips earns a call-up from the second team.

And Belt will be hoping that Caldwell, Power and Phillips can help Dorchester react positively from that 28-run loss last time out.

“Sherborne won well last weekend and have got a couple of dangerous batsmen that can score runs,” added the captain.

“But if we bowl like we have done in the last few games then hopefully we can keep them to a reasonable score.

“We had a good talk in training this week and tried to use the session to get people into a mindset where they didn’t give their wickets away.

“We used some game scenarios in the nets and if someone was out, they were out.

“The teams we are playing are new to us and we have to treat every opposition player as if they are the best in the team.

“We’ve just got to do the basics first and go from there.”

Sherborne are joint top of the table with two wins from their three matches.

Dorchester: Belt, Moxom, Caldwell, Scott, Guppy, Power, Dunham, Mitchem, Morris, Phillips, Foot

Match sponsor: Number 35 Coffee House & Kitchen.

Match ball sponsor: Vivo Lounge