PACEMAN Alex Wyatt hopes history repeats itself when Shropshire's cricketers head to Whitchurch this weekend to play their opening home match of the Unicorns Championship season against Herefordshire.

The former Leicestershire man, who was part of the first-team squad at Grace Road for seven years, has fond memories of making his Championship debut for Shropshire at Whitchurch’s Heath Road ground last June, when he played a starring role in a 10-wicket victory over Dorset.

Wyatt claimed six wickets in Dorset’s first innings as Shropshire completed a convincing win with a day to spare.

“That was a very good game,” said Wyatt. “I enjoyed bowling there and it’s a very nice ground. I got six wickets in the first innings and then the spinners got all the wickets in the second innings. We won in two days so it was all very enjoyable.”

It was the start of what proved to be a successful first season with Shropshire for 6ft 7in Wyatt. 

He took 32 wickets in six Championship matches at 18.13 apiece after making the impact that captain Steve Leach hoped he would in his first summer playing Minor Counties cricket

Wyatt said: “It was a very enjoyable season and Steve gave me licence to bowl a lot of overs. I enjoyed the three-day competition and I think that’s more my forte really. I like bowling a lot of overs with a swinging red ball, so it was good fun.”