IN-form spinner Warren Quinn of Carnforth has been called-up for Cumberland’s final game of the season.

He will play at Dunstable in the Minor Counties clash with Bedfordshire which starts on Sunday.

The left arm bowler, who was an outstanding junior cricketer, has been enjoying an excellent campaign in Division One of the Northern League where he has taken 44 wickets.

He is only three behind Blackpool’s Richard Gleeson as the pair lead the race for most wickets in a season for the prestigious Castle bowling award.

Quinn, who previously played for Morecambe, has had five five-wicket hauls this season and has regularly tested some of the top order batsmen in the Northern League.

He is the third Carnforth player to be called-up for Cumberland this season, following Adam Cowperthwaite and Ryan Nelson.

Kendal’s medium pacer Stuart Parkin has also been called up. He has taken 31 wickets so far this season for Kendal in the Northern League at an average of 21.39.

Marcus Sharp returns to lead the side after missing three county matches through club Cup commitments with Lytham.

Alex Roberts is also back in the line-up after being released by Leicestershire for whom he had figured in a 2020 game and also for the second team.

Morecambe wicket keeper Ikram Ullah is also brought in for the trip south.

The team is: Marcus Sharp (capt), James Lowe, Paul Johnson, Ikram Ullah, Gary Pratt, Jonathan Miles, Alex Roberts, James Smith, Dan Conway, Warren Quinn, Stuart Parkin.

After the success of their MCCA Trophy campaign, which saw them reach the semi-final stage, the three-day game has provided a contrasting experience for Bedfordshire..

Aside from an excellent victory against Norfolk at Bedford Modern School, the county have lost all of their other outings, the last of which was a comprehensive seven-wicket reverse at top-of-the-table Buckinghamshire.

The problem, unlike the one-day competition, has been the availability of players, but all-runder Andy Roberts hopes that might ease for the final game.

He said: "It's a big game for us. Availability and injury has been a big problem all year, but it would be good to finish with a win.

"Hopefully we'll have the likes of Dan Bendon and Jack Chopping available – it depends whether Northants have got a second team game."

And Roberts believes a victory would be fitting for the work that coach Derek Randall has put in.

He added: "Derek has done a good job all year.

"It must have been hard work given the circumstances and it would be good to win for him."

If it has been a poor season for Beds, it has been worse for Cumberland who occupy the bottom spot in the Eastern Division table going into the weekend.

The north westerners have yet to win a competitive game this season, a fact that Roberts finds surprising.

He added: "When we played them in the one-dayers they looked a decent side, but they've been struggling all year.

"They've got a few good players such as Gary Pratt and Alex Roberts, but their problems are with availability, like ours.

"It's a long way to travel on a Saturday night and that often affects the team they put out."

For the hosts, skipper Jon Walford is out of action due to a virus so batsman Oliver Clayson will again lead the side in his absence

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