HEREFORDSHIRE CCC will be relying heavily on their Yorkshire connection when they make their way north for their MCCA Trophy double-header on Sunday and Monday.

The county club face holders Northumberland at Benwell Hill CC in Newcastle on Sunday and then journey west for their final group match against Cumberland at Workington the following day.

Five players with a base in Yorkshire are called up with Gulsheraz Ahmed, Kez Ahmed and Tom Glover joined by debutants Astab Ahmed and Josh Tingle, a pace bowler with Liversedge in the Central Yorkshire League.

Although Astab will be making a first county appearance, the leg-spinner will not have to look far to find a familiar face as Gulsheraz is his brother.

Consequently, Gulsheraz and Astab Ahmed will become the third pair of brothers - after Jabran and Faisal Khalid and Duncan and Christy Willetts - to represent the county.

Unfortunately for Herefordshire, opener Ian Thomas has a club commitment on Sunday and so will not be able to travel with the party.

But, to compensate, chairman of selectors Malcolm Morgan has been able to include one of the top performers of recent seasons, Richard Hall, who has recently returned from a winter in Australia.

Hall made his debut for the county in 1998 and has completed more than 1,000 runs in all competitions.

Last season, Kez Ahmed was one of the stars against Northumberland when Herefordshire inflicted the only defeat of the campaign on the eventual trophy winners.

His 54, following on from a bowling stint which produced 2-48, helped Dave Exall in an eighth-wicket stand of 128 which took Herefordshire from the brink of a heavy defeat to a remarkable victory.

Exall's brilliant unbeaten 80, which saw him slam the first two balls of the final over for sixes, was central to clinching the two-wicket win.

Herefordshire's match against Cumberland last season, which was scheduled to take place at Eastnor, fell victim to last May's heavy rain.

Herefordshire: Chris Boroughs (capt), Richard Hall, Dave Exall, Ashley Nahorniak, Henry Langford, Ian Stevenson, Tom Glover, Gulsheraz Ahmed, Astab Ahmed, Kez Ahmed, Josh Tingle.

Herefordshire's match with Cheshire at Colwall last Sunday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to incessant rainfall.