Shropshire v Berkshire

 

MCCA Championship

 

10/11/12 June 2007

Bridgnorth Cricket Club

 

Shropshire won by 3 wickets

Shropshire 24 points         Berkshire 7 points

 

A new look Shropshire took the field for the opening Championship match of the season at Bridgnorth. Jamie Ralph was at the helm for the first time, having been appointed as captain for the rest of the 2007 season. With several regulars unavailable, Shropshire gave Championship debuts to four players, Andy Gray, Atiq Rehman, Bruce Tomlinson and Jack Shantry, whilst Rob Foster made his first appearance of the season.

 

As always, the Bridgnorth ground looked a picture on a warm, sunny first morning. Not surprisingly, visiting skipper Bjorn Mordt decided to bat upon winning the toss. Most of the batsmen contributed in the Berkshire first innings total of 323 for 9 from their allotted 90 overs. The main contributors were a pugnacious 80 from Steve Naylor, and a cultured 51 from former England Test player Aftab Habib. Much of the bowling was done by Adam Shimmons (4 for 86) and Andy Gray (2 for 84), and there was an impressive spell from Jack Shantry, who made all the batsmen struggle with his deceptive pace and bounce. Shropshire did well to restrict their opponents to 323, two runs short of maximum batting points.

 

The Shropshire reply got off to a bad start, as Jono Whitney was bowled by Tim Lambert in the first over.  Rob Foster joined Alex Huxley, and they added 40 before Huxley was out for 23. Newcomer Atiq Rehman tried to keep the score moving, but was out with 30 minutes to go. Eighteen year old Bruce Thomason joined Foster, and they saw out time against some hostile spin bowling from ex Leicestershire spinner Carl Crowe, and 17 years old Luke Beaven, as well as some very vociferous appealing from the close fielders. Shropshire closed on 94 for 3.

 

On the second morning, Foster and Thomason continued their good work, adding 62 before Thomason was bowled by Crowe for a promising 27. Skipper Jamie Ralph joined Foster, and together they batted well in adding a further 70 before Foster was trapped in front for a championship best 72. When Ralph was out for a classy 79, Shropshire were still trailing by 80 runs, and when the 9th wicket fell at 264 it looked as if Berkshire would get a first innings lead. However, Anthony O’Connor (37*) and Adam Shimmons (26*) had other ideas, as they clubbed a last wicket stand of 63 in 64 balls, in the process, taking Shropshire to a first innings lead of 4, and maximum batting points.

 

Berkshire’s second innings again started badly, with Jason Barber trapped in front by Anthony O’Connor but, at 80 for 1 they looked in control. However excellent bowling by Shimmons, O’Connor and Gray, backed up by another impressive spell from Jack Shantry, meant that the visitors lost regular wickets. The bowlers were superbly backed up in the field, led by a brilliant leg side stumping by Matt Tilt, sharp catches from Rob Foster and Alex Huxley, and two excellent catches from Bruce Thomason.  At the close, Berkshire were 144 for 8, a lead of 140, and Shropshire had enjoyed a very good day.

 

On the final morning Gray (4 for 49) and Shimmons (3 for 40) wrapped up the tail, leaving Shropshire to get 160 for victory.  Although an out of sorts Jono Whitney again went early, Huxley and Foster battled hard to build a platform. With the pitch increasingly taking spin, the introduction of the wily Crowe and Beaven proved to be another turning point in this enjoyable match, and from 51 for 1, Shropshire quickly subsided to 65 for 5 at lunch. The loss of Andy Gray in the first over after lunch left Berkshire firmly in the driving seat, as Jack Shantry joined skipper Ralph. He broke Crowe’s hold on the game with two early boundaries, and with Ralph again stroking the ball confidently, the pair began to repair the damage. They added 83 for the 7th wicket, the highest stand in the match, before Ralph was out for 44, five runs short of victory. It was fitting that 19 years old Shantry hit the winning runs, reaching a maiden Championship half century in his first game, as Shropshire won by 3 wickets. Carl Crowe bowled well to finish with 5 for 60.

 

A large crowd on all three days had enjoyed an excellent match, with many positives coming from the young players, backed up by the senior players, and well led by Jamie Ralph in his first match. The team should be in great heart for their second match of the campaign, against Cornwall at Shifnal.

 

Umpires - M Eggleston and A Hicks

 

Scorers - CLW Barthorpe and Mrs S Jones