Bridgnorth CC 1st XI v Fordhouses (Home)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (124-7) beat Fordhouses (123) by 3 wickets.
Batting: G. Edwards 30, A. Breakwell 28*, S. Whitney 15*.
Bowling: M. Spence 6-32, T. Weaver 2-41.
The black clouds of 2007 finally lifted on Bridgnorth CC on Saturday as the 1st XI picked up a precious 3-wicket victory in their relegation battle at home to Fordhouses.
On winning the toss home captain Andy Leather chose to bowl first and was instantly rewarded when South African Murray Spence produced a devastating four-wicket burst in his opening spell to rip out the visitors' top order, leaving them on 61-5.
A middle order fightback gave Fordhouses hope of a recovery on 97-6, but Spence returned to fire out the tail, leaving the score on 123 all out after just 40 overs. Spence bowled beautifully to record a season's-best 6-32, with Tom Weaver picking up 2-41 in support.
Chasing their first win in 11 attempts, Bridgnorth plundered 10 runs off the opening over, but the rate was soon checked in the face of some disciplined and probing Fordhouses bowling. At 53-2 it looked as if the storm had been weathered, but Bridgnorth never do things the easy way and a middle order collapse, including opener Glenn Edwards (top scorer with 30), left the home side in near crisis at 86-7.
With the pressure and the tension mounting Bridgnorth's batting depth came to the fore as young gun Sam Whitney joined the vastly experienced Andy Breakwell at the crease. The pair coolly and calmly added the remaining 38 runs required for victory, with Breakwell finishing on 28* and Whitney on 15*.
This result takes Bridgnorth out of the relegation zone for the first time in a long while.
