Bridgnorth CC 1st XI v Berkswell (Away)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (136) lost to Berkswell (137-6) by 4 wickets.
Batting: AJ. Smith 23.
Bowling: S. Whitney 2-68, I. Gregory 2-4.
Bridgnorth 1st XI had a huge opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone on Saturday, but unfortunately their batting once again let them down, as they lost by 4 wickets away at Berkswell.
Invited to bat first on a dry track, Bridgnorth got off to a flyer as they raced to 33-0 after 5 overs. However this good work was soon undone as wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter. All top 7 batsmen made starts, but didn't capitalise as none of them posted the big score that was required. It has to be said that the pressure on them is intensified by the continued failings of the tail, who collapse as easily as England! Only opener AJ Smith with a stylish 23 passed 20, as the innings closed disappointingly at 136 all out with over 15 overs remaining.
As ever, a spirited reply in the field followed. Good attacking spells from spinners Sam Whitney (2-68) & Andy Breakwell, and an aggressive cameo from seamer Ian Gregory (2-4) reduced Berkswell to 115-6. However, the experienced former Warwickshire man Dominic Ostler who followed up his earlier 6 wicket haul with 39 not out saw Berkswell home. Another 50 more runs from Bridgnorth would have made such a difference!
Fortunately for Bridgnorth, all the teams in the relegation battle lost, so there is still much to play for. The very positive attitude and team spirit are excellent, and will count for much in the tense run in. This weekend sees second bottom Bridgnorth travel to third bottom club Evesham in what will be a hugely important fixture for both sides.
Bridgnorth CC 2nd XI v Halesowen (Home)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (170-8) beat Halesowen (169-9) by 2 wickets.
Batting: G. Mumford 64, M. Martin 42, C. Goodwin-Tindall 22.
Bowling: S. Caine 5-46, N. Johnson 1-, S. Pitt 1-.
Bridgnorth 2nd XI continued to show some more good form as they beat Halesowen by 2 wickets at home on Saturday.
Bridgnorth won the toss and elected to field first on a sunny and warm afternoon. The visitors got off to a flying start by taking the attack to the Bridgnorth opening bowlers going at 5 runs an over for the first 10 overs before the skipper Steve Caine came on and took a wicket in his first over. At the first drinks interval at 17 overs the visitors were 92 for 1 and looking to set a big score. The rest of the innings were dominated by the bowling and fielding display of the home team with the evergreen Steve Caine taking another 5 wicket haul conceding just 46 runs off 18 overs, he was backed up well by Neil Johnson and Simon Pitt who both took a wicket a piece. There were also two run outs during the innings both being from direct hits by firstly Caine and then Andy Carson leaving the visitors on 169 for 9 at the end of their 50 overs.
Bridgnorth got off to a nervous start with opener Andy Carson being dismissed caught behind in the 1st over and Pete Thompson following two overs later both for no runs. The ever-improving Matt Martin, who opened the batting after being promoted from number three, looked confident and batted very sensibly. When he was joined by Gareth Mumford the pressure was released with Martin and Mumford putting on a match winning partnership before Martin (42) was unfortunate to be dismissed L.B.W. Connor Goodwin-Tindall (22) then joined Mumford (64) and looked to have the match in the bag before both players were dismissed playing attacking shots which were not really necessary but the experience of Ian Baldwin and Steve Caine saw the innings through to 170-8 and victory.
Bridgnorth will have a tough game on Saturday against table toppers Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Bridgnorth CC 3rd XI v Hinstock (Home)
Bridgnorth 3rd XI (113) lost to Hinstock (114-5) by 5 wickets.
Batting: E. Martin 34, A. Mooney 37.
Bowling: E. Lewis 2-16, M. Weston 1-, E. Martin 1-, K. Osbourne 1-.
Bridgnorth 3rd XI fell to a 5 wicket defeat at home to Hinstock on Saturday.
Batting first, Bridgnorth's young line up posted a score of 113 all out mainly thanks to 34 from the dependable Ed Martin and a very good 37 from debutante Andrew Mooney.
This total always looked to be a few runs short and this was proved correct as the visitors reached their target for the loss of 5 wickets. For Bridgnorth, Ed Lewis showed his calibre taking 2-16 from 10 overs and he was well supported by captain Mark Weston, Ed Martin and Kieran Osbourne who all claimed a wicket a piece.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 1st XI v Bloxwich (Home)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (126) lost to Bloxwich (128-7) by 3 wickets.
Batting: I. Gregory 45*, C. Goodwin-Tindall 31.
Bowling: M. Spence 3-21, I. Gregory 2-17.
A youthful Bridgnorth 1st XI lost a tightly fought game at home on Sunday to league leaders Bloxwich by 3 wickets.
Bridgnorth won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was giving assistance to the new ball bowlers and were made to work hard for their runs. The blossoming Conor Goodwin-Tindall again showed his batting ability as he combated a useful visiting attack making a very good 31. All-rounder Ian Gregory (45*) followed this up as he marshalled the lower order well taking the total to 126 all out in 37.5 overs.
In reply Bridgnorth flew out the blocks with captain Murray Spence leading the way with 3-21 and at 60-5 the game was in the balance. As the game ebbed and flowed Ian Gregory (2-17) kept the home side in the hunt but the target set eventually proved to be too small as Bloxwich stumbled over the finishing line on 128-7 in the 36th over.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 2nd XI v Bloxwich (Away)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (110) beat Bloxwich (87) by 23 runs.
Batting: H. Davies 13, S. Farquhar 17, M. Weston 25*.
Bowling: E. Lewis 3-12, A. Thomas 2-13, M. Martin 2-12.
Bridgnorth 2nd XI made it three wins on the spin on Sunday as they won away at Bloxwich by 23 runs.
On a difficult pitch Bridgnorth were asked to bat first and got off to a fairly decent start with Henry Davies making 13 and Stuart Farquhar 17. However the away side lost wickets at regular intervals after this, and struggled to 110 all out, with the only other significant contributions coming from Neil Johnson 17, and the battling Mark Weston who worked very hard for his 25 not out.
Feeling as though they were just short of a par score Bridgnorth knew they were going to have to work hard for the win. This is just what they did, as Ed Lewis and Alex Thomas led the way, with the inspired Thomas taking 2-13 and Lewis 3-12. All-rounder Matt Martin chipped in with 2-12, and Neil Johnson and Mark Weston also bowled well each claiming one wicket. This meant that Bloxwich finished on 87 all out, 23 runs short of their target.
