Bridgnorth CC 1st XI v Attock (Away)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (235) lost to Attock (238-7) by 3 wickets.
Batting: T. Whitney 55, P. Thompson 49, AJ Smith 28.
Bowling: T. Weaver 2-, A. Leather 2-.
The curtain came down on Bridgnorth 1st XI's season with a defeat away at champions Attock, confirming their relegation to Division Three.
On winning the toss Bridgnorth captain Andy Leather made the bold statement to bat first, and his faith in his batsmen paid off. The top order started positively with AJ Smith and the in-form Tom Whitney laying a solid platform as they took the score to 76-1 off 19 overs. A flurry of wickets followed including the dangerous looking Andy Breakwell for 22, which undid a lot of the good early work. The run rate was still maintained but at 137-6 off 32 overs the innings was in danger of stalling. A 7th wicket partnership of 60 between Pete Thompson, enjoying a late-summer purple patch, and Glenn Edwards kept Bridgnorth in the game. A couple of run-outs just checked the final onslaught but the visitors were finally all out for 235 off 54 overs.
As expected, Bridgnorth came flying out of the blocks in an effort to preserve their Division Two status, and after reducing the home side to 48-3 the great escape was on. Attock's batsmen know only one way to play and to a man came out playing their shots from ball one. Bridgnorth battled on gamely and at 150-5 the result was still in the balance. Attock's professional Imran Sabir held the innings together and his 53* was ultimately the difference between the two teams as the home side showed why they are the champions of Division Two, finshing on 238-7 and victory by 3 wickets. Both Tom Weaver and Andy Leather picked up 2 wickets.
Bridgnorth completed their league programme in 11th place, just 8 points from safety, and will surely rue their early-season form, which ultimately led to their drop from Division Two.
Bridgnorth CC 2nd XI v Old Hill (Home)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (156) beat Old Hill (126) by 30 runs.
Batting: M. Martin 37, I. Roe 32, A. Unitt 28, M. Turner 25.
Bowling: S. Pitt 5-34, M. Martin 2-8, C. Goodwin-Tindall 2-.
Bridgnorth 2nd XI finished the season on a high note as they beat Old Hill by 30 runs in a closely-fought game at Cricket Meadow on Saturday.
After losing the toss Bridgnorth were put into bat, and found it difficult to manoeuvre the accurate bowling of the Old Hill attack. Matt Martin dug in and accumulated a gritty 37, receiving good support from Matt Turner who made 25. Andy Unitt also chipped in with a well-made 28. However it looked as though Bridgnorth were going to be skittled out cheaply until Ian Roe made a vital contribution of 32 on his return to the side. This helped the hosts up to a competitive score of 156 all out.
Feeling confident after the tea interval, Bridgnorth took to the field and made the perfect start as Neil Johnson claimed a wicket in his first over. From then on the home side took wickets at regular intervals, breaking up any small partnerships that were beginning to develop. All-rounder Matt Martin bowled with control and consistency as he took 2 for 8 off 6 miserly overs, and Conor Goodwin-Tindall got 2 scalps with his improving legspin. However, the day was all about Simon Pitt, who bowled brilliantly to take 5-34, never letting the Old Hill batsmen settle. Fittingly it was he who took the last wicket. This meant that Old Hill were dismissed for 126, falling 30 short of Bridgnorth's total.
All in all it was a good season for the 2nd XI, who finished 8th in Reserve Divison One after their promotion last season.
Bridgnorth CC 3rd XI v Shifnal (Home)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (178) lost to Shifnal (252-6) by 74 runs.
Batting: L. Brown 56.
Bowling: L. Brown 4-55, E. Lewis 2-23.
Bridgnorth 3rd XI lost a pulsating game at Chelmarsh on Saturday against a strong Shifnal side who were pushing for promotion.
Asked to field first, Bridgnorth found it tough bowling at an experienced batting side as Shifnal raced to 100-1 off 20 overs. The home side fought hard to keep Shifnal in sight and in the end they did well to keep the score down to 252-6 off 45 overs. Ed Lewis and Liam Brown were rewarded in taking the fight to the visitors.
In reply Bridgnorth made a steady start but were always behind the required run rate. A spirited performance from Brown got Bridgnorth up to 178 and a losing draw seemed on the cards. Unfortunately the home side couldn't quite hold out losing their last wicket off the final delivery of the game, losing by 74 runs.
Bridgnorth picked up 8 bonus points from the game but they face an uphill battle next week knowing that they require a big performance from themselves, along with help from other teams, to avoid relegation to Division Five.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 1st XI v Walsall (Away)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (120) lost to Walsall (238-7) by 118 runs.
Batting: M. Spence 51, C. Goodwin-Tindall 35.
Bowling: A. Thomas 2-33, M. Spence 2-33, R. Hughes 2-24.
Bridgnorth 1st XI Sunday campaign came to a disappointing end in the gloom at Walsall last weekend as a threadbare team fought hard before ultimately going down by 118 runs.
A strong Walsall team looked to dominate an under-strength Bridgnorth bowling line-up but Alex Thomas, who gets better with every game he plays, picked up 2-33 from his opening burst to keep the hosts in check. Bridgnorth remained in the contest as the wildcard in the pack Rob Hughes, who couldn't keep wicket due to an injured hand, took 2-24 from 6. Murray Spence showed control but the home side got away in the last ten overs, finishing on 238-7 off 40 overs. Thomas, Hughes and Josh Jones all picked up their first Bridgnorth 1st XI wickets of their careers.
Bridgnorth were up against it playing against a very useful Walsall bowling outfit, but at 77-2 there was still a chance of an upset. South African Murray Spence signed off his season with 51 but after his dismissal a procession of batsmen followed as Bridgnorth collapsed in near darkness to 120 all out. Only wicket-keeper batsman Conor Goodwin-Tindall made any impression on the scorecard with 35.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 2nd XI v Walsall (Home)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (145) lost to Walsall (227) by 82 runs.
Batting: N. Johnson 35, M. Martin 29, S. Whitney 28.
Bowling: M. Martin 3-31, D. James 2-34.
Bridgnorth Sunday 2nd XI were beaten at home to Walsall in their last game of the season.
Walsall won the toss and got off to a flying start with the bat, as they raced to 100 for 1 off just 15 overs. However Bridgnorth gradually slowed the run-rate with some very tight bowling from the excellent Devon James who claimed 2-34, and captain Matt Martin with 3-31. Neil Johnson and Sam Whitney both bowled well and were unlucky to only take one wicket each. Walsall's innings came to a close on 227, some 80 runs short of what they once looked as though they were going to get.
Bridgnorth's response got off to a good start as they were up with the run-rate with Matt Martin and Sam Whitney putting on 50 for the second wicket. However, the home side lost wickets at regular intervals and never gained any momentum. Neil Johnson played some great shots in a brief cameo of 35, but it wasn't enough as they slumped to 145 all out, falling 82 runs short of the target.
