Bridgnorth CC 1st XI v Lichfield (Away)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (136) lost to Lichfield (170) by 34 runs
Batting: I. Gregory 41, P. Dogra 37, AJ. Smith 22.
Bowling: A. Leather 4-41, S. Whitney 3-55, AJ. Smith 2-34.
Bridgnorth 1st XI's mini revival came to an end on Saturday as they went down to a disappointing 34-run defeat away at Lichfield.
Bridgnorth won the toss and inserted the hosts, and worked hard on a hot day to restrict Lichfield to 170 in the 55th over, although with the home side falling to 89-6 at one stage, the final total could have been even less. The wickets were once again shared around with AJ Smith (2-34), Sam Whitney (3-55) and the dependable Andy Leather (4-41) all in on the act.
Chasing down the target, Bridgnorth got off to a perfect start with the openers adding 71 for the first wicket with AJ Smith making 22, and Ian Gregory 41. However, the rest of the line-up failed to capitalise on this position with wickets falling all to regularly on the visitors liking as they slumped to 136 all out with 8 overs still remaining. Indian professional Paras Dogra was the only other major contributor, making 37.
Bridgnorth will hope to bounce back to winning ways this weekend, as they entertain fourth-placed Olton & West Warwick.
Bridgnorth CC 2nd XI v Tamworth (Home)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (189-2) beat Tamworth (188-7) by 8 wickets
Batting: A. Whitby 79*, E. Mullard 67.
Bowling: S. Caine 3-53, D. Bannister 2-45.
Bridgnorth 2nd XI's yo-yo season continued on Saturday, as they bounced back from a humiliating defeat the previous week to record an emphatic win at home against Tamworth.
After winning the toss Tamworth elected to bat, and this meant Bridgnorth had to toil long and hard in the sweltering heat at Cricket Meadow. All of the bowlers stuck to their tasks well, and managed to restrict Tamworth to a below par score of 188-7, thanks to offspinner Steve Caine (3-53 off 17 overs) and seamer Dave Bannister, bowling with pace and bounce to take 2-45.
After a well-deserved tea interval Bridgnorth's reply got off to a solid start with Matt Martin, opening the batting for the first time this year, making 23. The loss of him to a poor shot proved to be a catalyst for Eddie Mullard and Al Whitby, whose partnership of 128 closed the home side in on victory. Captain Mullard was eventually dismissed for an impressive 67, but the outstanding Whitby continued to play shots all round the ground, and finished with a superb 79 not out. This lead to Bridgnorth reaching their target with over 10 overs to spare, and a comprehensive 8-wicket victory.
The 2nd XI will need to show this kind of form consistently, and must put in another performance of this quality away at Old Hill this weekend.
Bridgnorth CC 3rd XI v Newport (Home)
Bridgnorth 3rd XI (136) lost to Newport (311-4) by 175 runs.
Batting: P. Oliver 41.
Bowling: L. Brown 2-.
Bridgnorth 3rd XI's recent good form came to an abrupt halt on Saturday as they went down by a resounding 175 runs at home to Newport 3rds.
In hot and sunny conditions the visitors batted first and amassed a near insurmountable 311-4 off their allotted 45 overs.
In reply, Bridgnorth fell a long way short of their target as they were all removed for 136, resulting in a heavy defeat. The only highlight was some hard hitting from Pete Oliver, as he crashed four sixes in his 41.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 1st XI v Bloxwich (Away)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (204) lost to Bloxwich (229) by 25 runs
Batting: P. Dogra 59, M. Martin 64.
Bowling: H. Croft 3-50, C. Goodwin-Tindall 3-23, M. Martin 2-32.
After a long drive and on a hot and humid afternoon, the last thing Bridgnorth Sunday 1st XI wanted to be doing was fielding first. However, when skipper Matt Martin lost the toss, this is what they had to do.
On a difficult outfield and in testing conditions, Bridgnorth would have been forgiven for throwing in the towel when Bloxwich were 140-2 off just 20 overs. However, the introduction of youngster Harry Croft into the attack inspired the young 10 players, as he bowled with skill and maturity and stuck to his tasks, taking an impressive 3-50 on his 1st XI debut. There were also notable contributions from Conor Goodwin-Tindall, who took his rare opportunity to bowl with both hands, grabbing 3-23, and Matt Martin with 2-32. Bridgnorth had worked well and had restricted Bloxwich to 229 off their 40 overs.
Bridgnorth's reply got off to a flying start, as they raced to 50 off just 8 overs thanks to some fantastic strokeplay from Paras Dogra, who was unluckily bowled for 59. From here wickets fell at regular intervals, and Bridgnorth could not get any real momentum until skipper Martin, with 64 off 46 balls, and Harry Croft began to build an impressive 70-run partnership. However, when both were dismissed in quick succession the end seemed nigh, which proved to be the case as Bridgnorth were eventually bowled out for 204, falling 25 runs short of their target.
This was a very impressive performance from a very young and inexperienced side, and if they had had a bit more luck, who knows what the outcome may have been.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 2nd XI v Bloxwich (Home)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (174-5) beat Bloxwich (173) by 5 wickets
Batting: G. Lewis 68, J. Shaw 60*.
Bowling: B. Leather 3-12, J. Shaw 2-23.
Bridgnorth Sunday 2nd XI rounded off the weekend's action with a 5-wicket victory on home soil against visiting side Bloxwich.
Bowling first, the home side put in a decent performance on a typical Bridgnorth batting track to bowl out the visitors in just 31.5 overs for 173. In the wickets were legspinner Jimmy Shaw (2-23) and left-arm seamer Ben Leather, following in his father's footsteps with 3-12.
Bridgnorth's run-chase was based around a 2nd-wicket partnership between Greg Lewis (68), who continues to make progress after an injury lay-off, and Jimmy Shaw. Lewis's dismissal heralded a mini-collapse, but Shaw saw his team home with an unbeaten 60, notching up his first senior half-century for the club in the process. Bridgnorth reached the required target with 8 overs remaining to post a 5-wicket victory.
