Bridgnorth CC 1st XI v Fordhouses (Home)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (221-4) beat Fordhouses (220-9) by 6 wickets
Batting: P. Thompson 79*, AJ. Smith 50, M. MacPherson-Lees 30*, A. Unitt 26.
Bowling: M. MacPherson-Lees 5-77, T. Weaver 2-33.
Bridgnorth 1st XI got their 2008 season back on track with a morale boosting 6 wicket victory at home against struggling Fordhouses.
The visitors batted first and against a weakened Bridgnorth bowling attack posted a competitive total of 220-9 off their allotted 55 overs. For the home side, swing bowler Tom Weaver (2-33) was the pick of the seamers, but it was captain Mark MacPherson-Lees who led the way with his under-valued offspin to take 5-77 in 21 overs.
In reply Bridgnorth formed a solid base for their reply with opener AJ Smith (50) and Andy Unitt (26) taking the score to 129-4 off 41 overs. With the required rate climbing the experienced pair of Pete Thompson (79*) and MacPherson-Lees (30*) timed the chase to perfection with the winning total of 221-4 achieved with just four balls left in the match.
Bridgnorth CC 2nd XI v Barnt Green (Away)
Bridgnorth 2nd XI (207-9) had a winning draw against Barnt Green (100-9)
Batting: A. O'Connor 81, J. Francis 45, E. Mullard 41.
Bowling: L. Brown 3-10, N. Johnson 2-11, S. Caine 2-16.
Bridgnorth 2nd XI continued their fine start to the year as they played all the cricket in getting a winning draw away at Barnt Green.
Put into bat on a damp, green track Bridgnorth made an unsteady start falling to 14-2. A third wicket partnership of 111 between the in-form Jason Francis (45) and opener Andy O'Connor rescued the away side's position. At 159-6 the innings lost its momentum with the departure of O'Connor for a hard fought 81 but with the game back in the balance skipper Eddie Mullard showed his versatility with a beligerent 41, helping the visitors pass the psychological 200 mark and end on 207-9.
In reply Barnt Green never got out of the blocks as a run rate of less than two an over was never going to win them anything. Probing bowling supported by some smart fielding gave Bridgnorth a strangle hold on the game but as the gloom descended wickets were proving harder to come by as the ball lost it's hardness. Despite having seven overs at the last pair Bridgnorth could not gain the crucial last wicket as Barnt Green ended on a very disappointing 100-9 off their 50 overs. For the away side, Liam Brown (3-10 off 12 overs), Neil Johnson (2-11 off 9 overs) and Steve Caine (2-16 off 9 overs) all returned very respectable figures.
Bridgnorth CC Sunday 1st XI v Aldridge (Home)
Bridgnorth 1st XI (118-5) beat Aldridge (116) by 5 wickets
Batting: S. Whitney 84*, S. Farquhar 16.
Bowling: S. Whitney 4-15, K. Osborne 3-13, A. Thomas 1-18.
Bridgnorth 1st XI picked up their first victory in the 2008 Sunday League with a 4-wicket win at home to Aldridge.
The opposition won the toss and opted to bat first but their innings never really got going. A very young seam bowling line-up all showed their promise as they demonstrated great control and patience against an experienced batting line-up. Kieran Osbourne was the pick of the bunch with a near unplayable spell of 3-13 off 4.5 overs. Legspinner Sam Whitney showed a welcome return to form with a miserly 4-15 off his 8 overs as Aldridge could only muster 116 all out in 39.5 overs.
The heat was taken out of the chase by Bridgnorth's opening batsmen as Stuart Farquhar (16) and Whitney showed the opposition how to bat with a stand of 72 for the first wicket. A flurry of middle order wickets left the hosts on 102-5 to give Alridge a sniff of a very unlikely victory but all-rounder Whitney saw the job through as his well crafted unbeaten 84 steered Bridgnorth home on 118-5 with 10 overs remaining.
