Sam Whitney hit a sublime maiden first team century to guide his team to a phenomenal, record-breaking three wicket victory at Bridgnorth on Saturday afternoon. In partnership with fellow Bridgnorth born-and-bred star Charlie Walker, the pair added 82 for the eighth wicket to pull off a brilliant run chase in front of an excitable home crowd.

Opening in place of the injured Rahul Kaushal, Whitney had previously hit half centuries for Bridgnorth at first team level on five occasions, but the talismanic all-rounder chose the perfect time to push on towards three-figures, playing the key role in a remarkable second-innings effort.

Seb Scott and David Laird had earlier given solid support as the Cricket Meadow men looked to build a strong foundation to their chase, after the visitors had posted a strong-looking 262 off their 55 overs, with the in-form Laird also sending down fifteen overs to finish with 2-65. Captain Matt Simmonds had also weighed in with 3-51 after electing to field first, a decision initially met with doubt by the newly promoted visiting side, but ultimately proving the right one.

At 105-2 the run-chase was looking on-target, but Coventry fought back to take two quick wickets, before making another double breakthrough with the score on 151. However, when Italian all-rounder Jaspreet Singh fell with the score on 181-7, the game was very much on the line.

With Whitney unbeaten on 86 at the time, he was joined by Walker, who before that afternoon had only reached double figures in Birmingham League cricket on one occasion, despite previously proving his batting pedigree with a maiden senior century three seasons ago. Following a winter spent down-under playing club cricket, this would prove a coming of age of the best product of Bridgnorth’s talented youngsters of his generation.

The pair calmly accumulated the runs needed, cheered on by a vociferous crowd who sensed the chance of an historic comeback, with the excitement further increasing as Whitney brought up a much-deserved hundred. With both players clearly growing in confidence, the visitors seemingly struggled to put any pressure back on the Bridgnorth pair, as singles were found with ease, whilst each boundary was met with further raucous celebration.

With the scores tied in the last over with four balls remaining, Walker (40 not out), deliberately guided the ball behind square whilst Whitney (124 not out) sprinted through to complete an amazing victory, sparking wild celebratory scenes both around the boundary and in the middle.

“Wow, those two were incredible, what a win”, said the delighted captain Simmonds after the game. “Coventry were very confident after we asked them to bat first and they put a very good score on the board, but we knew if a couple of our lads got going we’d be right in there. But that was a special knock from Sam, and Charlie was brilliant at the end there too. That’s a great result for us, the confidence is really building in the group, and we want to keep this going.”

Bridgnorth II (169-7) lost to Wroxeter & Uppington (172-5) by five wickets

The second team once again struggled to post a competitive total with the bat, this time on their travels to Wroxeter, and the hosts chased down their score with comparative ease.

With a number of Bridgnorth’s top order struggling to find form this season, Charlie Ward (48) and Max Ferrington (37) stood out as the most fluent, but the hosts’ bowlers seemingly always had control over the scoring rate. Callum Hodson starred for Wroxeter with the ball, finishing with 5-55, as the Cricket Meadow men finished their 45-over effort on a below-par 169-7.

The bowlers then all toiled hard, but ultimately the hosts didn’t need to push too hard. Toby Hughes would prove the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 2-18, whilst Dan Rodenhurst, Alex Yarnley and Jenson Caine all picked up a wicket apiece. But Finn Jones (42) and Charlie Kidson (66) took up the lion’s share of the work in the chase, as Wroxeter clinched the win with two and a half overs to spare.

Bridgnorth III (157-6) lost to Newport (255) by 98 runs

The third team found themselves outplayed by a strong Newport second team at Quatt, but dug deep to pick up ten bonus points as they look to recover from weather ruining their first four games this summer.

After deciding to bat first, Bridgnorth struggled for consistency in the opening overs, despite strike bowlers Will Buxton and Alex Thomas picking up an early wicket apiece. James White (2-41) then picked up two quick wickets as the home side appeared to gain an upper hand in the game, but the Newport middle order took control as Alex O’Keefe flayed the ball to all parts and the hosts struggled to find an answer.

Skipper Thomas then returned to knock over Matt Pooler for 46, before Shashi Cherukuri picked up two wickets in two balls, including O’Keefe to an excellent catch in the deep by Jake Millichamp for 98. But the lower order continued to attack, and despite pick-of-the-bowlers Buxton grabbing two further wickets to finish with 3-27, the final total of 255 looked a chase too far.

Fiery opening spells from the Newport seamers confirmed their dominance in the game, but it was the change bowlers who then restricted Bridgnorth to 35-3 after 12 overs. Richard Ealey (51) and Guy Black (45) then stood firm in the middle overs as the hosts looked to secure bonus points, and their fourth wicket stand of 89 was the key in seeing their side finish on 157-6 off their completed 40 over innings.