Bridgnorth (158) beat Shifnal (151) by 7 runs

Dale Quiney shone with the ball, Tom Weaver with the bat and Gregory brothers Ian & Simon produced the final knockout punch.

Asked the bat first, Bridgnorth got off to a solid start before Karl Quiney (31) was removed by a good ball at 49-1. Fellow opener Ryan Lockley (18) was dismissed soon after, and a number of poor shots from the middle order saw the Cricket Meadow men struggling at 81-6, as Shifnal’s Jonty Mountford (3-24) bowled a good spell.

After his heroics with the bat last weekend, it was Tom Weaver (28) who once again came to his side’s rescue, playing well with first Ian Gregory and then Sam Whitney. With the lower order putting the game back on an even keel, Bridgnorth were eventually dismissed for 158 in the 44th over.

The visitors set out to take early wickets to put the pressure on their Shropshire neighbours, and Dale Quiney duly obliged with an excellent opening spell. Along with Dave Exall (1-26) the pair reduced Shifnal to 38-4, then 56-5 courtesy of a James Ralph run-out.

The hosts then battled back into contention with a 50-run partnership between Bryn Simmons (33) and former Cricket Meadow player Jack Edwards (22). The impressive Quiney (4-26) then returned to break the partnership, Ian Gregory (2-32) bowled a tight spell to pick up two vital wickets, before Sam Whitney (1-32) removed the dangerous Edwards.

Shifnal were now 130-9, but a final twist in the tail left them needing 8 runs to win off the final over, with Bridgnorth still searching the last wicket.

Off the first ball, a mix-up between the batsmen provided Ian Gregory the chance to pounce with a quick pick-up and throw in brother Simon between the stumps, who joyously whipped off the bails to complete the match-winning run-out.

This was a great opening win for the Cricket Meadow 1st string, who harbour ambitious targets this season, but there will hopefully be even better performances to come from a strong side.