Bridgnorth (179-4) beat Penkridge (178) by six wickets
An unbeaten century partnership between Ryan Lockley and Ben Barclay clinched a vital win over Penkridge, after Sam Whitney's second five wicket haul
The visitors chose to bat first and made a solid start, with the Cricket Meadow men seemingly missing usual new-ball spearhead Dale Quiney. Ian Gregory made the first breakthrough but Penkridge continued to pile on the runs, particularly through the dangerous Rana Hassan.
Legspinner Whitney then took the second wicket with his first ball at 82-2, and soon after Dave Exall (2-30) took the key wicket of former Shropshire batsman Attiq Chishti, with skipper James Ralph taking a sharp catch at slip. Ralph then took the key wicket of Hassan trapped leg before, as Bridgnorth found themselves right back in the game.
The visitors middle order worked hard to keep the runs ticking over, whilst Ralph frequently changed his bowlers on a pitch that offered something if you remained patient. Patrick Smallman bowled a promising first spell in first team cricket, but it was the return of Whitney that once again proved decisive.
The in-form spinner continued to ask questions of the middle and lower order, and was rewarded with 5-31 with solid catches taken in the ring, before Tom Weaver finished to job to run out the last man.
A final total of 178 all out presented the hosts with a challenge, their batting line-up missing regulars Karl Quiney, Tom Weston and Simon Gregory. But despite an early wicket, Ralph gave his side an electric start before one shot too many saw him removed for 33. Lockley was then joined by Matt Martin at 43-2, and with some good running between the wickets the pair put the chase back on track.
However, two quick wickets saw the Cricket Meadow men stumble to 79-4, bringing youngster Barclay to the wicket alongside Lockley at a crucial moment. Despite a few alarms early on, the runs once again started to come easier, with Lockley in particular becoming more fluent.
As Barclay played what was arguably his most important and mature innings to date, both men grew visibly with confidence as their 100-run fifth-wicket partnership sealed their 15th win in 2015 with sixteen overs to spare.