Bridgnorth (257-3) beat Himley (256-7) by 7 wickets

A record-equalling run chase saw Bridgnorth to their third league win of the season at Cricket Meadow on Saturday as they raced to their target of 257 in just 38 overs.

It was a welcome return to form for the top order as openers Dave Exall and James Ralph both cashed in on some loose bowling to get their side off to a flying start on an excellent batting wicket with a 157-run stand.

Earlier, Bridgnorth’s bowlers worked hard to keep things in check, but the visitors batted solidly in friendly conditions to reach 200 with only two wickets falling, despite good spells from Charlie Morris and Tom Weaver.

However, with a score of 300 appearing within reach, Bridgnorth’s spinners brought the game back in the balance. Dan Vernon bowled well to take his first five-wicket haul for the Cricket Meadow men, and a great all-round team effort with good outfielding under pressure saw the visitors limited to 256-7 off 55 overs.

The subsequent start from Exall (77) and Ralph (72) put Bridgnorth firmly in control of the game, and despite both being dismissed in quick succession, Simon Gregory (46) and Mark MacPherson-Lees (27 not out) maintained the momentum to put their side within touching distance. Morris then added an unbeaten 19 of his own as the winning line was reached with more than 16 overs to spare.

This performance was a timely boost for Bridgnorth’s batting line-up, who have struggled to consistently put runs on the board this season, and felt undone by the conditions last week at Old Hill.

Vice-captain Exall was delighted with the change in fortunes. “This win will really boost the lads’ confidence. It was great to get off to such a good start with Ralphy, and Simon, Mark and Charlie all played well to finish off the job. Hopefully we can kick on from here and get some more good results.