'Brutal' batting gets Shropshire on track

Steve Leach's side bounced back from an opening day defeat in the Unicorns Trophy against Herefordshire.

They beat Wales Minor Counties by 200 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method in Abergavenny yesterday.

Shropshire rattled up an imposing total of 287-4 from their 33 overs as opening batsman Richard Oliver, back with the county after two seasons with Worcestershire, top scored with 80.

There were also quick fire half-centuries for Omar Ali and Ross Aucott as Shropshire kept the runs flowing.

Foxall said: "The batting was really good, really, really positive and at times spectacular. I don't know how many balls we lost.

"Everybody that went to the wicket played their part and it was really good. Omar Ali and Ross Aucott both scored fifties in 23 or 25 balls.

"It was brutal, absolutely brutal, so it was very pleasing after the week before to actually see the positivity and the way they approached the task.

"The ground staff in the circumstances produced a really good batting surface.

"Who would have believed we would have been able to accumulate 287 in 33 overs?"

Shropshire's third group game of four in the Unicorns Trophy is against Cheshire at Oswestry on Sunday, May 15. The win over Wales gives them a chance of getting through the group.

They produced an excellent batting display at Abergavenny to secure their first win of the season under new captain Steve Leach.

It was just the response Leach wanted from his side, after they opened the season with a seven-wicket defeat against Herefordshire.

Shropshire rattled up an imposing total of 287-4 from a reduced 33 overs, after rain meant the start was delayed until 3pm.

Wales, in reply, were well off the pace at 87-4 in the 14th over when bad light stopped play, but Shropshire had already done enough to claim victory under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Foxall said: "The umpires brought the players off for bad light and then decided it wasn't likely to improve so the game was abandoned.

"But under Duckworth-Lewis we had gone past the 10-over mark, so a game is deemed to have taken place.

"The batting performance was absolutely terrific. There was a completely positive attitude right from the beginning."

Openers Leach and Richard Oliver set the tone byquickly putting 50 on the board, before the captain was first man out, for 27, in the tenth over.

His departure brought the big-hitting Omar Ali to the crease and he hammered six towering sixes and three boundaries before falling for 56 from just 26 balls.

Ali and Oliver put on 80 in under seven overs, and the runs continued to flow with former Worcestershire batsman Oliver top scoring with a fluent 80 off 74 deliveries, which included nine fours and two sixes.

Then young guns Aucott and Shrewsbury new-boy Ollie Westbury shared a stand of 75 for the fourth wicket, Aucott hitting 53 off 26 balls and Westbury adding an unbeaten 36.

Wales, in reply, were soon reeling at 51-4. They had moved on to 87-4 from 13.3 overs by the time the umpires took the players off – but Shropshire had already done enough.