Trophy ties go to wire

Shrewsbury will have to come from behind if they are to retain their dream of hoisting aloft the Hargrove Trophy for the first time in almost 50 years.

The Condover club were beaten 2-1 at Kington in the first leg of the quarter-final of the winter scratch foursomes knockout tournament.

But with home advantage still to come and Shrewsbury enjoying a four-hole advantage despite defeat, the 1960 victors will still believe they can progress to the last four.

Ludlow took a significant stride towards the semi-finals as they notched an away 2.5-0.5 victory at Worfield.

Wins for Neil Smith and Tom Lowery, as well as Paul Mear and Olly Lewis, means only a collapse on home territory can now deny the south Shropshire side a place in the semi-finals.

Shifnal also require only one point from next week's second leg after notching a 2.5-0.5 home triumph over Market Drayton.

The other quarter-final clash between Herefordshire A and Oswestry A was postponed due to the weather.

That raised the possibility of the tie being reversed, with the first leg potentially taking place at Oswestry today.

In the President's Plate, Bridgnorth B could be on the way to earning inter-club bragging rights after defeating their A team 2-1.

Belmont A registered a surprise away triumph at Wrekin B, while the other two ties - between Mile End A and Ludlow B and Llanymynech A and Hawkstone Park A - are both evenly poised at 1.5-1.5.