Derek Wright notches up bowls century

A Shropshire bowling great becomes part of a famous five tomorrow. Chester Road's Derek Wright will win his 100th Shropshire cap in the win-or-bust section one Endsleigh County Championship clash with Derbyshire.

The landmark day for the 54-year-old comes at Washlands where he will be fulfilling his duty as away team captain.

And Wright admits there will be a burning sense of pride at following Tony Poole, Dick Meyrick, Doug Lawrence and Tony Dowley into the history books.

"When I made my debut on my 20th birthday against Yorkshire on August 27 1978, I never thought I'd play 100 times," he said.

"Winning the Crosfield Cup in 2009 was the undoubted high and there have been some lows because I've been dropped three times (in 1979, 1994 and 2003).

"But to follow the people who have got to 100 caps will be a big day for me." Wright – a Shropshire Merit champion in two of the years he was axed – is solely focused on helping Shropshire qualify from a tight section one.

They must beat Derbyshire by a big enough margin to claw back the shots difference deficit which separates them from the winner of the match between North Lancs & Fylde and Yorkshire.

"Reaching 100 caps will not be as sweet a feeling if at 6pm tomorrow night we haven't qualified for the semi-finals," he added.

"I'm still pretty confident we can do it. We have got a banker home green in Pontesbury and I think we will have to win the away leg to qualify. It's a case of having a County Cup mentality at Washlands and treating it as 12 against 12 on a neutral green in a game we have to win."