Shrewsbury get done early with quick finish

The London Road side cruised to a nine-wicket Birmingham & District League Premier Division win – allowing Foster and Co to watch Aston Villa take on Arsenal at Wembley.

"It's the first time I've managed to watch the FA Cup final!" joked Foster, who hit an unbeaten half-century.

"We followed on from last weekend, it was a very similar performance to last Saturday and Sunday.

"Credit to the opening bowlers for setting us up fantastically well and that was backed up in the field. Then Charlie (Morris) came in at the end and picked up three quick wickets."

Wardens were put into bat and, after an opening stand of 22, collapsed to 39-6 as the Shrewsbury bowlers ran riot.

Sam Griffiths, Mike Barnard and Morris all ended with three wickets apiece as the visitors were skittled out for 107 in the 43rd over.

Openers Steve Leach (48) and Foster (51*) shared a first-wicket partnership of 87 as the hosts eased home with almost 40 overs to spare.

The win leaves Shrewsbury fourth in the table, 33 points behind leaders Kidderminster Victoria.

Oswestry club captain Mike Robinson hailed the 'fantastic' display of Warrick Fynn after his match-winning exploits at Wellington in Division One.

South African Fynn took 8-26 from 17 overs to help bowl out their Shropshire rivals for 170 at Orleton Park before adding a superb unbeaten 97 as Oswestry won by three wickets.

Robinson said: "It was a fantastic performance. Warrick hasn't been firing on all cylinders this year so far, but it was the performance of the game by a long way.

"He is just a fantastic player and he has been one of our best players for several years. It is great to see him coming back to form."

After Neil Edwards (14) had been dismissed by Mark Robinson, Fynn's left-arm spin accounted for the next eight wickets before a run out rounded off Wellington's innings.

Sam Lloyd (25), Jamie Miller (21) and Scott De Weymarn (37) managed solid totals for the hosts before Fynn accounted for all three, pinning each one lbw.

Skipper Wendall Wagner added 13 before he was caught and bowled by Fynn whose other victims were Daniel Vaughan (3), Trevor Garwe (4), Adam Byram (4) and Charlie Mackleworth (0).

Oswestry then made a flying start to their innings as Fynn put on 80 for the first wicket with teenage prospect Josh Kirk (18), the latter playing only his second game for the first team after being called up from the seconds.

But the hosts then lost wickets at regular intervals before Fynn steered Oswestry to victory with the help of Matthew Gregson (21).

Fynn finished unbeaten on 97 from 140 balls to complete a monumental effort which also secured Oswestry just their second league win of the season.

Victory for Oswestry came despite the absence of their prolific batsman Joe Clarke, who was called up for Worcestershire duty on Friday.

The win lifts Oswestry to ninth in the table with Wellington just one place below them.

Bridgnorth chairman Jonathan Martin has hailed his team's flying start after they made it six wins from six at home to Coventry & North Warwickshire.

And he believes that the success of the Cricket Meadow men's first team is creating a feel-good factor throughout the club.

Bridgnorth strengthened over the winter and Martin said the added strength in depth within the club's ranks has been behind a flying start by the firsts, seconds and thirds.

Martin said: "We are looking strong. But it is not just the first team that are doing well. Our second and third teams are also fielding stronger sides and all three teams are undefeated so far.

"The second team have got some experienced players who were first team players last year, for example, and everyone is playing well."

Martin was keen to share the praise around the team after Saturday's six-wicket victory. But two performances caught the eye – Dave Exall took 5-75 and Ryan Lockley smashed an undefeated 115.

Coventry's Jonathan Miles did his best to defy the league leaders with a superb century (121) in the visitors' 254 all out.

But Exall led the charge for the hosts who, after a sticky start, raced to victory as Simon Gregory made a solid 61.

Meanwhile Shifnal, sixth, became Brewood's first victims of the league season as they went down by four wickets at Deansfield.

Muhamad Ayub led the scoring for the visitors with an excellent unbeaten run a ball 111 which included 11 fours and four sixes.

Jack Edwards added an explosive unbeaten 42 from just 25 balls as Shifnal made 245-6.

The pair put on an unbroken stand of 69 for the seventh wicket but Brewood were helped to victory by a fourth-wicket stand of 111 between Cameron Fox (71 not out) and Bruce Thomason (54).

And Whitchurch spokesman Richard Oakley reckons the team's basement battle victory over Water Orton must be a catalyst for more success in the coming weeks.

The Heath Road men, second-bottom of Birmingham Division Three, defeated their fellow strugglers by an emphatic eight wickets.

And Oakley has warned that they must build on that result – their second victory of the season – as quickly as possible if they are to climb clear of trouble.

He said: "It's a win which was important, but obviously we need to win more games than that.

"A few of the lower-placed sides in the league beat ones higher up at the weekend.

"So it has compressed the league and made the table a bit tighter. We have Aston Manor this Saturday, who have had a good start but lost heavily (to Fordhouses by 207 runs at the weekend).

"We will try to keep improving and looking to continue the form we showed against Water Orton."

Whitchurch skipper Maz Hasnain led by example on Saturday, taking 5-22 to reduce Water Orton to 86-6 before James Lloyd (36) and Gary Crouch (33) improved matters to 156 all out.

Hasnain (42) then impressed with the bat and once he was out at 71, a blistering 72 off just 46 balls from Yaqoob Yousuf rushed Whitchurch to victory in the 32nd over of their response.

Worfield are now only two points and one place above Whitchurch following their 75-run defeat at second-placed Stratford-upon-Avon.

Chris Whelan's fine 66 lead the way as Stratford made 228 on their way to their fourth win of the campaign.

Worfield could make only 155 in response, despite a spirited unbeaten 41 from Gagandeep Singh, as Tom Grundy took 4-43.