County to debut 100-ball cricket this week

Shifnal, of the Birmingham League, will be taking on Claverley, who compete in the Worcestershire League, at Davenport Park at 6.30pm.

It is the inaugural game of the Swancote Energy Smash, which also involves Bridgnorth, of the Birmingham League, and Shropshire League teams Chelmarsh and Worfield, as well as Staffordshire Premier outfit Wombourne.

The six teams are being divided into two groups, with games being played every Thursday night and the winners of each group playing in the final in early September.

Tournament organiser Charlie Fox-Davies said: “As a new version of the game, it’s a historic moment for cricket in the area and should be an entertaining evening as the teams get to grips with the new playing conditions.

“There isn’t a mid-week competition for cricket clubs in the South East Shropshire/South Staffordshire area, so we thought if we were going to do something new, why not go for the very latest format?”

Claverley skipper Tom Grainger said: “We were delighted to be invited to participate in what must surely be one of the first 100-ball tournaments in the country.”

And he joked: “Claverley have been in search of our most suited format of the game for the past 87 years, so we’re hopeful this could be the one.”