Shrewsbury seek to put pressure on leaders
Satisfied skipper Will Parton is delighted with the form of his high-flying Shrewsbury side as the Birmingham Cricket League reaches the halfway point of the season.
The London Roaders sit second in the Premier Division One standings following last weekend’s crushing 10-wicket win at third-placed Smethwick.
Shrewsbury face a struggling Barnt Green side at home on saturday – with Parton’s men having a point to prove after losing to this week’s visitors in the ECB National Club Championship last Sunday.
“We have had a really good first half to the season,” said Parton.
“We are 25 points better off than at this time last year – and we were top then but had a really poor second half to the season. Now we have a much stronger squad.
“Against Smethwick we bowled really well and put the bad balls away. We just played the pitch better than they did.”
Last weekend’s emphatic win sees them 21 points behind leaders Berkswell – and Shrewsbury go to the top dogs next weekend in a match that will go a long way to deciding the title.
“I don’t like to look too far ahead,” added Parton. “But if we don’t win on Saturday it makes it really difficult going there. We need to go to Berkswell having won on Saturday, potentially clawing a few more points back on them.
“And we had a poor day on Sunday against Barnt Green – we have got them again on Saturday and hopefully we will keep the league run going.”
Parton is waiting to hear whether Worcestershire’s Dillon Pennington is available, while Mike Barnard misses out. Pete Clark comes back in and George Panayi has been given the all-clear by Warwickshire to play as a batsman.
But one player who won’t be fit to play is spinner Henry Blofield as he injured his toe during the KO defeat to Barnt Green.
“Henry had a slight fracture and dislocated his big toe fielding on the boundary,” continued Parton. “That’s one of the reasons we lost. Tyler Ibbotson bowled so well on Sunday – another spinner might have kept them down another 30 runs.
“And I don’t think Barnt Green have (England and Warwickshire bowler) Olly Stone, which is a bonus for us.”
Shrewsbury go to Berkswell on Sunday in the Birmingham League T20 regional final (2pm), with the winners going through to the national stages.
