Oliver Parton hits maiden century as Shropshire Under 16s ease to win

He hit 141 off 139 balls, and was ably supported by skipper Will Jenkins (50) and Gabe Downes, who was unbeaten on 50 off just 22 balls, as Shropshire racked up 316-3 batting first.

In reply, Ed Prideaux claimed 4-55, helping to slow the scoring rate in the middle overs, and Jenkins claimed 3-32 as Herefordshire finished their 50 overs on 249-8.

An unbeaten half-century from skipper Millie Parry was the highlight as the under-13 girls took on their Worcestershire counterparts at Bromsgrove Prep School.

She hit an unbeaten 54 out of the Shropshire total of 132-9, aided by Millie Fretwell and Rebecca Mullard-Wilson.

In reply, Shropshire battled hard to contain the Worcestershire batters with Honor Milner claiming three wickets, all bowled, and Parry taking a great diving catch – but the hosts reached their victory target in the 22nd over.

The under-15 girls enjoyed a competitive work out in their warm-up T20 game against a Wrekin College side containing a number of Shropshire squad members.

Lauren Kenvyn batted superbly, retiring on 53, as Shropshire posted 114 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Wrekin finished just short on 93, with Millie Parry and Manon Harvey bowling good spells.

The under-18 boys claimed their first win of their T20 campaign when they beat Oxfordshire by one wicket in a thriller at Wrekin College.

Batting first, Oxfordshire finished on 109-6, with Charlie Walker (3-15) leading the attack well.

In reply, opener Matt Lamb hit 34 but wickets fell at regular intervals through the innings, and it was left to last pair George Hughes and Tom Parker to find the last 10 runs needed for victory.

Earlier in the day against Staffordshire, Shropshire batted first and made 135-8 with Lamb hitting 40 and Owen Silvester 32.

In reply, Staffs knocked off the runs for the loss of four wickets with nine balls remaining.

A spell of 3-28 from Jenson Caine was the highlight for the under-15s when they took on Cheshire at Northwich, but the hosts still managed to smash 366-7 from their 50 overs despite Harry Thomas also claiming three wickets.

For Shropshire, Joe Roberts hit 53 and Gabe Downes 22, but they were bowled out for 157.

Skipper Matt Morris top scored with 31 for the under-12 boys when they took on Worcestershire at Himley CC as his side finished their 35 overs on 137-6.

In reply, Morris and Ollie Dyson took two wickets apiece but the hosts managed to chase down their target for the loss of only five wickets.

The under-14 boys warmed up for their season with a T20 game against a Wrekin College side featuring a number of county regulars, allowing a number of fringe players to take part in the action.

The Wrekin batting was bolstered by Dax Hardman, a regular county player, who made a solid 30 before retiring.

The swashbuckling style of Williamson (33) enabled Wrekin to close on a decent 121-6. Pick of the county bowlers was Krish Singh, who returned figures of 4-12 from his four tidy overs.

The Shropshire reply was solid and steady with the top four all making starts and then getting out with Jake Upton and Tom Jacques both hitting 28.

The required run-rate kept the pressure on but Jonathan Evans hit the winning runs off the final ball of the 20 overs to see claim victory in a very tight game.

Their second warm-up game was very different – as they hosted the Worcestershire sub-academy in a two-day game at Bridgnorth.

Shropshire were all out for 125 – Dax Hardman top-scoring with 43 – before the visitors declared overnight on 140-1 from 39 overs.

Next morning Shropshire closed their second innings on 137 all out, with Worcestershire passing the 124 they needed for victory for the loss of just one wicket.

Coach Martin Fears said: “ It was a tough couple of days at the office for Shropshire, but a great learning opportunity and match-day experience.”