Joe Stanley’s super seven gets Shropshire back in game

The home side were bowled out for 183 at Whitchurch Cricket Club in just 51 overs yesterday having won the toss and elected to bat, on the opening day of their NCCA Western Division Two fixture.

Without recent run-machine George Hargrave, currently trialling with Northants following his century and double-century in their previous fixture, no Shropshire batsman made it past the thirties.

Indeed, two of the top three failed to trouble the scorers at all as Shropshire got off to a dreadful start. Matthew Lamb was first to fall for Shropshire after an eight-ball duck, neatly stumped off the medium-quick bowling of former Middlessex professional Arthur Godsal.

Lamb was swiftly followed by Tom Fell, who lasted just two balls and as many minutes, also for a duck, with Shropshire on two for two. Opener Ollie Westbury managed 14 before he also fell to Godsal, with the score on 46. Andre Bradford followed soon after as Shropshire we reduced to 52 for four.

Jack Home added 16 and skipper brother Charlie Home a further 34. From there, Ben Lees dug in for 15 runs from 49 balls and Seb Scott was out for a duck.

Numbers nine and ten Stanley and Luke Thornton added valuable lower order runs with 20 and 19 respectively and Ben Roberts was not out on seven from 10 balls.

In response, Wiltshire made a solid start before Stanley got to work.

The visitors were 43 for the first wicket, when Jack Mynott fell. They were then 106 for two and 127 for three as Dylan Church (69) and Jack Stearman (33) were uprooted.

Tom Cullen (0), skipper Ed Young (20)and Harry Broderick (2) were next to depart – with Stanley having taken all the first seven wickets to fall.

Ben Roberts then bowled Jake Goodwin for 26 to give Shropshire a fighting chance.

At the close, Wiltshire were 179 for eight with Josh Croom and Joseph King unbeaten on six and five respectively.