Cricket clubs set for new partnership

The clubs, both beset by very different problems last season, have teamed up in a way that guarantees the town first team Shropshire League games every Saturday throughout the summer.

“We see this as being beneficial all round,” says the Drayton club’s secretary/treasurer Mark Savill. "There will be first team games for cricket lovers every weekend, rather than alternate Saturdays.”

His Hinstock counterpart, Steve Collins, said the villagers were looking forward to the experience.

“We won promotion last season so will be playing new clubs at a tougher level – being able to utilise the tremendous facilities at Drayton will be a big help,” he said.

“We can’t use our ground anyway at present so we were delighted when an informal approach to the Drayton club was well received.

“Follow-up talks went well, an arrangement agreed and I must say we’ve been made very welcome. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Drayton’s difficulties raising an adult side to compete at the league’s elite level, last season’s axing by the competition and their subsequent reinstatement at a lower, division five level, are well documented;

Hinstock’s less so.

A complex wrangle with Shropshire Council involving a new house built on land bordering their ground meant the villagers spent much of last summer looking for somewhere to play their own home games.

At issue was – and still is, for that matter - who pays for a £25,000 15 feet high specialist safety fence between the house and the playing area, off the A529 on the approaches to the village from Drayton.

The club reported the council to the ombudsman for not following statutory planning rules and the latest it’s heard is that the council is consulting its insurers.

But all this has already cost Hinstock upward of £1,000 – and that’s a lot to take from a village club’s coffers. Especially as they can’t use their ground until the fence goes up.

Despite this, and partly because of being helped by players formerly with Drayton, they won promotion to division three of the Shropshire League – so in theory at least, they are senior to the Betton Roaders, being led this season by the experienced Steve Wickstead.

While Drayton drop from division one to five for Saturday’s home opener against Knockin and Kinnerley 2nd XI, Hinstock will be taking on the might of Newport Seconds, almost certainly including players who were competing at Birmingham League level last summer.

The region’s other third division club, Hodnet, Peplow and Tibberton, begin their season at Ludlow’s Burway while Calverhall host Wheaton Aston in division four.

Throughout their first team troubles, Drayton have been encouraged and sustained by the growing strength of the junior junior section, and they begin nets next week.

Another offshoot of the increasingly popular social aspect of the game is the introduction of a regular Friday evening bar at the club’s popular rooftop setting.

Saturday’s games. Shropshire League, division three – Newport II v Hinstock; Ludlow II v Hodnet, Peplow and Tibberton; division four – Calverhall v Wheaton Aston; division five Market Drayton v Knockin and Kinnerley 2nd XI.

Saturday, May 4. Shropshire League, division three – Hinstock v Church Stretton (at Market Drayton); Hodnet, Peplow and Tibberton v Shelton; division four – Church Stretton v Calverhall; division five – Beacon v Market Drayton.