Shropshire Cricket League Premier Division

Whitchurch’s season in the Shropshire Cricket league Premier Division faces fizzling out as the Heath Road side dropped to eighth in the table with a Bank Holiday Weekend double defeat.

On Saturday, Daniel Bowen’s men travelled to Quatt and feel 53 runs short in their run chase against a side that still harboured title ambitions until this Bank Holiday Monday.

Quatt were bowled out for 207 in their 50 overs with Matthew Batkin and Bowen doing the damage between them, taking seven wickets with the skipper finishing with figures of 4-36 while the former took 3-31.

James Ralph hit 58 for the hosts.

In reply, Ijaz Yousaf’s 44 not out from 126 balls was not enough to save Whitchurch from defeat despite a solid start from Batkin and Salim Ahmed at the top of the order, with Whitchurch eventually bowled out for 154.

Jonathan Edwards took 5-32 for the home team.

Then on Monday, Whitchurch made the trip to Wellington and it was more of the same for Bowen’s side as they were well-beaten.

The Whitchurch skipper elected to bowl first and he would have been delighted with his side’s efforts as Wellington were 0-2 and it was the skipper who led from the front as he was on a hat-trick with the dismissals of Daniel Vaughan and Dan Lloyd.

But Wellington recovered to 44-4 when Matty Simmonds, for 15, was trapped lbw by Nadeem Ahmad but Vansh Bajaj (5-29) gave his side a huge chance of winning when he wiped out the Wellington middle order.

He had Luke Goring and Matt Denver both lbw for four and duck respectively while James Flynn went soon after for one.

Home skipper Wendell Wagner was eventually out for a counter-attacking 41 before he too became a Bajaj victim but a late flurry of runs from Josh Pistorius – again before Bajaj struck – for 36 which eventually took the game away from Whitchurch.

Chasing 132 to win, Whitchurch made an equally nightmarish start to their innings as three quick wickets left them 4-3 with Batkin, Bajaj and Elliott Bowen all back in the shed.

Salim Ahmed’s 38 from 68 balls helped restore Whitchurch but they were always chasing the game and some excellent accuracy from Pistorius ripped through the visiting line-up, taking 7-35 as Whitchurch were bowled out for 98.

On Saturday, the second XI were thrashed by Wem, who picked up a 10-wicket win at Heath Road, courtesy of Andy Mortimer’s 5-8 and Rhys Melling’s 23 not out, chasing 30 to win as Whitchurch were bowled out for 29.