Shropshire Cricket League Premier Division

Whitchurch’s first XI signed off their league campaign with a fine win at home to Bomere Heath in the Shropshire Cricket League Premier Division.

Heath made the trip to Heath Road and decided to have first use of a track that had again been bombarded by rain last week and Whitchurch would have been delighted with their start, bowling their visitors out for just 109 in the 42nd over.

It was a dream start for Whitchurch as they reduced Bomere Heath to 3-4 as skipper Daniel Bowen led from the front with some fine bowling.

After Aatif Ali made the breakthrough to leave Heath 3-1, Bowen ran through the rest of the top order as bowled Harry Bolland for three, Ryan Davies for a two-ball duck and then trapped Ben Cox lbw for a golden duck in a brilliant spell of bowling.

However, the visitors hit back with their only meaningful partnership of the game as Dave Langton and skipper Jonathan Clifton fought back hard to reach 68-5.

But Vansh Bajaj made the all-important breakthrough as he had Langton caught and bowled for 24 while Charles Wigley spent 14 balls at the crease without troubling the scorer.

Clifton then fell three runs short of a deserved half-century as Bowen made him his fourth victim of the afternoon for 47, before he then reached a ‘five-fer’ as he had Connor Green caught by Matthew Batkin.

Bajaj added two more wickets while there a solitary wicket for Simon Dimelow.

In reply, Whitchurch’s opening pair of Batkin and Salim Ahmed ensured there were no lingering doubts about reaching their total.

The pair put on a fine 79 for the first wicket before Ahmed was out for 27 from 42 balls while Batkin pushed on to reach his half-century, eventually dismissed for 58, Cox the bowler.

Bajaj and Dimelow saw Whitchurch over the line for the eight-wicket win.

Meanwhile, the second were well-beaten in their clash on the road at Beacon’s second XI on Saturday.

Batting first after skipper Mike Ellis won the toss, the nine players of Whitchurch worked hard to reach 107 all out in the 34th over with number three John Peers top-scoring with a fine 33.

James Marvell added 16 while the Beacon bowling extras of 26 also helped the score along to three figures.

Molly Batkin and Billy Ward also both reached double figures while Paul Aston’s 3-33 was the pick of the home bowling.

In reply, Adrian Tomkins’ 34 not out was enough to see Beacon to the win while Molly Batkin’s 2-24 was the best of the away bowling as Beacon reached 108-4.