SHROPSHIRE'S NCCA Twenty20 Cup campaign came to an end with two defeats in the north east against a Northumberland side now at the top of the Group One table.
After making the long trip to South Northumberland CC in Newcastle, Shropshire, who fielded a much-changed XI from the team victorious in the NCCA Trophy semi-final a week earlier, lost by 80 runs in the day’s opener.
Northumberland made it a winning double by securing victory by six wickets in the second game, with three wickets for young Shrewsbury seamer Will Jenkins a highlight for Shropshire.
Ed Home, Shropshire’s director of cricket, said: “We went there with a young and inexperienced side, which also included three players who hadn’t played for Shropshire before. It would have been four but Ollie Parton unfortunately split the webbing in his hand playing for Shifnal on Saturday and was unable to make his first-team debut.
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“Despite the results, a lot of good things happened, but Northumberland were better than us on the day and that’s cricket.
“I feel they may well be one of the sides that ends up doing very well in this competition as they are a very powerful unit. I think the two results were probably a fair pointer of that.”
Reflecting on his side’s T20 campaign, which ended with a return of one win and seven defeats, Shropshire captain Charlie Home said: “The Twenty20 competition has been a great opportunity to look at new younger players and a few lads we haven’t seen so much who have been doing well in the Shropshire League, so it’s been productive in that sense.
“Even though we’ve only ended up winning one of our games, the competition has had its purpose."
Skipper Home, along with wicketkeeper Ben Lees and all-rounder Joe Stanley, were the only players to feature for Shropshire on Sunday who had also played in the county’s NCCA Trophy quarter-final victory over Northumberland at Shifnal earlier this month.
Wellington duo Will Lewin and Josh McDonald made their first-team debuts for Shropshire, as did former Yorkshire left-arm wrist spinner Sam Wisniewski.
Northumberland elected to bat first in the day’s opening match and totalled 204-3 from their 20 overs.
Opener Alasdair Appleby led the way with 75 from 52 balls, which included three sixes and nine fours, while Harry Crawshaw (51no), Josh Oswell (37no) and Ross Whitfield (21) also kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Off-spinner Stanley took 2-30 and Wisniewski picked up his first wicket for Shropshire.
Openers Scott and Malvernkar both quickly hit 27 for the visitors as they put on 53 for the first wicket, before skipper Home, fresh from scoring an unbeaten Birmingham League century for Shifnal a day earlier, top scored with 33.
But Shropshire lost wickets regularly, with Callum Fletcher (4-18) and Joseph Stuart (4-31) inflicting much of the damage, as they were bowled out for 124 in the 18th over.
Game two saw Shropshire elect to bat and a difficult start saw them in early trouble at 4-4 and then 15-5.
Stanley struck a determined 28, well supported by debutant McDonald (16), while Lewis Evans (17no) also helped lift the score up to 105-8, with Jonny Bushnell (3-20), Matthew Oswell (2-11) and Oliver McGee (2-15) among the wickets.
Northumberland, in reply, progressed to 106-4 from 13.4 overs, with Josh Oswell, who hit a century against Shropshire in the recent Trophy match between the sides, unbeaten on 46 and Durham prospect Haydon Mustard adding 31.
Jenkins impressed with the ball to claim 3-20, while Wisniewski, who bowled well in both games, was the other wicket-taker.
Shropshire will face Dorset in the eagerly-awaited NCCA Trophy final against Dorset at Chester Boughton Hall on Sunday, July 13.
Before that, a Shropshire CCC XI will face a Shropshire County Cricket League representative side in a 50-over friendly at Wellington CC on Sunday (11am).
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