The 2025 cricket season may only just be coming to a close – but Shropshire’s Seniors sides are already planning ahead for their 2026 campaigns.
Shropshire fields two sides for both Over 50s and Over 50s age groups playing regular competitive cricket against their peers across the country.
Initially the cricket is played on a regional basis but thereafter, assuming the teams qualify for the latter stages, the opposition can be as far afield as Cornwall or Durham.
The Over 60 matches are generally played on a Tuesday, whilst the O50 matches take place usually on a Wednesday. There can be between six and 15 matches a season for each team depending on the success levels.
Shropshire Seniors Chair John Foster said: “Those who take part extol the virtues of regular competitive cricket for the senior age groups and look forward to the continued friendships which team sports generate.
“Players don’t need to have played Minor Counties cricket in the past or indeed Premier League cricket.
“It doesn’t matter what you used to be able to do, what matters is what you can do now. We need players who are fit, mobile and want to commit to playing regular cricket during the week.
“If you have, or know of, any players either at your club or another within the county (or indeed someone who has recently hung up their boots!) who may be interested in taking part next season, please pass get in touch.”
They can contact John or either Loll Woodhall (Over 60s) or Carl Ward (Over 50s) – via the email addresses below.
An all-round display from Amy Griffiths helped steer Cricket Shropshire’s Women’s XI to the national final in their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign with victory in Lincolnshire.
It will be the team’s second national final of the season after they also qualified for their T20 Finals Day earlier in the Summer – and they will once again face Oxfordshire, this time at Kibworth CC.
Their victory on the road at Lindum CC meant they jumped above Northumberland who saw their final game against Cumbria in the Women’s League Three, Division Two North, abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Shropshire finished their 50 over league campaign with a record of three wins and one abandonment from their four games thanks to Sunday’s win before the rain swept in.
Skipper Lara Jones win the toss and asked the hosts to bat first, and they got off to a fast start with a 41-run partnership for the first wicket.
But after Isabella Lawrence Posso claimed the first wicket, Sophia Parton chipped in with two important scalps before Griffiths ripped the heart out of the Lincolnshire middle order.
She returned figures of 4-25 from her ten overs as the hosts slipped from 71-2 to 107-7 to turn the game on its head.
Skipper Jones then nipped in with two wickets in her first over to help finish the innings on 126.
Shropshire were reduced to 38-2 in the reply before Griffiths and Diya Badge combined to calm the nerves and take their side past the 100 mark.
Badge was eventually dismissed for 47 off 53 balls, and Griffiths for 32 off 38, but Millie Parry hit three boundaries on her way to 18 off 15 balls to ensure Shropshire claimed the victory by six wickets with plenty of overs to spare.
Coach Sam Whitney said: “This was possibly the most satisfying win of the season, considering the struggles we had with availability.
“With the weather around, we knew if we could get a fast start, there was a slight chance we could leapfrog Northumberland.
“And everything seemed to fall into place.
“Lara won the toss, and even though Lincolnshire had a great start, we managed to pull it back.
“Fourteen-year-old Sophia Parton really turned the game around with her first over, taking two huge wickets and bowling a superb spell.
“Amy was fantastic. The pitch offered some spin, but she had to put the ball in the right areas and she did that, attacking the stumps and making them play. On another day, she could have had six or seven.
“Izzy Crann again went about her business, keeping the runs down and picking up a wicket, whilst Lara wrapped up things quickly with two wickets in her first over.
“Twelve-year-old Mills Jones took a brilliant catch off Amy on her debut, I think becoming the youngest ever to play for the Shropshire Women’s side, certainly in recent years. A great moment for her.
“With a low total we knew we didn’t have to be overly aggressive as Duckworth Lewis was in our favour and the rain was still a few hours away.
“Libby (Thomas) and Diya gave us a good start, but it was the partnership between Diya and Amy that won us the game. They put the bad balls away and made it look comfortable on a tricky pitch.
“We did have a scare at the end with a couple of late wickets, but Millie Parry came in and batted positively and struck a few boundaries to get us over the line.
“I’m proud of this group. It’s been a long season, but for the girls to keep making themselves available, especially for the long away days, they deserve every success they’ve had.
“It’s a great achievement to reach another national final. One last push on Sunday and hopefully we can go one better than we did in the T20 competition.”
A vital 41 from Sophie Parton batting at No 10 helped Shropshire Under 18 Girls to victory over Warwickshire when they travelled to West Bromwich Dartmouth.
Batting first, plenty of Shropshire batters got in then got out as they looked to set their opponents a target.
Rebecca Mullard-Wilson hit 27, Amy Connelly and Millie Parry 21 and Anusha Singh 20 but Shropshire were reduced to 177-8.
But 30 from Isabelle Crann and Parton’s efforts helped boost the Shropshire total to 255-9 as they were bowled out with one over remaining in their innings.
In reply, Connelly, Parry and Crann all picked up two wickets apiece as the bowlers chipped away at the Warwickshire batting line up, eventually dismissing their hosts for 223 to give them a 22-run victory.
Finn Jones hit a century as Shropshire Under 18s took on Herefordshire in a two-day game at Eastnor.
His 121 off 134 balls was the cornerstone of Shropshire’s first innings score of 305-8 before they declared in the 62nd over.
Charlie Ward chipped in with 24, Arjun Cherukuri 29, Max Ferrington 30 and skipper Griff Davies and unbeaten 47.
Herefordshire then replied with 264-9 before they declared, with Alex Heath claiming 3-54, Ralph Davies 2-66 and Hugo Lowther 2-37.
In their second innings, Shropshire were bowled out for 187 with Ward hitting 31 at the top of the order, Will Jones 28 and Wilf Peers 52 off 41 balls at No 10.
The hosts then recovered from 63-3 in their reply to knock off the 230 required for victory with Lowther again picking up two of the wickets to fall.
Shropshire’s Under 16 boys hosted Worcestershire in their final game of the season at Shelton CC and set them a victory target of 216 batting first.
Opener Will Parkinson-Witte hit 62, Luca Evans 37, Freddie Salisbury 22, and Will Walker 21, but the innings faded away towards the end of the innings.
The visitors reached their victory target for the loss of four wickets.
The Under 15 Girls had a busy week with mixed fortunes in a number of T20 and Hundred games against Warwickshire, Staffordshire and the Isle of Wight.
In the West Midlands Under 15s T20 tournament they hosted at Wellington, their first game saw them take on Warwickshire who scored 181-4, Isabelle Crann picking up two wickets.
In reply, Shropshire finished on 99-5 with Mills Jones top scoring with 30.
In their second game against Staffordshire which was reduced to 10 overs per side, Shropshire batted first and finished on 67-1 with Jones unbeaten on 42 off 37 balls. They reached their victory target for the loss of two wickets.
They then took on Warwickshire again in two games at Wrekin College. In a T20 game, Shropshire were dismissed for 57 with the Bears getting to their victory target for the loss of four wickets – two apiece for Crann and Sophia Parton.
In their Hundred game, Shropshire restricted Warwickshire to 74-8 with Crann and Isabelle Wedgebury claiming two wickets.
In reply, Shropshire claimed the win after 87 balls with Jones hitting 30 and Parton unbeaten on 24.
In their T20 game against the Isle of Wight, Shropshire batted first and finished their innings on 161-6 with Megan Wigley hitting an unbeaten 58 and Jones chipping in with 20.
The visitors were then restricted to 97-7 thanks to an inspired spell of bowling from Annabelle Burton who claimed 5-12 from her four overs.
In the Hundred game that followed, the visitors batted first and finished on 90-5 with Alice Deacon claiming 2-12.
Deryn Martin then hit 32 off 29 balls and Charlotte Arran 22 as Shropshire reached their victory target without losing a wicket.
The Under 16 Boys also took on their Isle of Wight counterparts in two T20 games at Ludlow CC.
In the first, they restricted the visitors to 130-5 with Ralph Davies claiming 2-13. In the reply Morgan Ward hit an unbeaten half century off 35 balls before retiring and Harry Parton made 39 off 29 as Shropshire claimed victory in the 16th over.
In the second game, Shropshire made 148-7 with Dylan Barkley hitting 32 and Ward 35. The Isle of Wight knocked off the runs for the loss of three wickets.
The highlight of the Girls U13s game against Worcestershire at Willey CC was a half century for Mills Jones as they slipped to a 78-run defeat.
Shrewsbury School finished as runners up at the national finals of the ESCA/ECB Schools Under 15 T20 Finals Day held at the picturesque Arundel Castle ground in West Sussex – the home of the Duke of Norfolk.
A vital 86-run sixth wicket partnership between Amy Griffiths and skipper Lara Jones saw Shropshire edge to victory against Herefordshire in their Metro Bank One Day cup campaign.
Chasing a modest target of 132, Shropshire were in trouble in their reply when they slumped to 40-5 in their reply at Ludlow CC
But Griffiths (40) and Jones (39) combined to build their partnership and put Shropshire back in the driving seat.
Both fell with the winning line in sight but Shropshire edged home by two wickets with plenty of overs to spare.
Earlier Shropshire had dismissed the visitors for 131, a couple of early run outs from Ava Clive helping to put Herefordshire on the back foot.
Kate Brazier led the attack on her home turf with 3-25 from her six overs, Harriet Shuker took 2-19 and Griffiths 3-31 as Herefordshire were bowled out in the 32nd over of their innings.
Coach Sam Whitney said: “We won the toss and asked them to bat on a sunny day – but the pitch looked like it might be tricky to score on.
“We bowled tightly and fielded superbly well to keep them to 130 including two run outs showing calmness under pressure to get two of their top players out.
“On a tough pitch to bat on, we probably went too attacking at the start and it cost us wickets, being early on shots on a sticky pitch.
“At 40-5, Hereford had us on the ropes until the experience of Griffiths and Jones came together. They batted very smartly, putting bad balls away and running well.
“It was a great example for the young players how to build a partnership on a tough pitch.
“A slight blip at the end made it closer than we wanted, but we got over the line once again.”
The third victory of the 50-over campaign leaves Shropshire joint top of League Three Division Two North with Northumberland after three games, just behind on run rate.
The top two teams clash in their next fixture at Whitchurch CC’s Heath Road ground this Sunday, September 7.
Two Shropshire youngsters are taking their exciting first steps on their umpiring journey thanks to a new initiative between Cricket Shropshire and the county’s Association of Cricket Officials.
Sanisa Golar and Olivia Ashely took to the field as standing umpires in a county Age Group game between Shropshire Girls Under 13s and their Worcestershire counterparts at Willey CC last week.
Both first became involved in the officiating pathway during the Winter when they completed their Introduction to Umpiring Course in Shropshire.
Since then, they have been supported by Shropshire Association of Cricket Officials’ (SACO) Youth Development Officer Nathan Bartram who has been mentoring them on their umpiring journey.
It has seen them gain invaluable experience through festival cricket, junior matches and their first County Age Group game.
It has also seen them invited to Hundred games at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston in the past month to see first-hand the officials in action at the games.
Olivia also umpired her first Shropshire County Cricket League game at the weekend – taking charge of Whitchurch 3s v Chelmarsh2s in Sunday Division Two match – and was praised by both sides for her dedication to all things cricket.
She also plays for Whitchurch’s Wickettes side, has become and ECB Support Coach and completed her Scorers Course in recent weeks.
Nathan said: “What’s really refreshing is how eager young people are to learn. Olivia and Sanisa have been brilliant taking everything on board and showing real talent.
“But just as importantly, by standing out in the middle, they’re showing the players that umpiring isn’t just a role for ex-male players. They’re making it visible and achievable for anyone who wants to get involved.
“The message they’re sending is powerful: that could be me.”
The vision now is to continue developing opportunities for new officials.
Plans are already in hand for targeted training courses over the winter including female-only courses and ones aimed for ethnic minorities to help broaden access and keep new umpires engaged all year-round.
Nathan added: “Our goal is to build a young officials’ development group so that, by next season, we’ve got even more new and younger umpires standing in county and junior games.
“If we can keep that momentum going, the future of umpiring in Shropshire looks really exciting.”
Cricket Shropshire Lead Officer Steve Reese said: “It was fantastic to see Sanisa and Olivia take charge of our County Age Group game last week.
“It not only highlighted the talent of two promising young umpires, but also underlined Cricket Shropshire’s commitment to making cricket more inclusive and ensuring that everyone whatever their age, gender, or background can see a pathway into the game.”
To find out more about how to start your umpiring journey, look out for details of forthcoming courses to be held in Shropshire in the upcoming months via the Board’s website HERE.
Alternatively check out the Shropshire Association of Cricket Officials website HERE or the ECB website HERE.
