Trow ton sets up Over 50s 2 XI win
A century from opener Graham Trow laid the foundation for a 42-run victory for Shropshire Over 50s 2nd XI in their first competitive game of the season when they hosted Worcestershire at Bridgnorth CC.
He hit 106 off 112 balls and shared partnerships with Shehan Gunawardena (35) and Rob Peel (32) as Shropshire built a formidable total after skipper Steve Maden won the toss and decided to bat first.
That allowed the middle-order to press the accelerator as Bobby Gill smashed 40 off just 14 balls and Martin Chambers chipped in with 23 off 16 as Shropshire finished on 282-6 off their 45 overs.
Gill then struck twice with the ball on his way to figures of 2-22 from his nine overs with Neil Lorimer also picking up a wicket to reduce Worcestershire to 74-3 in the 21st over.
No more wickets fell, but Worcestershire were not able to keep up with the run rate as they finished on 240-3 from their overs.
The Over 50s 1st XI were hopeful of securing their second win of the season when they restricted Northamptonshire to 175-7 off their 45 overs at Wellington CC.
Adam Shimmons did the early damage with three wickets and skipper Carl Ward picked up 2-34. But Shropshire then found batting even trickier as they were dismissed for just 38.
The Over 60s 1st XI also found runs difficult to come by when skipper Lol Woodhall won the toss and batted first against Buckinghamshire at Wroxeter & Uppington CC.
Opener Alan Cowdale top scored with 28 as Shropshire finished their 45 overs on 128-9. In reply, Bucks knocked off the runs for the loss of just one wicket claimed by skipper Woodhall.
Andrew Yates hit 50 and skipper Jon Archer 47 as the Over 60s 2nd XI batted first when they travelled to Bunbury CC to take on Cheshire.
Paul Humphreys then chipped in with 27 as Shropshire finished their 45 overs on 196-6. Ian Ramsey then picked up an early wicket, but the hosts cruised to victory with plenty of overs to spare.
There’s lots of games coming up for both the Over 50s and Over 60s, if anyone fancies joining in the fun they can email John Foster via seniorcricket@cricketshropshire.co.uk to find out more details.
Pictured above is the Over 50s 2nd XI in action at Bridgnorth, while below is the Over 50s 1st XI at Wellington.
