Wem U15s claim Dave Vart Trophy
Wem have been crowned Shropshire Under 15s champions by claiming the Dave Vart Memorial Trophy on finals day at Oswestry CC.
They beat their Shrewsbury counterparts by 30 runs in the final after a dominant display with the bat.
Bobby Langton hit 43 off 27 balls at the top of the order, and skipper Ralph Davies then hit 42 off 24 as Wem made 148-1 from their 16 overs. Noah Quin chipped in with an unbeaten 20.
Then in the reply, the Wem attack quickly reduced Shrewsbury to 37-4 with Ralph Davies claiming 2-14.
Sayak Mukherjee made 22 before he was run out as Shrewsbury finished on 118-6.
Wem all-rounder Bobby Langton (left) was awarded the Player of the Match trophy, selected by the umpires and presented by Ray Collins.
Wem had progressed to the final by beating Quatt by six wickets in the first semi-final of the day.
Adam Darlington led the way taking 3-13 and then brothers Ralph and Rufus Davies combined to wrap up the tail taking 2-8 and 2-11 respectively as Quatt struggled to get any meaningful partnerships on a pitch which was at its most difficult following a rain delay.
They were ultimately dismissed for 73.
In the reply, Eli Graves made 24 and Ralph Davies was 22 not out as Wem also struggled on a drying pitch, only reaching their victory target with 10 balls remaining.
Shrewsbury beat Lilleshall in a close game in the second semi-final, although the winning margin of seven wickets may not suggest that.
Opener Sibtain Quereshi made 27 and Rafay Rehman 20 as Lilleshall, batting first, made a solid start, with further contributions down the order to post what looked like a competitive 106-4 in their 16 overs.
In reply skipper George Jenkins proved the key with a mature unbeaten 30 and Fin Low made 23 as Shrewsbury claimed victory with an over to spare – which could have been so different with three key catches going down. Arsalan Sangin claimed 2-15 to lead the Lilleshall attack.
The four teams that made Finals Day were the divisional winners in the Shropshire Junior Leagues U15s section this season – and each received the shield on the day.
The U15s trophy is dedicated to the memory of Oswestry stalwart Dave Vart who was heavily involved with all aspects of the club for many years and was a leading light in the club’s junior section.
He was represented at Finals Day by Blanche, his partner of many years, who presented the Divisional trophies to each of the four sides, and the Memorial Trophy to the winners, ably supported by the umpire team who presented the medals.
She is pictured with Wem skipper Ralph Davies after presenting the Dave Vart Trophy.
Cricket Shropshire Junior League Co-ordinator Shannon Aston said: “Congratulations to Wem on claiming the trophy and to all the other sides for taking part in a great day’s cricket.
“Thanks to Blanche for attending on the day and presenting the trophies, all at Oswestry for hosting on the day and all the work preparing the ground, and umpires Chris Field, Ray Collins and Andy Goodwin.”
Lead Officer Steve Reese said “After months of beautiful weather, the rain gods tried to interfere with the event, but a fantastic team effort particularly by Dave Hill the Oswestry CC groundsman and the support team at the club, meant we got the games on.
“It was particularly encouraging to see the clubs and umpires working together to ensure the day went ahead despite an early delay and knock on inconvenience to the sides in the second semi-final.
“Everyone just got on with it and made it the best finals day in the five years we have been commemorating Dave Vart, he would have loved the drama of the on/off nature of the early morning.
“Finals day for 2027 is already in the calendar and we look forward to another bumper August Bank Holiday Monday.
“I have to compliment Shannon Aston on another successful Junior League season featuring a record number of players, teams and fixtures, with only one more final to go.
“She adopted the role of Leagues organiser in April and has embraced the challenge that organising these competitions brings.
“We have a series of cluster meetings in October to discuss plans for 2027 which will allow her a longer lead time ahead of the new season.”
