Shropshire’s cricketers are facing up to a pair of must-win games to preserve their chances of winning the MCCA Trophy.
Last weekend’s wash-out against Oxfordshire was followed up by a defeat on run-rate in yesterday’s rain affected game against Cheshire at Neston.
It leaves Shropshire with just one point from their two matches - and requiring two victories in their remaining round-robin games to stand a chance of finishing in the top two qualifying positions.
Bedfordshire have one point from two matches, while Cumberland and Oxfordshire also have a single point but have only played one game.
Shropshire face Cumberland at Shrewsbury on Sunday before a potential decider against Bedfordshire at Flitwick seven days later.
It was an all too familiar story for Shropshire’s cricketers as weather denied them the chance to push for victory in their MCCA Trophy clash at Cheshire.Chasing 220 for victory at Neston, the visitors had reached 49-3 in the 19th over when the heavens opened to bring a premature conclusion to the action.
And, with competition regulations requiring just 10 overs to constitute a match, James Ralph’s side were left well short of the 81 they required to be ahead on run rate at that stage and were left contemplating their first defeat of the competition.
“It’s disappointing with how the weather turned out and I’ve never known it so dark as what it was like before the rain came,” said chairman of selectors Trevor Sheperd.
“We were going well while the conditions were good and I’m positive if we had batted 50 overs in that, we would have won the game.
“But I was sat right behind the bowlers’ arm and I couldn’t see the ball when it got dark.
“It was really awkward because our innings started in bright sunshine so we felt it would go 50 overs and that we needed to keep wickets in hand. If we had known how dark it was going to get and how much rain would come, we would have gone for it from the start and not worried about losing wickets.
“But I’m quite relaxed about things because there was a lot of positives to come from the game.
“Although we probably let them get 30 too many, the three seamers (Duncan Catterall, Jack Shantry and Ted Bayliss) bowled fantastically well.”
Inserted by Shropshire, Cheshire quickly found themselves in early trouble with Catterall claiming the wickets of Warren Goodwin and James Duffy.
Shantry accounted for Ben Spendlove before Kidderminster’s Bayliss chipped in with the vital wickets of Danny Leech and dangerman Nathan Dumelow.
That left the hosts reeling on 100-6, but a century stand between Jason Whittaker and Matt Dawson saw last year’s finalists seize control, Jono Whitney receiving the bulk of the punishment as he conceded 67 off his eight overs.
John Maunders and Ed Foster produced a solid opening to the Shropshire innings, but deteriorating conditions made the going tough.
Foster and Whitney fell in quick succession before Maunders, who had looked impressive for his 32, was bowled by Whittaker.
The heavy rain arrived shortly after and Shropshire’s hopes of their strong batting line-up pushing for victory were washed away.
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