Shropshire's Mark Robinson is caught and bowled for a duck by Syddall. Picture: Clive Edwards

The all too familiar feeling of ‘what might have been’ returned to haunt Shropshire’s cricketers as Cheshire celebrated their fourth Minor Counters western division championship in eight years.

Beginning the day requiring a minor miracle to land their first silverware since 1973, Shropshire received the assistance they required from title rivals elsewhere with Cornwall’s trip to Wales abandoned and Oxfordshire failing to defeat Berkshire.

But Shropshire couldn’t keep their own house in order yesterday in what became a winner-takes-all showdown at Whitchurch as they slipped to a five-wicket defeat to efficient Cheshire.

The visitors successfully chased down 199 with relatively few scares, completing victory shortly before tea.

And Shropshire’s class of 2009 will today be reflecting on a missed opportunity to write their name in the annals of history as they tamely let their title chance slip away.

This game’s defining moments came in the concluding session of day two and at the start of yesterday’s final act.

Shropshire should certainly have grasped a bigger first innings lead than the 20 they eventually emerged with after Cheshire moved from 170-8 to 279 all out.

And the hosts’ second innings was plagued by batting frailties as they failed to occupy the crease for the necessary time to give themselves a realistic chance of victory.

After losing needless wickets to be reduced to 90-4 on Monday night, Shropshire failed to learn their lesson as loose shots saw wickets tumble all too regularly yesterday morning.

Where application and concentration was required, Shropshire continued to fritter away their chances with loose shots as left-arm seamer Adam Syddall ended with eight wickets on a pitch which offered little assistance to pace bowlers.

That gave Cheshire a straight-forward assignment in chasing 199 for victory and, while Adam Shimmons made two early breakthroughs, there was little cause for alarm in the visitors changing room as Shropshire again appeared flat in the field.

First innings centurion Ben Spendlove continued his impressive form with 59 before he fell, along with James Duffy and David Hurst, in quick succession.

All three wickets fell to spin – two for Mark Robinson and one for Andy Gray – as the visitors were reduced from 138-2 to 160-5.

But skipper Andrew Hall and Nathan Dumelow saw Cheshire over the line for a deserved triumph to set up a Championship final against eastern division winners Buckinghamshire next month.

For Shropshire it is back to the drawing board and skipper James Ralph faces a wait to learn if the committee decide he is the man to lead the team next season.

They will reflect on a reasonable season when they came within five wickets of snatching three-day glory.

But, whoever is at the helm, the nagging fear that they will continue to fall short unless batting application and availability improve will not disappear.

By JAMES GARRISON