Late wickets leave Shropshire CCC in peril

Their hosts need to take just five wickets on the final day at St Austell to wrap up a comprehensive victory.

Brad Wadlan’s unbeaten 128 from 98 balls extended Cornwall’s lead yesterday, and they declared on 228-3 before a flurry of late Shropshire wickets left them on 101-5, a whopping 353 runs behind.

After finishing day one in deep trouble on 66-6, Shropshire needed to get off to a good start yesterday.

But Joe Carrasco fell in just the second over of the day without adding to his overnight score of 15, caught off the bowling of Andrew Libby.

David Wainwright made a rapid 16 off 12 balls but when he was trapped leg before by Libby the visitors were 84-8.

Tom Weston, who made his last Championship appearance for Shropshire last July, helped push the total into three figures along with Jack McIver.

But Libby claimed his third wicket of the morning – and fourth of the innings – to remove Weston for 16. McIver continued to battle hard – his unbeaten 27 coming off 55 balls – but when Alex Wyatt was last man out Shropshire had been dismissed for 123 – 226 runs adrift.

The hosts surprisingly opted not to enforce the follow-on and set about adding to their big lead.

There was an early breakthrough for the visitors when Wyatt had Scott Harvey trapped lbw with the score on four. But that only brought Wadlan to the crease.

He and opener Lewis Goldsworthy moved the score on to 73 before the latter was bowled by Wainwright for 21.

But Wadlan moved on to register his second century and highest score for Cornwall.

Wadlan and Thomas Rowe put on 132 for the third wicket before Charlie Home eventually broke up the partnership, having Rowe caught by McIver for 61.

Cornwall finally declared on 228-3 with a whopping lead of 454, Wadlan unbeaten on 128 in an entertaining innings that included 17 fours and two sixes.

Shropshire started their improbable run chase with Steve Leach and Omar Ali safely negotiating the first eight overs.

But Leach was the first wicket to fall when South African Greg Smith, who smashed an unbeaten 127 in the hosts’ first innings, bowled the visiting skipper for 17.

Omar Ali (53) and Will Parton (19) offered up some stout resistance until Smith ripped through the top order late on with three wickets in 15 deliveries to finish the day with 4-27. To make matters worse, Libby then trapped Carrasco lbw.