Birmingham League: Shrewsbury collapse late, Shifnal march on and Worfield struggle continues

A late collapse saw Shrewsbury fall nine runs short against Halesowen to suffer back-to-back defeats in the Birmingham League Premier.

Shrewsbury looked on course for victory following a brilliant batting display from Seb Scott, but a flurry of late wickets saw them bowled out just short of their target.

Rhodri Evans was the pick of the bowlers for Shrewsbury, taking five wickets from 17 overs as Halesowen were dismissed for 234 in the 49th over.

In reply, George Hargrave and Finn Jones both contributed 25, but it was Scott who stole the show with a stunning 89 from just 67 balls, including 16 fours and one six.

When Scott was dismissed, Shrewsbury needed just 31 more runs with four wickets in hand. However, they collapsed to lose their final four wickets for only 21 runs and were bowled out, leaving them ninth in the standings.

In Division Two, Ben Roberts starred with the ball while Oliver Parton impressed with the bat as Shifnal secured consecutive victories with a four-wicket win over Milford Hall.

Milford’s top-order batters Blake Haddrell and Dominic Afford both struck half-centuries, but Roberts’ five-wicket haul and three wickets from Charlie Home restricted them to 190 all out in the 51st over.

In response, opener Parton produced an excellent innings of 73, including 11 fours and one six. Shifnal raced to 94 before losing their first wicket of the afternoon.

Joe Johnson added 14, while Home finished unbeaten on 35 alongside Shaun Lorimer, who helped guide Shifnal over the line as they chased down the target in 43 overs.

Shifnal sit seventh after back-to-back wins, one point behind Milford, who are a place above them.

Meanwhile, basement side Worfield remain in trouble after suffering a heavy 115-run defeat to Wolverhampton.

Worfield made a bright start with the ball, reducing Wolverhampton to 36-2, but a 120-run partnership followed before the next wicket fell.

Joe Stanley led the way with 115, while Rishin Upamal added a half-century as Wolverhampton posted 266-7 from their 55 overs.

Worfield showed signs of resistance during their reply and were 65-2 at one stage. However, opener Aman Hussain top-scored with 37 and Russ Aucott added 29 as they struggled to keep pace with the required run rate.

The final wickets fell in quick succession as Worfield were bowled out for 151 after 42.1 overs, leaving them 13 points from safety at the foot of the table.