Shipston 1st XI Match Report

Date:- Sat. May 12th

Venue:- Ragley Park

Team:-

B. Lee ¤

L. Clark

A. Fawthrop  

S. Quirke

A. Shaw

D. Swinburn

G. Strain †

P. Dipple

S. Capron

T. Mole

M. Woolley

Alcester & Ragley 1st (263-6) beat Shipston on Stour 1st (182 all out) by 55 runs

A&RPCC won a game that at one stage didn't look like it was going to start after an hour long downpour shortly before the game was due to start. Play eventually got underway half an hour later than scheduled, and the match was reduced to 41 overs each.

Alcester were put into bat after losing the toss. They were given an excellent start by Lewis Clark(42) and Gary Strain who put on 66 for the first wicket in 15 overs. Strain was first out for 30 middling a drive only to be caught by Jamie Hurrell who took a fine catch on the deep cover boundary. Clark rode his luck until he was lbw to Dave Murphy, to leave the score on 98-3. At this stage a score of 200 was looking on the cards, and would have been a very good score after being put in on a wet wicket. However Shaun Quirke and Paul Dipple set about the Shipston bowling. Dipple in particular was severe on all the bowling and hit 5 sixes in his quick fire 59. He had scored 59 out of 79 runs added for this wicket in only 7 overs. Once Dipple was out Quirke kept the momentum going, punishing any loose bowling. He reached his 50 in the 35th over and after this he accelerated further before eventually just missing out on what would have been an excellent hundred after being caught for 96 in the final over. Alcester and Ragley finished on 263-6 in their 41overs.

The total for Shipston to chase was reduced to 238 in 37 overs after more rain. They began very well with all loose deliveries being dispatched for boundaries. Ragley then had Shipston captain Julian Morris out for 18, which was a big wicket after his hundred the week before. However opener Matt Corby looked in fine touch as he cruised to 50 in no time and the total looked well in Shipston's sights after they had reached 110-1 in only the 17th over. It was at this stage that young Steve Capron produced a match winning spell with the ball as the game seemed to be going away from Alcester. He got one to get through the seemingly impenetrable defence of Corby for an excellent 59. Capron then followed this up with the wicket of Hurrell for 5 in his next over. This seemed to end Shipston's hopes of reaching their target and they fell away to be 182 all out in the 34th over. Capron finished with 3-42, whilst the evergreen Marc Woolley picked up 3-32 for his second excellent performance in as many games. Quirke also got in on the act with the ball as he mopped up the tail to claim 3-16 in 5 very good overs. Ragley are now surprise joint leaders after 2 games with local rivals Exhall & Wixford.