Gloucestershire CCC 50+ humbled by lowly Shropshire.


Birmingham League side Shrewsbury Town CC hosted this Gloucestershire/ Shropshire clash but
failed to produce a satisfactory wicket and Shropshire, well beaten in their previous 4 games 
this season won the toss and with it the game, inserting Gloucestershire on a green top with 
variable bounce. The innings started badly when Daniels, playing a leg side sweep, went in the
second over caught at slip for 1 and when Johnson and Matthews were both adjudged lbw - the 
former from an inside edge that clearly only the umpire did not hear or see! - Gloucester had 
slipped to 21 for 3 from 8 overs.


Collinson and Fereday settled with some difficulty and in 14 overs they added 42 for the third 
wicket with a little fortune, but Gloucestershire’s luck continued when the Gloucester City man 
played a good lucking pull straight into the hands of Cartwright at backward square leg and 
went for 37. Fereday, trying to hit Parkyn over the top, was bowled for 17 and Clarke was run 
out for 7 backing up when Tugwell straight drove the same bowler into the non-striker’s stumps. 
Norbury, with a few handsome shots in his 28 and Davis and Gorrick with 11 apiece lifted the 
score to 131 but the pitch and the umpires’ fingers had taken their toll and it never looked an 
adequate total. 


The pitch was not going to get better as Shropshire quickly found out when Dave Gorick jagged 
one back which kept low and bowled Shropshire skipper Clarke for 0 and Daniels had Moore lbw 
with the score on 3. Norbury applied pressure bowling as economically as usual with 4 
consecutive maidens and when Mickey Gorick took 2 in 2 balls - Thomas being very well caught 
for 25 at slip by Tugwell - Shropshire had slumped to 36 for 4.


Hayes however was to cap a good all round game batting at number 6 as first he with 54 not out 
and later Holliday with 20 not out added an unbeaten 55 for the 6th wicket. Dave Gorrick had 
earlier returned to remove James for a duck, making 6 lbw decisions in the game.


The Gloucestershire side certainly missed runs from the ever reliable John Evans, who returns 
next week against Worcestershire at Dumbleton, but they will have to play better than this if 
they want to get further in the competition ………  perhaps they need a bit of luck in some 
departments too!