SHROPSHIRE COUNTY CLUB 2017 www.shropshireccc.co.uk

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Michael Place, Anchorage Avenue, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6FG t 01743 244933 e [email protected] @puretelecom /puretelecom pure-telecom.co.uk Contents Cover Feature (Steve Leach and Karl Krikkan at the start of the new season) ...... Front Cover Officers 2017...... 5 Sub Committees & Capped Players ...... 6 SCCC List of Members ...... 7 SCCC Fixtures 2017 ...... 8 President’s Report ...... 9 Chairman’s Review 2016 ...... 10 Secretary’s Report ...... 12 Captain’s Report 2016 ...... 14 Shropshire v Herefordshire – Trophy ...... 16 MCCA v Shropshire – Unicorns Trophy ...... 18 Shropshire v Cheshire – Unicorns Trophy ...... 20 Staffordshire v Shropshire – Unicorns Trophy ...... 22 Shropshire v Dorset – Unicorns Championship ...... 24 Oxfordshire v Shropshire – Unicorns Championship ...... 28 Shropshire v Cornwall – Unicorns Championship ...... 32 Shropshire v Berkshire – Unicorns Championship ...... 36 Cheshire v Shropshire – Unicorns Championship ...... 40 James Ralph ...... 43 Wiltshire v Shropshire – Unicorns Championship ...... 44 ResourceBank Challenge Event ...... 47 Shropshire v Worcestershire Rapids – T20 Challenge Match ...... 48 Development XI ...... 50 SCCC Career Averages ...... 52 SCCC Trophy Statistics ...... 53 SCCC Trophy Bowling Statistics ...... 54 SCCC Championship Batting Statistics ...... 55 SCCC Championship Bowling Statistics ...... 56 SCCC Accounts & Auditor’s Report ...... 58 SCCC Rules ...... 60

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3 Chairman’s Review 2016

As a club, I feel we can look forward with a sense of genuine optimism. It is fair to say that the last campaign was one of real highs and lows - both on and off the field - but there were many positives which should certainly stand the club in good stead as we look to the future. I thought we played some excellent cricket in the Unicorns Championship in Steve Leach’s first season as Shropshire captain and, having won four of our opening five matches, the possibility of ending our long wait for a second Minor Counties Championship triumph moved sharply into focus. We gained some very significant victories against Dorset, Oxfordshire, Cornwall and Cheshire, and it showed just what you can achieve if you are able to field a settled side. It was devastating for everyone connected with the club when it came to light that we had inadvertently fielded an ineligible player in the penultimate three-day fixture of the season at Cheshire and had to forfeit the 24 points gained from that match. It was a highly unfortunate situation that no-one could have envisaged. We have always strived to be as professional as we can be in everything that we do, so this came as a huge shock. It was a genuine administrative oversight and it has strengthened our resolve to make us look at everything we do so much closer. We will now update our internal governance and roles of responsibility to ensure lessons are learnt. Steve led the side well in his first summer at the helm while we were delighted with the contributions of David Wainwright and Alex Wyatt, who both impressed in their opening season as our professionals. They were both excellent with Alex always dangerous when he opened the bowling and David was equally impressive with bat and ball. I am delighted they have both agreed to play for the county again in the 2017 campaign. While our Championship performances were of a consistently high standard, there remains room for improvement in one-day cricket and we were unable to progress from the group stages in the Unicorns Knockout Trophy. Our annual hospitality day at Wrekin College last July was once again a phenomenal success, the best we’ve had, with more than 700 guests from the local business community supporting the event and also enjoying some entertaining cricket in two matches. I would like to place on record my thanks to Richard Pearson of ResourceBank for loyally supporting this event through sponsorship for the last 10 years. We now look forward to working closely with Matt Sandford and Pure Telecom, the new sponsors, who have signed a three-year deal which we are very excited about. We are grateful for all the backing we continue to receive from local companies and I am delighted that Besblock will now be our new Championship shirt sponsors. Last season’s other highlights included the success of our Development Festival at Shrewsbury School, which allowed our young players the chance to play against academy sides from three first-class counties.

10 It was also a pleasure to again host Worcestershire Rapids in a T20 challenge match at Shifnal. We are pleased to have established very close links with the Pears and congratulations to , one of our popular former players, on being appointed as Worcestershire captain for the 2017 season. The continued progress of the likes of local lads Joe Clarke and at New Road is also a source of great pride to the club. I would also like to offer my congratulations to James Ralph, such a loyal servant to Shropshire CCC, on joining the select group of players to have represented the club in 100 Championship matches towards the end of last season. Two dedicated members of the club’s commitee stepped down the winter, with vice- chairman Brian Foxall, also the chairman of selectors, deciding the time was right to retire, while Claire Green has relinquished the role of treasurer. We are very sorry they will no longer be part of the committee and, as fantastic stalwarts of the club, we thank them for their loyal service and wish them both well. Behind the scenes, we are extremely fortunate to have so many people working hard to drive the club forward. Karl Krikken continues to impress as director of cricket and is widely respected in the game while I would also like to thank secretary Richard Lees, team manager and scorer Colin Barthorpe who, together with men like Gary Davies and Ian Roe, carry out important roles for the club. Thank you, too, to our loyal supporters who continue to give the team such excellent support, both in home and away matches. I look forward to meeting up with you soon and hopefully we can all enjoy a successful summer. Enjoy the season. Toby Shaw, Chairman

11 Shropshire v Herefordshire UNICORNS KNOCKOUT TROPHY Sunday, April 24th 2016 at Shrewsbury CC

Herefordshire won by 7 Shropshire 0 points Herefordshire 2 points Shropshire Herefordshire R. K. Oliver b Burgoyne 30 M. Pardoe c Wainwright b Aucott 9 S. Leach c Pardoe b Conway 5 L. Gwynne c Oliver b Blofield 38 O. M. Ali b McIlroy 21 N. Pinner c Oliver b Wyatt 11 O. Westbury st Milton b Burgoyne 11 D. Ball 40 R. Lockley lbw b Burgoyne 0 C. Whittock not out 24 R. Clarke c Exall b Burgoyne 3 A. Milton+ R. Aucott lbw b Conway 1 D. Exall D. Wainwright lbw Pinner 2 P. Burgoyne A. Parker+ c Milton b Pardoe 27 L. Smith H. Blofield lbw b Pinner 6 D. Conway A. Wyatt not out 4 J. McIlroy Extras 1b 1lb 16w 2nb 0pen 20 Extras 1b 5lb 3w 0nb 0pen 9 Total (10 wickets, 41.3 overs) 130 Total (3 wickets, 30.2 overs) 131 Fall of the Wickets Fall of the Wickets 7 65 79 83 86 87 91 95 124 130 17 34 78 Bowling D. Conway 8.0 2 23 2 A. Wyatt 10.0 0 35 1 D. Ball 6.0 1 10 0 R. Aucott 3.2 0 17 1 J. McIlroy 6.0 0 28 1 R. K. Oliver 2.4 0 9 0 L. Smith 2.0 0 18 0 H. Blofield 6.2 30 1 0 P. Burgoyne 10.0 1 27 4 D. Wainwright 8.0 1 34 0 N. Pinner 7.0 1 20 2 M. Pardoe 2.3 1 2 1

New Shropshire captain Steve Leach admitted “we’ve had a bad day at the office” after the county opened the season with a disappointing seven- defeat against Herefordshire in the Unicorns Trophy. Shropshire’s below par total of 130 at Shrewsbury’s Road ground never looked likely to be enough to usher in a winning start to the campaign – and so it proved as the visitors eased to victory inside 31 overs with plenty of time and wickets in hand. Leach pointed to losing the toss as important and Shropshire found runs hard to come by as they stumbled from a promising 79-2 to 95-8. A late flourish from experienced wicketkeeper Anthony Parker, who cracked 27 down the order, boosted the score, but opener Richard Oliver, who top scored with 30 on his Shropshire return after two years in the first-class game with Worcestershire, and Omar Ali (21) were the only other men to pass 20.

16 “We lost an important toss,” said Leach. “I think it was a little bit green, a little bit soft the pitch. I didn’t think the ball really came onto the bat as well as it might have done. It’s difficult to play shots and you could see with some of the dismissals that was the case. “Credit to the Herefordshire bowlers as they bowled well. They bowled a lot of dot balls. They bowled well as a partnership and then the spinners bowled really well in the middle overs and we went from being 70-2 to 90-8. “It’s just disappointing that we didn’t quite get as many runs as we could have done. I think another 20 runs or so, another 30 runs, it would have been a lot more of a challenge for them in the run chase.” Former Derbyshire offspinner Peter Burgoyne inflicted much of the damage with the ball, taking 4-27. Shropshire needed early wickets to make a game of it and Ross Aucott removed visiting skipper Matthew Pardoe for nine. It quickly became 34-2 when Alex Wyatt marked his county debut following his arrival from Leicestershire by getting rid of Neil Pinner, another Worcestershire old boy in the Herefordshire ranks. But only one more wicket – taken by Shrewsbury youngster Henry Blofield – fell as Herefordshire made assured progress to 131-3, with Dave Ball (40no), Liam Gwynne (38) and Chris Whittock (24no) seeing the job through for the happy visitors. Umpires: A. Harris & I. Herbert Scorers: C. Barthorpe & J. Morris

The Shropshire team face the camera ahead of their 2016 season opener against Herefordshire at London Road.

17 Shropshire Club vs C An Invitation XI H E A L L E N G

Thursday 6th July 2017 Wrekin College Wellington, Telford 11.00am - 40 overs You are invited to join us in the Pure Telecom hospitality suite Cost £750 for a table of 10 For further information of the hospitality day, please contact Toby Shaw 01743 243900 or email [email protected]

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