Swarbrick stars with the ball for Chirk firsts while Holly shines in every department for second team

SHROPSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE

DIVISION ONE

SHIFNAL 2ND XI (5) 106-10 CHIRK 1ST XI (24) 139-10

Andrew Swarbrick has had a phenomenal season with the bat, but he excelled in the bowling department on Saturday.

The Chirk all-rounder took 5-32 as the visitors successfully defended a modest total of 139 at Shifnal.

A 33-run victory lifted the North Wales side to third in Division One, with just this Saturday’s match at Bomere Heath to play to round off the 2021 season.

Chirk were put in at Shifnal and bowled out for 139, Swarbrick top-scoring with an average effort by his standards of 27, taking him up to 794 league runs for the season.

The hosts were all out for 106, Nick Flack (3-27) and Luke Gardner (2-36) providing good support to main strike bowler Swarbrick.

DIVISION SEVEN

CHIRK 2ND XI (8) 203-10 FORTON 2ND XI (20) 220-7

Report: Andrew Edwards

A battling performance from nine-player Chirk Seconds in their 17 run defeat against Forton Seconds at The AAA’s, Holyhead Road saw plenty of positives to be taken from the match in both effort and, in the end, togetherness.

Ten player Forton Seconds, a village in Telford and Wrekin with a population of 308 in the 2011 census, won the toss and elected to bat.

The visitors made an aggressive and an impressive start as captain Stuart Henry (47) and Faz Parkar (37) put on over 80 at a rate of around six an over.

However, this could have been so different if Andrew Edwards, dropping an easy catch for the fourth match in succession, had taken a simple dolly at mid-on off Connor Bailey in the fifth over.

The partnership was finally broken when Parkar was dismissed lbw to Steve Conner.

Other noticeable contributors in Forton Seconds 220-7 off the allotted 40 overs were an accomplished, technically proficient 32 from 13-year-old Yuvraj Gill along with father and son George and Chris Edwards making 24 not out and 21 respectively.

The pick of the Chirk Seconds attack was Steve Conner with 2-34 as all five bowlers took a wicket.

However, special mention to Holly Walker, elder sister of Liam and daughter of Chirk stalwart Shaun, who started the innings keeping wicket before getting a victim with the ball by bowling top scorer Henry.

Later on, she took a sharp catch at point to dismiss the older Forton Seconds Edwards as well as the smart run out of David Alder for two.

In reply, Chirk Seconds bravely scored 203 in 35.1 overs with Connor Bailey (58), captain Ian Skinner (32), Steve Conner (24), George Collins (23) and Holly Walker with an almost match salvaging 22 not out.

Forton Seconds took 20 points to go 11th in the 15 team division as Chirk Seconds took eight to move a respectable fifth in Shropshire County Cricket League Division Seven.

Chirk Seconds round up the 2021 season on Saturday against Shifnal Fourths at The AAA’s, Holyhead Road.