Minor Counties Championship Round Up

THERE was an unmistakable clatter of timber on the opening day of the new Minor Counties Championship season, with Shropshire's curtain-raiser with Oxfordshire seeing 27 wickets fall for just 234 runs.

Both sides were dismissed for less than 100 in their first innings, and Oxfordshire ended the day in dire straits on 47 for seven in their second, holding an overnight lead of just 48 runs.

Adam Shimmons (five for 61) and new Shropshire professional Kevin Evans (four for 22) combined to remove Oxfordshire for 94, but Shropshire fared no better against Keith Arnold (six for 32) and only the efforts of skipper Bryan Jones (44) got them to within one run of the Oxfordshire total. But Shropshire were soon back in the driving seat as Shifnal seamer Shimmons took his tally of victims for the day to 10 with second innings figures of five for 33.

Craig Haupt, Oxfordshire's South African born newboy who has qualified to play as an Englishman this season, was dismissed first ball by Shimmons in both innings on his Championship debut.

An unbeaten 93 from Mike Newbold helped Wales get within 29 runs of Berkshire's first innings total at Hungerford. Newbold hit 14 fours, but skipper Colin Metson's decision to declare 25 minutes from the close, with the intention of having 15 minutes at the Berkshire second innings, was then thwarted by bad light. Julian Wood (70 not out) and Lee Nurse (54) had been at the forefront of the Berkshire innings of 204 for five off 50 overs. Harshad Patel, the Herefordshire skipper, began the season by making 91 not out on a rain-curtailed opening day against Dorset at Colwall, while Cumberland began their defence of the trophy by racing to the maximum four batting points against Hertfordshire at Barrow, with 17-year-old debutant David Barnes making a useful 58.

Minor Counties Championship
Hungerford: Berks 204-5 (JR Wood 70 not, LH Nurse 54) Wales 175-2 (MJ Newbold 93 not)
Shrewsbury: Oxfordshire 94 (AM Shimmons 5-61, KP Evans 4-22) & 47-7 (AM Shimmons 5-33) Shropshire 93 (KA Arnold 6-32)
Barrow: Hertfordshire 212-7 (MR Evans 78, MA Sharp 4-50) & 21-2 Cumberland 228-6 (DE Barnes 58, JD Glendenen 56)
Colwall: Hereford 225-2 (HV Patel 91 not, RD Hughes 66, I Dawood 59) Dorset 87-3
Bourne: Lincs v Staffs. No play - rain.