[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Warm-Up

vs Shropshire

London Road, Shrewsbury

Salop innings: Renewing an acquaintance that first began on Hartlebury Common in August 1844 (with no fewer than seven Worcestershire ducks in an innings that nosedived to 27 all out), the Pears travelled to London Road for the first time since June 2012, where opponents Shropshire won the toss and elected to bat under a cloudy sky.  There were four first-team debuts, and the new boys were straight into the action as Canadian-born 19-year-old Olly Cox took a diving catch at mid-wicket to give Ben Gibbon his first wicket and see off George Hargrave for 4, before 18-year-old Harry Darley rattled in like a javelin-thrower and beat the attempted drive of ex-Pear Tom Fell with a full ball that clattered middle and off for 1.  With his nagging stump-to-stump line, a little bit of nip in off a full length was enough for Gibbon to beat Andre Bradford's forward defensive and bowl him through the gate for 9 in the seventh over, and an almost identical delivery in Gibbo's next over drew a rather wild on-drive from Jack Home with the same result; ball through the gate, off stump cartwheeling for a six-ball duck.  At 23-4 Shropshire managed a much-needed nine-over rebuild, but added only 19 runs before Josh Baker had skipper Charlie Home caught and bowled off a leading edge for 10, and Cameron Jones picked up his maiden scalp by bowling Matty Simmonds for 5.  67-6 at the halfway stage, a run-out from Olly Cox saw off Ben Lees for 23, and Sam Ellis was caught at slip for 4 to provide us with a rare Jake Libby wicket, leaving the hosts 105-8 after thirty-two overs.  The pace of Darley then polished things off in double-quick time as ex-Pear Ollie Westbury - who'd played a truly fantastic hand for Shropshire in the circumstances with six fours in his half-century, one of only three men in the opposition to reach double figures or even find the boundary - was caught behind for 56, and the incoming Ben Parker was given LBW for a third-ball duck to end the Salop innings with nine overs to spare and set a target of 125 to win.  Alas, the weather had other ideas, and Worcestershire were unable to commence the chase as the rain forced an abandonment, but a few valuable cameos have given us a glimpse of what young talent we might see in the coming weeks, as well as the chance to see the likes of Tom Fell and Ollie Westbury thriving in their new home.

Match ABANDONED