Captain Charlie Home said he was “very proud” of his side after Shropshire’s excellent run in this season’s NCCA Trophy ended in defeat by five wickets against Dorset in Sunday’s final.
Shropshire had won all six of their matches in the 50-over competition to reach the county’s first one-day final for 12 years, but it was to be Dorset’s day at Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club after they produced a strong performance.
Having lost early wickets, half centuries from Home and Tom Fell lifted the Shropshire total to 195. Dorset, in reply, then made assured progress to 198-5, hitting the winning runs off the first ball of the 47th over to enable skipper Luke Webb to lift the trophy.
“First and foremost, what a great campaign we’ve had,” said Home, who is in his third season as Shropshire captain. “Winning every game up until now is a fantastic effort. Sadly we were beaten by the better side on the day. I think in all three facets they’ve probably outplayed us.
“I would say the few quick early wickets put us slightly behind the game. We did well to get up to 195 and fought our hearts out with the ball and gave it our best shot, but sadly only managed to take a few wickets and they knocked it off, but we gave it our all.”
Home, whose side will now turn their attention to the start of the NCCA Championship campaign this weekend, added: “We kept fighting. We’ve got a great bunch of lads, a great team spirit, and I can’t have asked for any more. We gave it our all until the last ball, but sadly didn’t quite have enough, although we managed to take a few with us with taking those five wickets.
“This is a group that’s been together for the last two and a half, three years. A lot of the lads have grown up together, played a lot of cricket together. To do that with this group’s fantastic. We’ve sadly lost this, but bring on the three-dayers and hopefully we can win that.”
Shropshire elected to bat on a sweltering day in Chester, but they were quickly reduced to 18-2 and then 67-4 after losing two wickets in the 16th over.
Former Worcestershire batter Fell was then joined in the middle by Home and they combined well to put on 70 for the fifth wicket, with the partnership ended when Fell was out for 51 from 88 balls, which included six fours, immediately after a drinks break.
Home soon followed him back to the pavilion after playing well for 66 from 90 balls, with two sixes and eight fours, but wickets then continued to fall regularly as Shropshire were bowled out for 195 in the final over.
Opening bowler Joe Carson claimed 3-44 from 10 overs for Dorset, while there was also joy with the ball for Finn Gordon (2-21), Connor Smith (2-30) and Felix Organ (2-37).
Shropshire needed early wickets and they got one when Gordon was caught by George Hargrave off the bowling of Jacques Banton in the eighth over.
But Dylan Church, Dorset’s other opener, struck 53 and by the time he was the third wicket to fall, bowled by Ben Roberts, Dorset were well set at 127-3.
Hampshire all-rounder Felix Organ kept the scoreboard ticking over with 48, with Joe Eckland, a team mate for both Dorset and Hampshire, making 25 ahead of Alex Eckland seeing the job through with an unbeaten 28.
Shifnal seamer Roberts took 2-42 while there was a wicket apiece for Banton, Home and Joe Stanley, who bowled 10 tight overs for 1-27.
Ed Home, Shropshire’s head of cricket, said: “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved as a team. We won six straight games and obviously we fell just short in the final.
“But we were beaten by a strong Dorset side who in all honesty out performed us in all three disciplines, the bowling, the batting and the fielding, and they are thoroughly deserved champions of the 50-over competition.”
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Home said it had been “fantastic” for Shropshire to be involved in a final and thanked the supporters who travelled to Chester.
He added: “What we all have to remember as Shropshire supporters, which we all are, is four years ago we were in a very different place, Shropshire as a county and our senior cricket team.
“We were towards the bottom if not rock-bottom of all the competitions, and to be in a final – and last year we narrowly missed out on gaining promotion to the top division of the Championship Western Division – so I think it’s all good. I’m really happy with the way it’s going and we’ve got a great bunch of players.”
Shropshire will begin their NCCA Championship fixtures with a three-day match in Western Division Two against Cheshire starting at Whitchurch on Sunday (11am).
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