Fantastic Five reveals Shropshire cricket’s top performers

Whether setting up imposing totals, rescuing tricky chases or producing decisive all-round displays, each earned their place with a performance that swung the contest in their side’s favour.

Harry Lunt, Frank Lloyd, Matthew Cohen, Tom Welti and Roman Walker all delivered when it mattered most, starring for their clubs and county with bat, ball or both. Here is our selection of the five standout performers from another action-packed week of cricket.

Tom Welti — Frankton
Tom Welti delivered the standout all-round performance as Frankton beat Bomere Heath by two wickets in Division One. He took 3-53 as Bomere Heath were dismissed for 212, then led the reply with a superb 80.

Frankton’s chase began strongly through Ryan Kruger’s 48 and George Dickin’s 46, but the visitors were put under pressure when they slipped from 134-3 to 174-7. Welti held the innings together through that collapse, taking Frankton close to their revised target before Morgan Roberts and George Austin completed the win at 213-8.

His contribution mattered at both key stages of the match: his wickets helped prevent Bomere Heath from building an even bigger total after Dax Hardman’s 64, while his 80 supplied the backbone of a chase that could easily have unravelled. In a narrow, result-defining victory, Welti’s impact with bat and ball was decisive.

Roman Walker — Shropshire
Roman Walker produced a match-winning all-round display as Shropshire claimed their first three-day NCCA Cluberley Championship win of the season, beating Wales by six wickets at Bridgnorth. The former Oswestry, Leicestershire and Glamorgan all-rounder took exceptional figures of 8-44 from 18.5 overs as Wales were dismissed for 166 in their first innings.

Walker’s spell did the bulk of the damage, with Sami Khan’s 43 and captain Cameron Herring’s 36 the only significant resistance in the Wales line-up. He then added a rapid 52 as Shropshire turned their strong first-innings position into a total of 348, after Finn Jones’ 78, Harry Chandler’s 71 and Seb Scott’s 60 had built the platform.

Wales responded strongly second time around, led by Rhodri Lewis’ 108, and set Shropshire 170 to win. But Joe Johnson’s attacking 64 and Scott’s unbeaten 58 from 28 balls took Shropshire to 175-4 and secured victory; Walker’s eight-wicket haul and quick-fire half-century had already placed them firmly ahead in the game.

Harry Lunt — Chirk IIs
Harry Lunt made 119 as Chirk IIs reached 262-9 against Cae Glas IIs at Gatacre. His century was the backbone of the innings, with Rob Williams’ 50 offering the principal support.

Chirk’s total gave them a strong chance of victory, particularly after Cae Glas had to negotiate the full 40 overs in reply. The hosts lost regular wickets, but contributions from Fawad Ahmadi, Elliot Mochan and Tim Smith eventually enabled them to close on 201-6 and secure the draw.

Lunt’s innings was still crucial because it established a total that put Cae Glas under sustained pressure throughout their reply. A century in a declaration-style, points-based match has major value even when the opposition successfully bats out time.

Frank Lloyd — Frankton IIs
Frank Lloyd scored 107 as Frankton IIs declared on 284-2 against Bomere Heath IIs at Hardwick Park. He shared an opening partnership of 181 with Cian Jones, who fell just short of a century on 95.

Lloyd’s innings gave Frankton the platform to declare aggressively, with Mark Coleman’s unbeaten 33 and Lloyd Phillips’ unbeaten 38 extending the total beyond 280. It allowed the bowlers enough time and runs to force the result.

Bomere Heath were eventually dismissed for 151, giving Frankton a 133-run victory. Lloyd’s century was the defining first-innings performance in a comprehensive team success.

Matthew Cohen — Wem
Matthew Cohen made 62 in Wem’s two-wicket Premier Division win over Shrewsbury IIs, as they chased 235 with 27 balls to spare. He arrived with Wem in trouble after early wickets and helped rebuild the innings when the visitors had slipped to 118-5.

Cohen added 91 for the sixth wicket with Harry Astley, who scored 42, taking Wem to 209-6 and putting the chase back in their hands. That partnership was the pivotal phase of the match after Shrewsbury’s 234 had looked a demanding target.

Wem still required composure at the end, eventually reaching 235-8 through Martyn Davies and Tom Astley. Cohen’s innings made the difference between a fragile recovery and a position from which Wem could finish the chase.