Market Drayton’s cricketers travelled to Frankton in their latest Shropshire Cricket League Division 1 match.
They were asked to bat on a difficult wicket but got off to a solid start, with openers John Upton and Paul Martin running well between the wickets.
With the score on 40-0 however, Upton (29) was removed by a fine diving catch and skipper Davies soon followed.
Thompstone was then given out lbw for 7 and when Martin joined him in the pavilion, Drayton looked to be in trouble.
At one stage, they were left on 60-6 but Will Evans (27 not out) played some fluent drives to keep the scoreboard ticking along.
He received good support from Richardson as the pair steered Drayton to a more respectable 103 all out, but that was again 50 runs below par.
Drayton’s opening bowlers did their best to start well as Jesse Thompstone removed Frankton’s opener with 10 runs on the board.
However, even with balls keeping low and popping up, Drayton could not oust the left-handed opener Eley.
Together with the Frankton number three, the pair rode their luck with some flashy strokes and made light work of a difficult wicket until skipper Davies was dismissed lbw.
However, this was too little too late for Drayton who remain bottom of the table and host fellow strugglers Pontesbury on Saturday.
The game represents a good chance for Drayton to get some much-needed points on the board in their fight to avoid the drop.