Market Drayton IIs hosted Knockin and Kinnerley IIs in Shropshire Cricket League Division 5 last Saturday. The visitors lost the toss and were put in to bat.
Drayton opened the bowling with Sam Allen (1 - 27) and Neil Coxall (1 - 39) as Knockin looked to put Drayton on the back foot - as they did at their ground earlier in the season.
Allen was first to take a wicket, dismissing Knockin and Kinnerley’s opening batsmen for just one run.
Next in was danger man S.Bradbury who tried to hit every ball for six, but it wasn’t long before he was caught in the deep by Charles Harrison off Coxall’s bowling for two.
It looked like it was going to be Drayton’s day but the visitor’s next few batsmen had other ideas.
With Coxall and Allen off, on came Darren Kent (3 - 56) and Chris Edwards (2 - 30).
Both bowlers did well, holding a good line and length, but the Knockin batsmen had their eyes set on a big total and were looking to make runs at every opportunity.
They were put down a number of times with dropped catches in the field and with Edwards off, youth bowler Johnny Harrison came on (1 for 
and the batsmen found it hard to read his deliveries and were hard-pressed to make any runs.
Charles Harrison (2 - 6) also entered the attack and made an immediate impact in his first over.
With Knockin’s batsmen looking to go after the bowlers to put a decent total on the board, opener Sam Allen was brought back to keep the runs down.
It was a day that Drayton’s bowlers could be proud of, bowling the visitors out for 171 off 44.3 overs, more than 100 less then when they met at the start of the season.
After lunch, Drayton openers Neil Coxall and Nigel Green looked to make a good start for the rest of the team to build on.
Unfortunately, Green was run out after a mix-up in the fourth over and in came Charles Harrison who did little and was bowled by a yorker for just two.
Drayton didn’t look like they were going to get anywhere near the total required and sensing this, Knockin piled on the pressure.
Sam Allen was trapped lbw a duck which brought Drayton’s last reliable batsmen Bruce Harris to the crease, with just 16 on the board.
Harris and Neil batted well and put on a decent partnership before Coxall was caught for eight.
The next two wickets of Darren Kent and Johnny Harrison fell in the next three overs, bringing Drayton’s tally to a very dismal 45.
Resilience
With only Harris showing any resilience to the Knockin bowlers, who seemed to be knocking the stuffing out of Drayton’s batsmen, it was time for a hero and anchorman to come in before things got worse.
In came Chris Edwards who was eventually bowled for 10, but his score does little to show the effort he put in with Harris.
Between them, they put on a combined partnership of more than 105 for nearly 30 overs and irritated the bowlers and fielders by alternating the strike.
Harris hit a number of boundaries, but the key to their total was their sharp running and stealing of runs that soon made the total seem reachable.
Knockin could now sense the game was turning in favour of the home side and with that, they brought back their opening bowlers, too little effect.
Finally in the 42nd over, Edwards was bowled and with only 12 runs needed, Harris off strike and new batsmen Matt Appleby on strike, it was exactly what Knockin wanted.
They tied down the batsmen and in the last over, with only three runs needed to win, Harris and Appleby tried to sneak two.
However, Knockin did superbly well to limit the tiring Harris (111 not out) to a single and with Appleby (2 not out) feeling the pressure as well, all the fielders were brought in to save any singles.
It was not to be Drayton’s day as they finished on 170 for 7 off their 45 overs.
This was a very well-deserved losing draw for Drayton as both teams took home 12 points.
Credit must go to Edwards and man of the match Harris for their century partnership.
This Saturday, Market Drayton IIs travel to Tibberton IIs.
