The 1st team showed once again that a mixture of fantastic team spirit, an inspirational captain, determined players and a number of fantastic individual performances are a great recipe for success. The Cricket Meadow men have made a habit in recent times of proving their doubters wrong, and now find themselves seen as a genuinely dangerous side in every game they play.

Sam Whitney has led the side in superb fashion, with runs and wickets at vital times, leading his boyhood club with pride and passion. Adam Quiney has proved a sensational addition to the side, with a number of excellent all-round performances leading to being the leading wicket taker in Birmingham League Division One and Minor Counties call-up for Shropshire at Cricket Meadow.

Sam Baugh enjoyed a remarkable break-out season. After switching to left-arm spin he cemented a first team spot with a range of reliable performances, as well as leading the U19 Badgers with characteristic panache and enthusiasm. Gareth Mumford enjoyed yet another faultless year behind the stumps – you will be hard pushed to find a better natural gloveman at any level of the game.

Ian Gregory proved that hard work and commitment really do pay off, as he enjoyed an excellent second-half of the season to finish as Bridgnorth’s leading run-scorer, whilst Ryan Lockley became the second Cricket Meadow batsman to score a century in Division One.
Whilst they may have fallen agonisingly short of claiming a spot in the Premier Division for the first time after a rollercoaster final day of the season, all of the players can look back at a remarkable year with immense pride, and be genuinely excited by what 2019 holds in store.

The second team dominated their league by accruing the highest number of points in the entire Birmingham League. A powerhouse batting line-up regularly drowned sides in runs, with 13 fifties and 5 hundreds scored during the season.

Ollie Gill once again led from the front in determined fashion at the top of the order, regularly partnered by the left-handed exuberance of Andy Carson. But it was the middle order that often overcame teams with a powerful, attacking stroke-play that rendered bowlers as mere cannon fodder. Ben Lees displayed his immense talent and will surely be rewarded with a regular first team spot next year, whilst Ben Barclay, Matt Martin and Niall McAdam all produced match-winning innings. Mentions must also go to Karl Quiney and Tom Weaver for their centuries that are both contenders for this year’s performance of the season.

Once again the bowling was led by the accuracy and guile of Cam Wallis, and the left-armed pacey threat of Dan Kearsley. No team was ever really allowed to get away thanks to a range of controlled efforts with the ball, with the ever reliable seam options of Ross Hurdley, Matt Martin and James Dawkins backed up by occasional spin from Alex Yarnley and Sam Baugh, before his first team call-up. Many more also deserve a mention for their efforts in a league title winning year, but the final word must go to Steve Caine, whose five-wicket haul on the last game of the season proved hugely fitting.

The third team also went through the entire season unbeaten… just don’t mention league rules!

Ben Taylor captaincy saw a side mixed with experience and youthful exuberance find a way to win games from any position, showing an infectious desire to succeed, whilst also playing the game in the right way.

Richard Ealey dug in at the top of the order and deservedly finished as leading run-scorer, but Niall McAdam demonstrated his immense talent as an attacking middle-order batsman, capable of winning games from any position. Guy Black found good form towards the end of the season, whilst Ben Taylor and Jack Welch both produced important innings when they mattered. Honourable mentions must also go to Jake Millichamp, whose maiden senior half century rescued the team from their worst position of the year, Joe Smallman, Alex Yarnley and James Dawkins.

Despite the weight of runs, it was the bowling that set Bridgnorth apart from anyone else in Division Four this year. A battery of accurate seam bowlers never let teams off the hook, with Matt Bowler-Jones, Alex Thomas, Jake Millichamp, Ben Cresswell, Will Buxton, Charlie Walker, and latterly James Dawkins, stifling teams before going in for the kill.

As for the fourth team, well it feels like they won the league months ago… because they did! Over 100 points separated them and second-placed Alberbury, in a year littered with exceptional performances. The Roberts trio of Albert, Norman and Henry, whose combined age will be less than some of the opposing players this year, provided a solid foundation to the batting effort, but the headlines were taken by James White and Ben Cresswell for the memorable 199-run partnership out of 339-3 on the last game of the season.

The bowlers invariable made short work of teams this year, often helped out by excellent fielding displays. Alex Starr and Morgan Penny led the way with the ball, whilst Andrew Rumble and Huw Morgan proved more than worthy backup options, as well as with the new ball. Once again many others chipped in with creditable performances… but I’m starting to run out of space!

So how to sum up the 2018 season, a number of words spring to mind.

Record-breaking, remarkable, triumphant, dominant, unprecedented… they could all be used, and all have been used to describe the performances we’ve seen this year. Everyone will have their own view, and everyone will have their own amazing memories of this year.
And there will be many more to come in 2019!