Despite reducing the hosts to 43-7 chasing 173 to win, a counter-attacking 76 from Tom Astley almost gave Wem the win in the north Shropshire side's first season in the Birmingham League, but Bridgnorth were able to hold on to win by a single run to stay top of Group 1.

Boundaries were hard to come by on a slow outfield, as a 107-run fifth wicket partnership between Simon Gregory (80 not out) and Ben Lees (49) was the key to a first innings total of 172-6 off 40 overs.

Wem's top order were then knocked over thanks to a brace of wickets apiece from Dan Kearsley, Dave Exall and Sam Baugh, before the lower order fightback became one of the stories of this year's unusual league season. It came down to Matty Simmonds to take the crucial late wicket of Astley, before conceding only eight runs off the final over when ten were needed by the home side.

At Cricket Meadow, Bridgnorth were indebted to a fine all-round performance from Ross Hurdley, as a stuttering effort with the bat against an accurate bowling attack saw them pegged back to 123-7. Despite only Cam Wallis and Niall McAdam being able to pass 20 in the top six, Hurdley counter-attacked in eye-catching fashion towards the end of the innings with a 33-ball 40 to lift the hosts up to a competitive 174 all out.

The St Georges top order then built carefully but were kept in check by Bridgnorth's seam bowlers, with Cam Wallis and Lewis Hurdley particularly miserly. But the middle order upped the rate in the last ten overs, and the nerves showed with a number of dropped catches in the field.

But Ross Hurdley made some key breakthroughs in the final stretch, and held his nerve in the last over when two big hits saw just seven runs needed off the last three balls, finishing with figures of 4-43.