2025 SCCL Premier Division Review 12th to 7th
By Jamie Dowley
Bridgnorth 12th - Perhaps a 12th placed finish came as little surprise to many people, I suspect even the club themselves realised it was probably going to be a difficult first year back in the SCCL, and after losing their first 7 games there was little way back for them. The batting was actually pretty decent all season, with 7 scores of 200 or above and in veteran Peter Scott who made 510 runs (and took 33 wickets) they had a cricketer who knows his way around the park and was the clear Player of the Season for them. Overseas Jed Schwarzbach also did well enough with 474 and 36 wickets albeit he couldn’t ever quite find a match winning performance. Of the other players, Ian Gregory made 460 runs and Fazl Ur Rehman took 30 wickets, but overall the attack was pretty toothless at times, and it can’t have been an easy job for the experienced Mark McPherson- Lees to rally the troops week after week. If they go down (and there is actually a fair chance they stay up) it may do them well to regroup although other big clubs such as Oswestry and Newport have yet to bounce back so nothing is certain.
Madeley 11th - It could be another good season to finish 11th for Madeley as just like in 2023 it looks like they may survive despite finishing in the standard relegation spots. A season that was overshadowed by the sudden passing of club and league legend Craig Simms, on the field it was a real struggle at times although overseas Mithun Jayawickrema impressed in his 2nd season, particularly with the bat, as he went without a fifty last season, but here he chipped in with 648 runs including 2 centuries as well as providing excellence with the ball in taking 45 wickets . The rest of the batting was disappointing only Anil Kumar and Joe Buttery averaged over 20 but the bowling was a little better, joint captain Martin Boyle (he seemed to share duties with Ollie Davis) took 34 wickets, although the side as a whole seemed to give away an extraordinary number of extras on a weekly basis. Definitely something to address for next season whichever division they are in. The highlight of the season was a one wicket win at Allscott who they did the double over, as they did to Newtown as well, as part of 6 wins overall. They do seem to have the ability to find a result when most needed. Availability was poor too with 27 players used in the first team, the most of any side, and overall it was a difficult and poignant season for the men from Park Street.
Newtown 10th - It was mission accomplished for the Mid Wales outfit who survived a fairly turbulent season to maintain their Premier Division status for 2026. With captain Dave Anthony snapping an achilles pre season ,the baton was first handed to Dave Laird, and ultimately to Ben Price, the new signing from the Kent league proving his worth with 550 runs which included centuries against Wellington and Wem. The mid season loss of Tom Anderson to Division 2 side Montgomery was a strange one, the seamer was actually top of the Premier averages at that stage (and finished there), but Nathan Smith had previously come the other way and his contribution in the 2nd half of the season together with that of Sam Baugh was absolutely invaluable to their survival. While home form was expected to be key, they actually only won 2 games at the Recreation Ground, with 5 coming on their travels, and they seemed to do much better against the “big” clubs. They did a comprehensive double over Wem, beat Quatt, Whitchurch and Allscott and would have won at Wellington too but for a late collapse, with their batting always being rather fragile and gung-ho although that approach was rightly tempered during the season. Baugh and Smith split 74 wickets equally at 13 and 15 apiece, while Laird often struck early with the new ball, he took 35 wickets at 14 as overall they had the best collective bowling figures in the division.
Whitchurch 9th - Well where do we start? As title defences go this was a shocker although the warning signs were there in a couple of pre season games, and then losing the first 4 league games meant there was no way back in terms of a challenge at the top. While their bowling attack really fired last year, this time it was hit and miss with Alex Heath the stand out, with 44 wickets, albeit as a young lad he understandably blew a bit hot and cold. When he was firing he was head and shoulders the best seamer in the league, and Shabbir Khan and Kash Hussain were decent as usual, but Dan Bowen and Shaf Ahmed had poor seasons by their high standards. The batting was equally inconsistent, Maz Hasnain scored 600 runs, and Iffy Khan 500 although the latter’s were mostly in the first half the season, while Mike Robinson returned from Shifnal and showed some class in a late run of form that saw him top the averages, and he is likely to be captain in 2026. A big problem was lack of runs from the lower order and tail compared to many teams around them who could recover when in early trouble. They were never a good fielding side even when they won the league and that didn’t change this time, while injuries affected an ageing side on a regular basis. Overall it’s a team that needs refreshing and no doubt chairman Iain Marsh has plenty of irons in the fire as they seek to bounce back. They have their method and they will stick to it. But two players they will be desperate to keep hold of are Heath and Ollie Dyson, the latter showing glimpses of his undoubted potential in a late run in the side.
Shelton 8th - The West Shrewsbury side will be relieved to have got out of this season positioned safely in lower mid-table after being badly let down by their initial overseas not arriving, and their subsequent replacement Yuvraj Sharma jumping ship after just 6 games. They were mainly held together by the runs of Saleh Ahmed (691 runs at 43) who is in contention for the team of the year and captain Simon Jones whose 53 wickets tied for the most in the Division. The Griffiths brothers played strong supporting roles as usual, Ross just shading Sam by 36 wickets to 35, while club stalwart Ben Matthews had a brilliant start with 290 runs in his first 3 knocks but only 130 thereafter. The pre-season talk of youngsters like Ryan Cumming and Freddie Salisbury making a contribution didn’t materialise as they were ensconced in lower teams. On their day they were a match for anyone, beating Wellington at home and nearly doing the same away but they were also capable of throwing in some poor displays such as a record fast hammering at St Georges. Once again they were consistently inconsistent like so many in the division this year. After four pretty successful years the captain is stepping down, with both Jack Morris and Saleh Ahmed in line to replace him according to sources. And you get the feeling they may need to recruit for next year as like so many Shrewsbury based clubs availability isn’t as good as it used to be.
Sentinel 7th - How they came to finish in the bottom half is rather a mystery, in fact they were permanently in the top 6 throughout the season until the last ball was bowled and Quatt overtook them, although I am sure Ed Ashlin and his side won’t lose too much sleep over it as with 10 wins and 8 defeats they were still in credit overall. On the batting front, 3 players scored over 500 runs , overseas Aaryan Dixit often threatened a big number and still had a decent first season here, while Ed Ashlin impressed with his rearguard actions of which there were plenty in the early season. Tom Griffiths also had a good season in the red ball although he really struggled in the white ball while in Connor Cheshire they have a keeper batsman who is one of the best in the SCCL, averaging over 30 is no mean feat. Last years breakthrough player Jacob Binnersley seemed to have a few yards more pace and can be pleased with his 30 wickets but in many games they struggled to make early inroads with the new ball with Ollie Wilson leaving after a game a real blow, so an opening bowler could be a priority signing for next season. All in all a steady- as- she- goes season, a side who will always be very competitive, but every 3-4 weeks they seem to have a bad day at the office. If they could cut that out they could kick on next year again, as they have a number of players who haven’t reached their peak yet..
