2026 SCCL Village 100 Finals Day Preview
By Matt Porter
Many of us on the SCCL committee management spend the long winter evenings thinking of cricket matters, and the concept of the Village KO was something that came from that thinking. For many years we had noticed a large drop off in the participation of lower divisional teams in our Challenge 100. The obvious thinking was that the competition had all become a bit one sided, with most finalists coming from division 2, meaning that many of the teams in the lowest Saturday divisions were not interested in playing. A plan was hatched to change the Challenge to first teams from division 2 to 4, and to launch a new competition for those 1st teams in division 5 to 8. This idea was unanimously approved by the SCCL committee and we found that 8 clubs were keen to give it a go.
So it is great to be on the verge of our first ever Village 100 finals day, which is to be held at Wellington CC on Sunday 02/08/26.
The first semi-final is set to begin at 10:30 am, where Corvedale CC will be playing Hodnet and Peplow CC.
The second semi-final is planned for 1:30 pm, featuring Cae Glas CC against Pontesbury CC.
In this article, I will examine each club, evaluating their form, key players, and potential threats as we approach finals day.
Corvedale CC
Corvedale will be the first to say that they are the “David” of the competition, as they currently play their league cricket in Division 8. However, this lower division status is nothing to be quaffed at as they have already punched well above their weight to get to finals day.
They were drawn in the Southern half of the draw, where in the quarter finals they had a home tie against division 5’s Bishops Castle. This match looked quite a turgid and attritional game, where the ball very much dominated the bat. Corvedale batted first and found themselves at 16 for 4 owing to the great opening spell of Edgar Whatley. There was some middle order fightback with Freddy Brick and skipper Ian Dudley getting to double figures, but the innings came to an end at 70/9.
They must’ve gone into the 2nd innings thinking that the writing was on the wall, however, Sher Zahid opened the bowling for the ‘dale and performed brilliantly to take 3 wickets with fellow opener Pete Lewis taking 2. This combined with wickets from Jim Alderson left Bishops Castle all out for 65 in 91 balls.
I have spoken to club secretary and Mr Corvedale, Ian Alderson about their availability ahead of finals day. “After a difficult year 3 seasons ago, recruitment has gone well with a great bunch of new players joining us. The squad for Sunday's finals day will be a mixture of the old guard - Glyn Tipton, Ade Monteith, Chris Moore, David Golightly and myself .We will be Joined by newer players in Pete Lewis, Nick Howell and Alex Clewlow. Two players who aren't able to make it are Patrick Howells and John Furniss- both will be a big miss on Sunday.”
I asked Ian how they’re feeling about the day “Corvedale are delighted to be taking part in the 2026 Village Finals Day at Wellington Cricket Club. Our aim is to go as far as we can but to enjoy ourselves and have some fun on the field and in the bar after the day.”
Porter’s Prediction - This author thinks that Corvedale may have a reasonable chance of progressing to the final, but ultimately I think the odds are stacked against them. However, if their key performers such as Sher Zahid, Jim Alderson, Glyn Tipton and Dave “Disco” Golightley all perform on the day, they really can challenge Hodnet.
Hodnet and Peplow CC
The team from north Shropshire currently ply their trade in division 5 of the SCCL (having been relegated in 2024), where they sit 9th at the moment. They have had mixed results in the league and are using 2026 to build themselves back up. Like with many clubs in the lower divisions, availability is always on their mind, but when they’re at full strength, Hodnet and Peplow can really compete in the division.
They faced division 8 side Harcourt in the quarter finals and were drawn away, and like with the Corvedale/Bishops Castle match, the game was really dominated by the ball. Harcourt batted first and started steadily, however, the bowling of Chris Stretch and Robert Mottershed was key as they restricted their opponents to 76 all out after 73 balls. The run chase was a simple affair for Hodnet and Peplow with the team reaching the target in 70 balls for the loss of 2 wickets, booking their spot on Finals day.
I spoke to club captain Kevin George and asked about the availability on the day “Availability the bane of my week! The football season encroaches so early nowadays, this combined with work commitments and family ties, means that Saturdays can be a struggle, so I am delighted to say that we currently have 15 players available for selection on Sunday, which is a stark contrast to our Saturday availability!”
Who do you think will be the key players on the day? “We are looking good with many of our key performers available, Matt Cowap will be great to have with the bat as he can be very destructive on his day. In addition, I am pleased to have Ed Lewis available for selection as he is back from his honeymoon, Ed joined us from Claverley and has been a great asset to the side where he averaged over 40 in 2025 with the bat, and under 15 with the ball, he will be key on the day.”
How do you rate your chances? “There is excitement and positive vibes at the club, we have had very close games against fellow finalists Cae Glas and Pontesbury, but Corvedale are very much unknown. However, if we play to our potential, take our chances and get the rub of the green, I think we have a good chance of being victorious on the day. Regardless of the result, we will try to have as much fun and look forward to playing at Wellington on the main pitch and enjoying their facilities.”
Porter’s Prediction - I see a club that is rebuilding after several difficult years. The addition of Ed Lewis is key, having seen Ed play for Bridgnorth CC 1st XI and Cleobury Mortimer CC in the past, I think he will be the main difference on the day.
Cae Glas CC
The team from the Gatacre currently sit 5th in division 5 and are only 32 points off the leaders, Knockin and Kinnerley CC 2nd XI. They are a team on the up, having gained promotion from division 6 in 2025 after finishing as runners up.
The Oswestry based side were drawn away against division 6 and nearby neighbours, Whittington CC, who fielded first. Cae Glas started poorly and were 0 for 1 and 9 for 2, however number 3 batter Andrew Priest was the main man on the day as he carried his bat for 42 from 48 balls. Andrew was supported by skipper Matt Coulson (11) and Matt Philips (10) alongside some generous 38 extras to get their score up to 131/8 from the 100 balls. Whittington, like Cae Glas, found themselves at 0 for 1, a recovery was found by Andrew Grifiths scoring 37 from 26, but no one else from Whittington really got going as Gary Davies 2/16 and Chris Sproulle 2/17 restricted the run scoring opportunities, finishing on 115/5 from 100.
I have spoken to Cae Glas captain Matt Coulson ahead of the day, I stated by asking about their availability “the team is looking tidy, with a great mixture of youth and experience. I am pleased to have our star bowler Matt Phillips fully fit, however we are missing George Jones due to a shoulder injury. I am excited to see how our youngster Josh Smith will get on, he recently made his 1st XI debut where he took 2 wickets, so I hope that he can replicate this form on Sunday.”
How are the team looking forward to it? “They’re really looking forward to it, we haven't been in the KO competition for the past few years so it is very pleasing to get to finals day. This competition is a great opportunity for the smaller clubs to have some time in the limelight.”
Porter’s Prediction - Once again, I see a club well and truly on the up with good cricketers in their ranks. Gary Davies has been a stalwart of this club for many years and his all round ability aids the side. In addition, Andrew Priest is churning out the league runs with an average this year of 84.33, so if he is playing on Sunday, I suspect he will be a threat to Pontesbury.”
Pontesbury CC
This is a club that has had a very tough time over the past few years. In 2022 they were in Division 2, however 3 successive relegations now sees them in division 5. Despite this, there are some positives, they reached the semi finals of the Challenge 100 in 2025. In addition, they’re rebuilding and currently sit 3rd in division 5, they go into finals day as the highest placed side of the 4 and will be looking to go all the way.
Pontesbury were drawn in the south section of the competition, where they travelled over to Chelmarsh CC for their quarter final match. Chelmarsh batted first, but runs were hard to come by as Pontesbury’s Austin Lewis-Lakelin had a great day with the ball, taking 3/18 from his 20 balls. He was supported by Tom Edwards and Alex McKay who both took 2 wickets to restrict Chelmarsh to 71/8.
Pontesbury’s chase was not straightforward with no batter really standing out, Rob Hartshorn scored 10, captain Jake Edwards with 11 and Daniel Walker joint top scoring with extras at 15 runs, however this was enough to get them over the line by 5 wickets with no Chelmarsh bowler getting more than 1 wicket each.
I asked captain Jake Edwards about his team “We are looking strong for Sunday, one of if not the best team we have put out this season! We are missing a couple of regulars though through injury and other commitments. They include Chris Edwards, James Moss, Owen Morris and Emily Churms.”
How are the team feeling ahead of the day? “We are feeling very optimistic about Sunday coming off the back of what has been a very good season for us so far.”
Porter’s Prediction - Like with most teams availability is key, and we know that when the star players are on show, Pontesbury will be tough to beat. Alex McKay has been brilliant this year and is averaging 55 with the bat and 20 with the ball. He is aided by Matt Hartshorn, who has scored over 400 runs at 50 and Mark Valentine who has taken 19 wickets at 8.2. If these 3 all perform on the day, then I see Pontesbury heading for the final, and more than likely the trophy
Summary
Whatever the result on the day, this event is so important as it really puts the focus on the SCCL lower divisional teams. So often we hear about the Premier division, however without these singleton and lower division 1st XIs, we would not have the support network for the higher divisions. In terms of results, I think ultimately this will go with the form book.
I managed to successfully predict the winner for the Premier 100, but I am not sure that I will get it right for the Village 100.
We all love an underdog and Corvedale fills that title, but I think in semi final 1, Hodnet and Peplow will prevail.
In semi final 2, this could go either way but I see Pontesbury winning this game.
In terms of the winner of the final, I predict that Pontesbury will become our inaugural Village 100 champions, however the final will be a close run affair.
