Shelton 144 Ludlow 145-2.

LUDLOW Cricket Club wound up their Marston’s Premier Division season with a comfortable victory at Shelton.

Skipper Neil Salisbury won the toss and decided to bowl and the opening attack of Will Sparrow and Ali Raza fully vindicated his decision.

Sparrow clean bowled three victims and Raza one to leave Shelton teetering on the abyss at 17-4.

Some stubborn resistance followed in a partnership between opener Williamson and Bayley to take the score up to 75 before Sparrow ripped through Williamson for a pivotal 37 off 74 balls.

Bayley soon succumbed to S Edwards and, although Griffiths anchored the lower order, Raza removed three more batsmen to finish with 4-36 off his 13.1 overs. Sparrow, in customary hostile fashion, returned figures of 5-17 off his 11 overs with five maidens. Shelton were all out for 144 in the 45th over.

Ryan Lockley and Tim Goldthorp launched the Ludlow reply with a highly satisfactory opening partnership of 76 before the latter was caught off the bowling of Williamson for 45, including seven fours. Despite losing Stanley to a run out, there were no further alarms and Lockley finished unbeaten on 48 from 132 balls, with four boundaries.

Ludlow eased to victory for the loss of two wickets in the 39th over to ensure a fourth -place finish.

l Ludlow 2nd just failed to repeat the dose when, despite restricting Shelton to 143-8 off their 50 overs, they were bowled out for 141 in the 33rd over. Opening batsmen P Curtis (45) and T Smith (37) gave the home team every chance of reaching their target, but the rest of the batting capitulated and fell frustratingly two runs short.