WILL Gough celebrated his return to the Ludlow 1st XI with a seasonal-best 75 not out as the Burway boys won on the road at weakened Wroxeter Grove.

Gough, whose previous innings was 54 not out for the 3rds three weeks ago, played his full part in a Ludlow revival after the Wroxeter opening bowlers had caused them early problems.

Spirited half-centuries from Gough, Harry Martin and Edward Riley pulled things around from a parlous 29-4 to allow Ludlow to declare on a worthy 259-6 off 45 overs.

Will Sparrow had started the recovery with 31 but Martin (58 off 39 balls, including 11 fours), Riley (55 not out off 67) and Gough (ten fours in his 75 not out off 53) stepped up the Ludlow effort to leave Wroxeter, shorn of a handful of key players because of a wedding, pondering on what might have been.

Kevin Hinton then bowled Wroxeter opener Ronnie Chokununga for four and though Nick Benwell stuck around to make 70, Hinton and Sparrow both finished with three wickets and skipper Sam Edwards weighed in with a couple as the hosts came up short on 179 all out.

Unlucky Ludlow 2nd batsman Finlay Clarke was dismissed in the nervous 90s for the second successive weekend in the four-wicket defeat by Beacon 2nd.

Clarke contributed 91 towards Ludlow’s 245-7 off 50 overs, with Glen Whittaker hitting 47 and Nathan Giles 46.

Beacon owed their match-winning reply to a brilliant 155 from Doug Reynolds as they got home on 249-6 in the 37th over.

Opening bowlers Adam Bowen and Joe Williams hit the spot as Ludlow 3rd defeated Chelmarsh by 19 runs in Division Three.

Ludlow made 161-6 off their 40 overs, with Williams topscoring with 27 not out and Phil Lewis chipping in 23.

Then Williams (4-23) and Bowen (4-37) teamed up to demolish the Chelmarsh innings, with Bowen doing the early damage and Williams polishing off the tail as the visitors were shot out for 142 in the 36th over.