Worcestershire Academy captain Joe Stanley produced a remarkable performance with the ball when playing for Shropshire in a Durant Cricket National Counties Western Division Two encounter with Wiltshire at Whitchurch CC.
Off spinner Stanley, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Saturday, picked up NINE wickets in Wiltshire’s first innings and finished with the superb figures of 30-8-83-9.
It was the best figures in the competition by any bowler for 11 years since Cheshire slow left armer, Danny Woods, took 9-74 against Shropshire at Bridgnorth in 2012.
Only Andy Gray – another off-spinner – has returned better figures for Shropshire since they entered the Championship in 1957 with 9-56 against Cornwall at Truro in 2008.
Stanley, who plays for Wolverhampton in the Birmingham and District Premier League, came on first change at 36-0 and bowled all his overs in one spell with devastating effect.
He looked at one stage to be on course to take all ten wickets but, after claiming the first seven, Ben Roberts halted the sequence by dismissing Jack Goodwin.
Stanley bowled three of his victims, trapped two lbw and also held onto two caught and bowled chances.
His superb efforts meant Wiltshire, who were 106-1 at one stage, were bowled out for 220 – a first innings lead of 37.
Stanley has skippered the Academy in their successful ECB Under-18 County Championship campaign in which they top the table with one game remaining.
