LUDLOW'S Steve Hood made a little bit of Shropshire Premier League history when he became the first batsman to incur a five-run penalty for 'damaging the pitch', but this did not prevent his side from claiming a fine 31-run victory at Newport.

His alleged offence was running on the wicket when batting, a contentious ruling when the wicket was hard and Hood believed that he was actually running on the edge of the strip.

Skipper Mark Porteous won the toss and elected to bat in the unusual searing heat of late May.

Ross Wharton and Dave Bottoms looked reasonably comfortable until Wharton (10) gloved a lifter to depart with the total on 17. Bottoms and Tasmanian Shannon Tubb took the score to 42 before Bottoms (10) was caught off spinner Tim Davies.

Shannon coped well with the variable bounce and dispatched any loose deliveries with tremendous power.

Porteous (26) put on 68 with Tubb for the third wicket, and on his departure Willie Moore joined Tubb to play a cameo innings.

He hit a superb, quick-fire 62, and with Tubb (82) and useful knocks from Kinsey Hern (14) and Hood (20), Ludlow posted a challenging total of 248.

Newport's openers took up the challenge and had put on a swift 60 until Paul Furniss (30) was adjudged lbw to Hood and fellow opener Andy Williams (28) was smartly run out by Hood off his own bowling.

Rasika (53) and Rob Furniss (43) continued to score briskly but Bottoms made an important breakthrough when he bowled the dangerous Rasika.

Tubb returned to the attack with his left arm spin, and in tandem with Hood, polished off the lower order for a 31-run win.