HEREFORDSHIRE fell agonisingly short of victory against Shropshire as they failed by the narrowest of margins to capitalise on a superb all-round display by Peter Burgoyne.

On an excellent batting pitch at Whitchurch, Shropshire were left with their last pair at the crease, still 180 runs short of victory when time was called.

The last over had seen fielders gathered around the bat as Burgoyne tried unavailingly to trap Joe Carrasco (55 no) and put the icing on the cake of an outstanding three days by picking up his fifth wicket of the innings.

The former Derbyshire and Sussex all-rounder had missed out on the rare feat of scoring a century in each innings by just six runs with scores of 94 and 117, as well as picking up three wickets in the Shropshire first innings.

But Burgoyne's was only one of a number of excellent individual displays over three hot days in north Shropshire.

Skipper Matt Pardoe led the way with an innings of 66 after winning the toss, sharing in an opening stand of 119 with the impressive Chris Whittock (55).

Burgoyne, whose 94 included nine fours and two sixes, carried on the good work as all of the first nine Herefordshire batsmen reached double figures with a spectacular burst by Tom Hage, whose 69 came from 43 balls with six fours and five sixes, lifting the final total to 392.

Herefordshire's bowlers laboured in the early stages of the Shropshire innings as skipper Stephen Leach (77) and Omar Ali (141) compiled an opening stand of 215.

But, after Hage (1-23) had made the breakthrough, the county kept chipping away as Burgoyne (3-94) and Jack Taylor (2-36) eased through the middle-order before Taylor Pugh (3-21) sealed a collapse which saw the home side lose their last eight wickets for just 61 runs to finish on 367.

Despite the early loss of Pardoe, Whittock and Burgoyne joined in a profitable partnership of 190 for the second wicket before Whittock was trapped leg-before just four short of his first Herefordshire century.

Burgoyne, however, went serenely on with 16 fours and a six in his 124-ball 117 and, after he was dismissed, a fine fifth-wicket stand of 90 between wicket-keeper Ian Bullock, whose 52 was his first county half-century, and Pugh (48 no) allowed Pardoe to apply the closure.

Early wickets for Jamie McIlroy (1-41) and Barney Morgan (1-21) quickly ruled out any likelihood of a home victory but although Herefordshire, and especially Burgoyne, whose 4-44 was achieved in 27 overs, kept up the pressure, Shropshire managed to survive.