Skipper Pat Davenport misses his first game of the season tomorrow as Newport look to stay in the Marston’s Shropshire Premier League promotion hunt at home to Bomere Heath.
Vice-captain Eddie Keenan takes over the captain’s armband with allrounder James Coggins coming into the team for his second game of the season.
Chairman Bob Williams said: “The side is brimming with confidence after last week’s performance against Wem, but we have already seen that anyone can beat anyone in this league so we are certainly taking nothing for granted.
“Bomere Heath gave us a hard time when we played them in the knockout a couple of years ago so we know we shall have to be on top of our game.”
Newport put league leaders Wem well and truly in their place with a fine Aditya-inspired performance last weekend.
And while the Audley Avenue squad were denied the full haul of 20 points by some stubborn Wem batting, skipper Davenport was more than happy with the winning draw outcome.
He said: “I am delighted with the 17 points. We dominated throughout and there were fine batting displays by Adu, Paul Furniss and Eddie Keenan which gave us a great platform.”
Having won the toss, the skipper had no hesitation in batting first on what looked a beautiful track with a lightning fast outfield.
Paul and Rob Furniss had put on a cautious 20 for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed. This signalled the arrival of Aditya, who wasted no time in asserting his authority.
Revelling in the hot conditions and fast outfield, he gave the home bowlers a torrid time as he cranked up the scoring.
With Paul Furniss playing the anchor role, the Indian pro’s first 50 came in double quick time.
When Paul Furniss was adjudged leg before for 32, Aditya was well into the eighties and the score had reached 127.
The arrival of Keenan brought no respite for Wem and although Aditya became bogged down in the nervous nineties, the run onslaught continued unabated.
He had scored a magnificent 125 when he was bowled by the hard working Stuart Raine.
His departure signalled a collapse of alarming proportions as the Newport middle and lower order simply caved in – crashing from 202-2 to 244 all out.
That was a score which many in the ground felt was some 30 or more runs short of the what should have been achieved, and certainly well within the reach of the normally free scoring Wem side.
However Russell Mellings became the first to depart when he was caught behind by Jamie Board off the unpredictable bowling of Ed Parton.
But it was Nick Watkins who claimed the crucial wicket of Wem captain Bryan Jones when he bowled him for 12 with the score on 59.
From that point on, it was simply a question of whether Newport could bowl out their opponents or whether Wem could reach their losing draw target of 183.
Will Savage offered the main resistance but when he was dismissed for 59 with the score on 134-7, the door to victory looked open.
However, Ian Gillespie, who remained unbeaten on 29, had other ideas as the Wem side passed the losing draw target, taking advantage of the two overs which they were gifted to end on 186-8.
Aditya proved the pick of the Newport bowlers as he finished with 4-39 from his 16 overs, while Rhys Davenport, despite finishing wicketless, always looked dangerous and can consider himself unlucky.
Tomorrow’s match is sponsored by Norwood House.
Newport, meanwhile, travel to Shelton next Thursday when they take on the Shrewsbury-based side in the quarter-finals of the Chronicle Twenty20 knockout.
The game is scheduled to start at 6.30pm.
By Sean Wozencroft