FRUSTRATED Dorset captain Chris Park admitted the heavy Unicorns Championship defeat to Shropshire had exposed old frailties and added: "It's a slap in the face."

In fine form having stormed into the Unicorns Trophy quarter-final for the first time in four years, Dorset were subjected to a humbling loss in their Championship opener, the hosts requiring just nine runs to seal victory a day early.

Dorset had managed a modest 185 all out in their first innings but matters got worse in the second when having seen Shropshire rack up 296, Park's side totalled just 119.

Openers Masoor Khan (33) and debutant Tom Arnold (30) led the scoring in the visitors' second innings, which lasted less than 45 overs.

Park, who was without professionals Lewis McManus and Max Waller for the lengthy trip to Whitchurch Cricket Club, admitted the batting display had fallen well short of what had been required.

He told the Daily Echo: "Unfortunately, the finger can be pointed at the batsmen and all 11 of us can assume some responsibility. But you are looking at the top five or six to contribute big runs.

"It's a slap in the face, a wake-up call, you can call it what you want. We need to walk away with our tail between our legs and learn from it.

"We have to bat time. We have to bat 90 overs and we didn't do that in two innings. If you get 20, you need to kick on and get 50, and if you get 50 you have to get 80, 90 or 100. We can't just keep getting out at 50.

"Shropshire batted 78 overs and got 296 and won the game pretty comfortably. As a team, we know we are better than that.

"The same old batting frailties have crept up upon us again.

"We started the season so well and batted beautifully in three of the four one-day games but to show the batting frailties we did in both innings against Shropshire was really disappointing.

"I don't want it to burst the bubble."

Park admitted the rapid nature of Dorset’s demise in both innings had given cause for concern.

He added: "We were 111 for two in the first innings and then just before lunch we lost two wickets for not many runs.

"All of a sudden we were 131 for four and after lunch the middle and lower orders got blown away.

"We got 54 runs for the final six wickets which just isn't good enough for Minor Counties cricket.

"On Monday, we were 63 for nought and then 68 for four. The pressure got bigger and bigger and we weren't able to cope.”

Dorset are next in action on Sunday when they take on Wiltshire in the quarter-finals of the Unicorns Trophy at North Perrott Cricket Club.