In the final round of win/lose matches the top two teams contested an enthralling game at Walshes Meadow where all results were still possible with two overs remaining in the Premier Division clash between joint pace setters Stourport-on-Severn 1st XI and visitors Pershore 1st XI.
After Mike Green (85) had rescued the Pershore in the 1st innings after a shaky start which enabled the visitors to post a challenging but gettable first innings total after being inserted, Craig Wood (66) continued his early season good form as he led the second innings fight back for Stourport which eventually got to the point in a match that had ebbed and flowed all day where the home side required fourteen runs off twelve balls with four wickets in hand to seal a crucial victory.
However, an exceptional penultimate over for Pershore which included the fall of a wicket and the concession of just three runs seemed to turn the tide as Stourport with Ryan Derrick (53*) swinging from the hip in the final over (which included two no-balls) eventually fell four runs short of the target to give Pershore 1st XI what could prove to be a key victory come the end of the season.
The top two teams are now a win ahead of third placed Droitwich Spa 1st XI who enjoyed an excellent win at Sambourne Lane against Astwood Bank 1st XI who drop to mid division after being dismissed cheaply in the second innings.
Redditch 1st XI beat Ombersley 2nd XI at Bromsgrove Road to climb to fourth place ahead of Stourbridge 1st XI who were beaten by a Taylor Pugh (69 & 3- 24) inspired Old Elizabethans 1st XI at the War Memorial Ground.
In other matches, after a promising start to the season Old Hill 1st XI slipped further down the table after losing to Bromyard 1st XI for who George Bouston (88) struck a first innings half century in a seventy five run win for the visitors at Haden Hill and Brockhampton 1st beat basement side Colwall 1st XI by four wickets at Stowe Lane.
Chaddesley Corbett 1st XI ensured they remained the only unbeaten side in Division One when they pulled fourteen points clear at the top after beating Hagley 1st XI by five wickets at Hagley Hall and the other unbeaten team Lye 1st XI suffered an unexpected loss at home to lowly Worcester 1st XI after Rob Goodman took 6-31 in the first innings to restrict the home team and then followed up with an undefeated 47 off 25 balls including six maximums when the chips were down in the second innings to pull off an excellent one wicket win..
Elsewhere, Barnt Green 2nd XI kept themselves in touch with the leaders as they sit just fourteen points off top spot after beating fourth placed Worcester Nomads 1st XI in an unusually low scoring game at Whitegates Farm.
Coombs Wood 1st XI come next after continuing there up-turn in form when they beat Halesowen 2nd XI by three wickets at Seth Somers Park. Bewdley 1st XI secured their second win of the season when they beat Oldswinford 1st XI by seven wickets at Lower Park against and Pedmore 1st XI beat Kidderminster 2nd XI at Chester Road to leave the home team just one point ahead of the relegation zone..
The top two teams in Division Two both lost which leaves things looking very wide open as we enter the win/lose/draw phase of the season next week.
Top dogs Himley 2nd XI remain ten points clear at the top despite being beaten at home by Harborne 3rd XI who climbed a place in to third, just one point behind Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 1st XI who beat Enville 1st XI by fourteen runs at Enville Hall to go second after Astwood Bank 2nd XI slipped to fifth place after losing by three wickets against Bredon 1st XI who moved fourth.
In other matches in the division, Pete Hawk (96* & 4-33) played a huge part in helping Belbroughton 1st XI to a victory against Bartestree & Lugwardine 1st XI who slipped to mid division.
Bromsgrove 2nd XI beat Alvechurch & Hopwood 2nd XI by thirteen runs to secure their third win of the season and Mike Rogers (110*) and Alistair Pretty (76*) helped Himbleton 1st XI move out of the bottom two in a crucial win against Cookley 1st XI at the bottom end of the table.
Netherton 1st XI won the clash of the titans in Division Three to move to the top of the table after an excellent all-round second innings bowling performance did enough to put an end to the unbeaten run of free scoring Barnards Green 2nd XI who were eventually dismissed fifteen runs short of victory at Highbridge Road.
The top two are seventeen points clear of third placed Redditch 2nd XI for whom R Chaudhry (8-32) produced an excellent second innings spell to dismantle Old Vigornians 1st XI in a resounding win at Hawford Lodge.
In other matches, Feckenham 1st XI kept up with the pace by beating Martley 1st XI by twenty-seven runs at Mill Lane. Old Hill 2nd XI beat Stourbridge 2nd XI in a high scoring game at the War Memorial Ground which saw the Glassboys drop to fifth. Tom Skerrett (97*) helped Brockhampton 2nd XI seal an important win as his second innings contribution helped beat Old Elizabethans 2nd XI by seven wickets at the Parks and Avoncroft 1st XI dismissed basement side Coombs Wood 2nd XI cheaply to win by a comfortable margin at Stewarts Road.
In the top of the table clash at Mathon Court overseas player Aamir Khan (91) proved the difference between the two teams as his first innings contribution helped Division Four leaders West Malvern 1st XI to a sixty run win against Stourport-on-Severn 2nd XI who dropped to third place fifteen points behind Netherton 2nd XI who won the toss and batted first at Norton Barracks and went on to post one short of three hundred in the first innings which proved too many for Worcester 2nd XI to chase as they eventually fell just over one hundred runs short.
Elsewhere in the division, Claverley 1st XI enjoyed a comfortable nine wicket win against Eastnor 1st XI and stay fourth, Christopher Walder (122) posted a first innings century and Naeem Abbas (5-50) return excellent second innings figures to help Chaddesley Corbett 2nd XI to a thirty run win against Lye 2nd XI in a high scoring match at Longmore.
Romsley and Hunnington 1st XI made it three wins from six matches by beating Bromsgrove 3rd XI by four wickets at home and Rushwick 1st XI snatched their second win of the season when they beat visitors Five Ways Old Edwardians 1st XI by just two wickets at the Alf Tolley Memorial Ground.
Next week sees the return of the win/lose/draw format in the top four divisions which means teams tend to rely on less bowlers during the innings as the 10 over per bowler limit is lifted to a maximum of 30 per cent of the innings overs, which in turn means a bowler can bowl a maximum of fifteen overs in an innings and the losing draw becomes available to teams who bat throughout the second innings without being bowled out, a more difficult format to win outfight in.
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