Written by Nick Archer at the Birmingham League, whose original article you can find here.
Halesowen increased their lead at the top of Premier Division Two to 13 points with a resounding eight wicket victory at Kenilworth Wardens, who slip to third place in the table after Himley defeated Wolverhampton by four wickets. Nick Seager (65) and Harry Johnson (39) took Wardens from 3 for 2 to 74 for 3 but the introduction of Harry Kitchen (5 for 49) changed the game with Wardens losing wickets at regular intervals to finish on 177 all out in the 51st over. Although Halesowen lost Matthew Payne at 8, for a single, they made light work of their target with Harry Baddams (71 not out) and Luke Tulacz (50 not out) sharing an unbroken third wicket stand of 100 after Jamie Harrison had given the innings a flying start with 46 from 38 balls.
Himley’s win over Wolverhampton lifts them into second place in the table, while Wolverhampton remain at the wrong end for the time being. Charlie Home (65) and Will Nield (55) put on 101 for the fourth Wolverhampton wicket but, when they were out, only Jack Stanley (27 not out) was able to score freely. Nevertheless, their total of 208 for nine looked competitive and it was a surprise how easily Himley found runs to come by in the second innings. Saul Anstey (4 for 57) had bowled a decent spell for Himley, but the Wolverhampton attack was lacklustre as Bilal Hussain (61) and Oliver Westbury (42) added 91 for the first wicket. The introduction of Joe Stanley (4 for 44) brought immediate success, but Callum Lea (44) held firm to see Himley close in on their target before he was dismissed at 176. The loss of three more wickets for 22 runs gave Wolverhampton renewed hope of victory but Anstey (12 not out) saw Himley to their third successive win in this format.
Wem went down to a six wicket defeat at Oswestry in a match that was marred by a serious leg injury to Oswestry’s Ben Roberts. Alex Selby took 5 for 39 and Harry Darley took 3 for 9 as Wem were skittled for 104, despite the absence of Roberts who was transported to hospital in an ambulance. Ryan Lockley (41) ensured the victory for Oswestry but most people’s thoughts were focussed on a speedy recovery for Roberts.
The batting performance of the day came from Barnards Green who crushed Dorridge by 167 runs after compiling a mammoth total of 361 for five declared from 54 overs. Ryan Tongue (122 from 144 balls) and George Rhodes (105 from 109 balls) opened up with 217 for the first wicket but the real fireworks came from Phil Harris and Zain ul-Hassan who smashed 89 for the fourth wicket. Harris hit 61 from 27 balls and ul-Hassan added 50 from 36 balls against a Dorridge attack that included Leicestershire’s Chris Wright. Faced with such a daunting target, it was unsurprising that Dorridge struggled, although skipper Joe Dodd (73) and David Ball (43) showed glimpses of form in the middle order. Josh Blunt took 4 for 52 and ul-Hassan took 3 for 35 for Barnards Green who have moved up to fifth in the table, 10 points ahead of Bromsgrove who went down to a 107 run defeat at home to Harborne.
Swapnil Gugale (60) had taken Harborne to 112 for three before he was dismissed but it was the entrance of Tejas Wagle, one run later, at 113 for four, that transformed the game. He smashed an unbeaten 90 from 72 balls to lift Harborne to 267 for five at the close, a target that proved far too steep for Bromsgrove who were all out for 160. Jayden Levitt top scored with 50 with Gugale the pick of the Harborne bowlers with 5 for 19.
Pelsall are in danger of being cut adrift at the foot of the table after they suffered their eighth defeat in nine games at home to Bridgnorth. Simon Gregory (93) and Karl Quiney (62) added 101 for the fourth Bridgnorth wicket as the Shropshire side made their way to 284 all out in the 52nd over. Jamie Holmes took 5 for 72 for Pelsall but the target for Pelsall, always, looked too stiff, despite opener Jujhar Johal carrying his bat for 94. He, eventually, ran out of partners with the total on 200, his only real support coming from Navdeep Poonia (36). Adam Quiney took 3 for 67 for Bridgnorth who move up to eighth place in the table, three points behind Harborne but nine points ahead of Wolverhampton. Bottom of the table Pelsall are 29 points behind Oswestry in penultimate place.
