Written by Nick Archer at the Birmingham League, whose original article you can find here.
Halesowen’s 48 run victory over nearest challengers Kenilworth Wardens ensures that they will be promoted from Premier Division Two at the end of the season but they, still, need 10 more points from their final two games, at home to rock-bottom Oswestry and away to Wem, to clinch the title. Wardens are the only side who can catch Halesowen, but the Warwickshire side can still be overtaken by Wem, Barnards Green or Himley in a four-way fight for the other promotion place. Halesowen, after losing the toss, took advantage of an easy-paced pitch and a short boundary on one side to post 307 for eight from 50 overs but it needed 93 from Luke Tulacz, 59 from Alexei Kervezee and 54 from wicket-keeper Wes Griffiths to lift them from 81 for three to their final total. Skipper Andrew Leering took 3 for 68 for Wardens who began their reply quietly, losing their first three wickets for 55. Harry Johnson (81) and Henry Cullen then brought them back into the game taking the score to 199 before Johnson fell to Peter Scott (4 for 61). Cullen (105) completed an excellent century before he was given out caught behind off James Rudge (3 for 28), but his dismissal signalled the beginning of the end as Scott, Rudge and Eddie Rhodes (3 for 34) polished them off for 259 in the 48th over.
Wardens face Barnards Green next week in what might turn out to be a decisive game after the Worcestershire club saw off the challenge of Dorridge with three wickets in hand and four overs to spare. Suffolk’s Ben Shepperson hit 113 and Herefordshire’s David Ball added 51 as the visitors reached 268 all out in 49.4 overs. Ball’s Herefordshire team-mate Zain Ul-Hassan took 3 for 44 for Barnards Green and went on to play a crucial role with the bat, falling for 97 from 102 balls, after he and Oliver Rogoff (50) had put together a fourth wicket partnership of 145. The win was completed by Phil Harris, with an unbeaten 38, with Ball emulating Ul-Hassan’s feat by adding three wickets for 31 to his half-century.
Wem condemned Shropshire neighbours Oswestry to relegation with a massive 214 run victory which keeps their own promotion hopes alive. Oswestry were crushed by a dominant Wem after Sam Peate (99) and Harry Chandler (53) took the score to 167 before the first wicket fell. Mohit Kale added to the mayhem with exactly 100 from 69 balls after the unlucky Peate was dismissed at 231. In reply, without the prolific Warrick Fynn, Oswestry crashed to 113 all out with the wickets shared amongst six bowlers, Oliver Roberts top scoring with 36.
Himley, also, remain in the race for promotion, following a four wicket win over Wolverhampton, who remain winless in the white-ball game. The under-performing home side crumbled to 107 all out after reaching 51 for one with Oliver Walker taking four cheap wickets for 18. Pirm Kalair scored 30 and Wolverhampton would have been in a bigger mess without an unbeaten 29 from tail-ender Aaron Patel. The visitors lost their third wicket at 52 and, then, lost three more wickets before they passed their target with a top score of 24 from Walker.
Wolverhampton, still need one more point and Dorridge need two more points to condemn Pelsall to relegation after the Staffordshire side went down to Bridgnorth by 16 runs. Masters of the close defeat, Pelsall were all out for 259 in pursuit of the home side’s 275 for five but they looked, yet again, to have created a platform to go on to victory with an opening partnership of 107 by Jake Lee (80) and Jujhar Johal (19). Todd Henderson chipped in with 53 but Sam Whitney’s 4 for 34 proved crucial as the visitors fell away to a 14th defeat of the season. Earlier in the day, a classy unbeaten 102 from Ben Lees and an undefeated 58 from Adam Quiney took Bridgnorth from 122 for five to their final total of 275 without further loss. A half-century from Joseph Smallman (55) had held Bridgnorth together before Lees and Quiney came together.
The match between Harborne and Bromsgrove saw over 700 runs scored and it was the visitors who came out on top, to banish all of their remaining relegation fears, with a five wicket success. Jasper Davidson (73), Swapnil Gugale (73), Tejas Wagle (50) and Tom Arnold (45) were all prominent for Harborne but none of the home batters played the big innings required to put the game out of Bromsgrove’s reach. The Bromsgrove attack took a battering and their fielding fell apart, but they were, always, in with a chance on a lovely pitch on Harborne’s pocket-sized ground. Jayden Levitt hit 81 from 90 balls but the innings of the day came from stumper Alex Milton who crafted an unbeaten 173 from 120 balls including seventeen fours and nine sixes. Skipper Mark Evenson weighed in with an unbeaten 38 from 31 balls at the end as the Harborne attack took a battering just like their counterparts in the first innings.
