Words by Paul Smith / stumped4words
Despite a fine unbeaten hundred from Jasper Davidson, Harborne fell to a disappointing five-wicket defeat at the hands of Birmingham Premier League Division Two visitors Worfield.
Davidson cracked 101no from just 105 balls, and with Tejas Wagle weighing in with a breezy 67 the hosts posted a useful 307 for six.
However, the Bridgnorth-based visitors proceeded to do their chances of extending their first visit to the Birmingham League beyond a single season by cruising past their target in the 46th over.
This well-executed run chase was built around half-centuries from all four of their middle-order batters with skipper Joe Arnold leading from the front with a 71-ball 76.
Only Mike Bevan (3-44) made much headway with the ball for Harborne who now sit in fourth place in the table 28 points adrift of the second promotion place with three rounds of action remaining.
“It was a flat pitch and very quick outfield and although we scored 300 we were probably a bit light,” captain Tom Arnold said.
“Jasper batted superbly well and thoroughly deserved his hundred.
“We then didn’t bowl brilliantly but credit to Worfield whose batters bashed it around and played plenty of good shots.”
After opting to bat first, openers Swapnil Gugale (26) and Jamie Harris (28) got the hosts away to a brisk start while adding 58.
However, when both well-set batters fell in rapid succession and this was quickly followed by the loss of Ollie Davidson and Tom Arnold, Harborne had slipped to 70 for four and Ross Aucott had three wickets.
A fine fifth-wicket partnership worth 108 then developed between Jasper Davidson and Wagle who played the dominant role before falling to Basit Zaman’s leg spin for a 78-ball 67 containing 11 boundaries.
Jimmy Clifford picked up where Wagle had left off by cracking three sixes and two fours in a flamboyant 33. He added 67 with Davidson who was then joined by wicket-keeper Matt James (21no) in an unbroken 62-run seventh-wicket alliance which pushed the hosts beyond 300.
Davidson’s fluent unbeaten 101 came from 105 balls with nine fours and two sixes.
After Bevan claimed an early scalp with the new ball, former West Bromwich Dartmouth, Kenilworth Wardens and Smethwick batter Zaman launched a powerful counter attack.
He smashed six fours and four sixes in a violent 33-ball 55 before becoming Bevan’s second victim – after which opener Lawrence Picking soon became his third.
This left Worfield at 78 for three, but any hopes that Harborne may quickly go through their middle and lower-order were dashed by some consistent batting.
Fourth-wicket pair Arnold and Aucott made a big hole in the run chase by adding 120 runs in good time before the skipper fell to Wagle for a 71-ball 76 containing four sixes and seven fours.
But this served only to unite Aucott – who eventually made a 93-ball 76 – with all-rounder Tarik Shorey who proceeded to rush the contest away from Harborne with a flurry of nine boundaries.
As a result, although Aucott fell with the finishing line in sight, Shorey had a 41-ball unbeaten 58 when Worfield completed the five-wicket win which lifted them above Walsall and out of the bottom two for the first time this season.
