Worcestershire County League: end of season full round-up

In the Premier Division Waqas Ahmed (103*) struck a classy, unbeaten second innings century for Old Hill 1st XI to secure a seven wicket victory against Pershore 1st XI at the Bottoms after Ravi Nagra (6-30) had restricted the home team in the first innings.

This result saw Old Hill 1st XI qualify for the play-offs as second placed finishers to Stourport-on-Severn CC 1st XI who disappointingly for them failed the Birmingham & District Premier League accreditation visit carried out by the Birmingham League executive which means that Old Hill 1st XI go forward to the play offs.

Elsewhere, Astwood Bank 1st XI blew away basement side Colwall 1st XI by eight wickets to finish third. Stourbridge 1st XI beat Droitwich Spa 1st XI to finish fourth. Amar Jawanda (5-45) helped Old Elizabethans 1st XI beat fifth placed Redditch 1ts XI whilst at the bottom end of the table a classy century from Rob Willis (118) well supported by Dean Corbett (85*) helped Bromyard 1st XI post a first innings proved too many for Brockhampton 1st XI to chase which meant that although Ombersley 2nd XI beat Stourport-on-Severn 1st XI three wickets Bromyard 1st XI remain a point ahead of Ombersley 2nd XI at the bottom which means the two teams relegated from the Premier Division are; Ombersley 2nd XI and Colwall 1st XI.

In the top half of the Division One table Champions Worcester Nomads 1st XI made the trip to fourth placed Pedmore and walked away with a four wicket victory and Abu Saeed (81) again proved the mainstay for runners up Chaddesley Corbett 1st XI with the bat as his first innings contribution helped them celebrate their return to the top flight with a comprehensive win over Coomb Wood 1st XI who themselves finished in mid division. Barnt Green 2nd XI finished off an impressive first season in Division One with a win against Halesowen 2nd XI which helped them finish in third position and Waqas Ahmed (75) and Tofiq Anwar (54) scored first innings half centuries for fifth placed Lye 1st XI which helped them to beat basement side Kidderminster 2nd XI who could not find the win they required to give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation.

Whilst in matches at the foot of the table after losing the toss and being inserted Alex Millard (148) made it two centuries in two weeks as his excellent first innings century helped Hagley 1st XI post too many for visiting Bewdley 1st XI to chase which meant that Oldswinford 1st XI needed to beat Worcester 1st XI at Norton Barracks to avoid the drop which they could not do which means that they go down to Division Two alongside Kidderminster 2nd XI and Hagley 1st XI who two weeks ago knew they had to win both of their remaining matches to survive did so to stay up, a fantastic late rally it has to be said led by Alex Millard who has finished the last two matches with 298 runs, another fantastic achievement.

In Division Two the race to join Champions Bromsgrove 2nd XI (who beat Harborne 3rd XI by seven wickets) in Division One next season was between Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 1st XI and Himley 2nd XI who were locked together on points with Burghill leading the way with the most amount of wins.

With Himley 2nd XI being awarded a win by concession against already relegated Himbleton 1st XI who disappointingly could not raise a team on the last day, Burghill knew that they had to beat visiting Belbroughton 1st XI (who were also already relegated) to seal promotion, no pressure then ! The visitors chose to bat first and set a total but the home side led by A J Morris (4-17) rose to the occasion and consistently applied pressure to their opponents, taking regular wickets throughout the first innings which helped them restrict the opposition to a gettable 169 all out. Then the question was, could the batsman hold their nerve on the day knowing that promotion rested on this innings ? the answer was yes as the divisions leading run scorer Luke Powell (105*) showed his undeniable class to deliver an innings that answered the question with aplomb and take his seasonal tally to (1119) runs to lead his team home to a comfortable six wicket victory and a place in Division One next season.

Elsewhere in the division, Ben Dunn (5-17) took five first innings wickets to help fourth placed Alvechurch & Hopwood 1st XI finish off an impressive first season in the division with a resounding nine wicket victory against Bredon 1st XI who finished ninth after promising a lot more, earlier in the season. Ryan Trattell (73*) helped Bartestree & Lugwardine 1st XI seal a tight one wicket win against Astwood Bank 2nd XI which helped the Herefordshire based outfit finish in fifth place eleven points ahead of Enville 1st XI who finished the season poorly by losing to Cookley 1st XI for whom Connor Warby (98*) finished two runs short of a deserved century and Jamie Brighton (90) who took his seasons tally to an impressive 864 runs, 3rd highest in the division behind his team mate Paul Thomas (1041) and Luke Powell as previously mentioned.

In Division Three after Netherton 1st XI had already sealed the title the race for second place and promotion to Division Two was still very much alive with three teams all in with a chance. Redditch 2nd XI (who were playing fifth placed Stourbridge 2nd XI who were mathematically out of the race for promotion) were in second position before play started and looked favourites to go up as the two teams directly below them Avoncroft 1st XI and Barnards Green 2nd XI played each other at North End Lane, therefore Redditch knew that nothing less than a win would be good enough as a positive result from the match at North End Lane for either team was inevitable and would take the winners above Redditch should they lose.

After winning the toss and electing to field Redditch 2nd XI led by Haleem Basharatt (4-17) applied the pressure right from the start of the innings and restricted visiting Stourbridge 2nd XI to a low first innings total which they had no trouble in passing for the loss of just three wickets to guarantee promotion.

In what turned out to be the battle for third position Barnards Green 2nd XI were inserted by visiting Avoncroft 1st XI and thanks to half centuries from Captain Elliott Hennessy (56) and Robin Wilson (54) posted a first innings total that proved twenty one runs too many for Avoncroft 1st XI to chase despite the best efforts of Duncan Roke (139) who battled without any real support throughout the second innings for the visitors who disappointingly lost their way at the end of a season that for a large amount of time promised more than their final fourth placed finish.

Elsewhere in the division Finley Morris (122*) scored an unbeaten first innings century as Brockhampton 2nd XI finished their season with a win against already relegated Coombs Wood 2nd XI but the real battle lay in the struggle to avoid relegation where either Old Hill 2nd XI or Old Vigornians 1st XI could be relegated.

Old Hill 2nd XI started proceedings with a twelve point advantage over Old Vigornians 1st XI but had the almighty task of beating Champions Netherton 1st XI to guarantee safety, something that after a hard fight proved too much to achieve as the powerful Netherton 1st XI batting line up led by Zaheer Suliman (103*), backed up by Matthew Lowe ( 57) compiled a big first innings total that proved too many for Old Hill 2nd XI to chase despite the best efforts of Brian Xavier (95) in the second innings.

This result provided an opportunity for Old Vigornians 1st XI, who if they could beat Feckenham 1st XI at Mill Lane would avoid relegation, a situation that looked potentially out of reach two weeks ago after a lack of recent form. However, on a good surface Feckenham 1st XI batted first and managed to set a challenging first innings total thanks to contributions from Raheem Basharat (97) who finished the season as the divisions highest run getter with an impressive total of (1062) runs and Fraser Duggan (56).

Old Vigornians 1st XI then rallied in the second innings and in Oliver Tsiquaye (67) and Steve Campbell-Ferguson (66) found two batsmen that were up for the challenge as they led their side to an important four wicket win and ultimately survival by a two point margin, which means Old Hill 2nd XI join Combs Wood 2nd XI in Division Four next season.

No surprises were in store at the top of Division Four as leaders Netherton 2nd XI did what they needed to do to become Champions when they beat fourth placed Claverley 1st XI by nine wickets at Highbridge Road which in turn meant that Lye 2nd XI had to settle for the runner up spot after beating sixth placed Stourport-on-Severn 2nd XI by three wickets at Walshes Farm Meadows.

West Malvern 1st XI capped of an excellent first season in the division by finishing third after beating Rushwick 2nd XI by four wickets at Mahon Court and Romsley & Hunnington 1st XI finished the season in fifth spot after gaining back to back wins, this week against Chaddesley Corbett 2nd XI.

Whilst at the bottom of the table Worcester 2nd XI who were already relegated lost to Five Ways Old Edwardians 1st XI for whom S Khan (5-24) returned excellent first innings figures and Eastnor 1st XI who needed to beat Bromsgrove 3rd XI at the Hedges Ground to avoid the drop failed to do so and will play their cricket in division five next season alongside Worcester 2nd XI.

Sajid Ali (5-18) and Cameron Stanley (4-26) shared nine first innings wickets to help Worcester Nomads 2nd XI dismiss visiting Barnt Green 3rd XI cheaply and win the Division Five title by a nine point margin over Harborne 4th XI who beat Malvern 1st XI by five wickets at the Ramblers Ground to secure the second promotion place. Pershore 2nd XI finished a further seventeen points behind in third place after Iqbal Kasana (60) helped them secure a tight one wicket victory against Halesowen 3rd XI for whom Mark Hutchinson (87) had earlier top scored in the first innings.

Droitwich Spa 2nd XI finished fourth, nine points behind third place after Tom Gibson (73) and Oliver Sankey (50) had posted first innings half centuries in an eighty-three run win against Pedmore 2nd XI, whilst in other matches in the division Martyn Carr (109*) scored an undefeated first innings century to help Bewdley 2nd XI beat Colwall 2nd XI and already relegated Hanley Castle & Upton 1st XI beat Astwood Bank 3rd XI by forty five runs in a game that saw the Bank collect enough points to avoid the drop which means Halesowen 3rd XI will be the other team relegated in to division six.

In Division Six Champions Hagley 2nd XI brushed aside Alveley 1st XI to win by a large margin and Jitesh Jivan-Patel (139) and Luke Alexander (63) made healthy contributions in the first innings to set up a win for Stourbridge 3rd XI against Belbroughton 2nd XI which secured the second promotion place as the victory enabled them to maintain the twelve point gap to Cutnall Green 1st XI who finished third after Faisal Khalid (92*) finished unbeaten in the second innings in a win against Old Vigornians 2nd XI who had set a challenging first innings total thanks to a first innings century from Oli Berlet (108).

Elsewhere in the division James Brown (4-11) helped Bromyard 2nd XI dance to a nine wicket win against a Kempsey 1st XI who have limped across the finishing line. Himley 3rd XI, although relegated finished with a good win against Kidderminster 3rd XI and the other relegated team Cleobury Mortimer 1st XI were beaten by eight wickets by Enville 2nd XI.

In Division Seven Champions Tenbury Wells 1st XI were unexpectedly beaten by a wide margin by third from bottom Ombersley 3rd XI, a result that would have no doubt frustrated Stourport-on-Severn 3rd XI as they started and ended affairs two points behind Ombersley 3rd XI after beating Rushwick 2nd XI by six wickets thanks largely to the efforts of Kevin Haycock (5-36) which means they are now relegated alongside Bromsgrove 4th XI who were beaten by Bartestree & Lugwardine 2nd XI despite the best efforts of Billy Nasta (6-29) in the first innings.

The second promotion place however was yet to be decided as Claverley 2nd XI who were fifteen points clear of Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 2nd XI in second position needed to gain just six points from their encounter at Sandford Park to ensure promotion. After losing the toss and being inserted Nadeem Saleem (76), Kamran Choudhary (74) and Ismaeel Baleem (60) all made telling first innings contributions to help post a first innings total that proved too many for visiting Burghill to chase as only George Stevenson (69) offered any real resistance with the bat in the second innings which meant that Claverley 2nd XI secured the second promotion place when they eventually wrapped things up in the second innings to win by ninety three runs.

Elsewhere in the division, Kristian Richardson (70) land Jason Straker (5-35) were the main protagonists in fifth placed Birlingham 1st XIs wide margin win against Barnards Green 3rd XI. Austin Gregory (4-41) took four first innings wickets and Tim Griffiths (52*) posted an undefeated second innings half century to help Oldswinford 2nd XI beat Five Ways Old Edwardians 2nd XI by three wickets.

The league's leading run scorer Craig Witheford (76*) helped Harvington 1st XI secure the Division Eight title as his undefeated second innings half century helped the prolific opening batsman to a final total of (1407) runs at an average of 117.25 and also steered his side to a nine wicket victory win against Stone 1st XI, whilst in the battle for the second promotion place between Alvechurch & Hopwood 2nd XI who started the day fourteen points ahead of opponents Romsley & Hunnington 2nd XI, it was Romsley who won the day after restricting the home team to a gettable first innings total which they passed for the loss of just three wickets thanks largely to a second innings half century from Adam McWalter (62) that ensured a seven wicket win and promotion by just two points.

In other matches in the division Shithika Abeykoon (85) helped Halesowen 4th XI beat fifth placed Old Elizabethans 3rd XI to secure 4th place. Steve Ralph (192*) ended the season with a bang finishing just eight runs short of a double century in Kidderminster 4th XIs wide margin win against Martley 2nd XI.

Paul Heywood (119) helped Worcester 3rd XI to avoid relegation at the expense of opponents Cookley 2nd XI when his second innings century helped chase down the Cookley first innings total in which Mark Bennett (85) had earlier top scored and basement side Highley 1st XI finished the season with a win against Feckenham 2nd XI thanks largely to Simon Butler (5-31) who took five second innings wickets to set up a sixty five run win.

In the Division Nine Play Off Semi-Finals Brockhampton 3rd XI made the long trip to play Cookley 1st XI and walked away with a comprehensive win thanks largely to major contributions from Elliot Jones (92) in the first innings and Sidney Hughes (5-37) in the second and Harborne 5th XI beat Droitwich Spa 3d XI by a ten wicket margin after an excellent first innings team bowling performance skittled the visitors for one hundred and nine in the first innings.

Both winning teams will now gain promotion to Division Eight next season and will contest the Division Nine title at the Cinderella Ground on Saturday 17th September, 12 Noon start.