Division One

2022 champions Smethwick top Division One after four rounds of action following a thumping 130-run win at struggling Kenilworth Wardens.

Rawait Khan’s team took the first 55-over, red-ball game of the season very much in their stride and once again it was in-form Warwickshire star Chris Benjamin who dominated with the bat making 123 of his team’s 239 all out.

Former Bromsgrove seamer Alex Wilkinson took six wickets for Wardens, but with Manraj Johal, Yasir Ali and Roshan Venkataraman also all in good form with the ball the home side were then brushed aside for 109 in 35 overs.

Knowle & Dorridge slipped seven points behind the table-toppers after claiming 17 points from a winning draw in their Solihull derby at Moseley.

Former Wardens’ opener Jamie Harrison led the way for his new club with a 124-ball 122 and with recently-departed Bear Ethan Brookes making a fluent 59 the visitors posted 277.

Moseley skipper Usman Awan and Warwickshire paceman Che Simmons shared eight wickets but after losing their top four to Ollie Currill and Brooks, the defending champions never threatened to mount any kind of chase. They eventually settled for a draw at 179 for eight with Awais Mohammed making a half-century.

Also-unbeaten Halesowen lie third following a crushing seven wicket win in an all-Worcestershire affair at Barnt Green.

The hosts were hurried out for 112 in 45.3 overs by paceman Ed Bragg whose excellent afternoon’s work returned a well-deserved five-wicket haul.

Luke Tulacz then made 54 from just 51 balls to ensure Wes Griffiths’ team bounced back from last Saturday’s abandonment at Berkswell with an emphatic response.

Seven days later Neil Dexter’s side did get some cricket under their belts but may wish they hadn’t following a 157-run reverse at Barnards Green.

Kiwi import Jakob Bhula (80) and skipper Ryan Tongue (51) added 106 for Barnards’ first wicket and with their middle-order all chipping in usefully Berkswell were set a sizeable 292.

Aussie pro Bailey Capel top-scored with 30 in the visitors’ response but there was little else for them to celebrate as they crashed to 135 all out in just 27.5 overs against George Rhodes (5-43) and Chris Steele (3-43).

Worcestershire’s Ollie Cox made a brilliant unbeaten 139-ball 142 containing eight sixes as Ombersley raced to a nine wicket home win over West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Cox was well supported by Nathan Bowley (81) as the home side passed a seemingly testing target of 238 with almost ten overs remaining.

Josh Holling earlier grabbed four wickets for Ombersley while Danny Cox (58), Ismail Mohammed (41) and Billy Cox (40) made useful runs for the visitors.

The Staffordshire derby between Wolverhampton and Himley at Danescourt finished in a draw with the visitors taking the lion’s share of the points on the back of a fine all-round display from Ollie Walker.

Himley posted 191 for nine from their 55 overs thanks in the main to Walker battling his way to 66 from 122 balls, before he went on to grab three wickets as Wolverhampton responded with 125 for eight.

Division Two

Relegated Shrewsbury have made a flying start to life in Division Two and they lead Harborne by eight points at the top of the table despite being held to a draw at Coventry & North Warwickshire.

George Hargrave top-scored for the Shropshire side with a patient 49 while Jay Bista and Harris Ajaz shared eight wickets for Cov as Shrewsbury closed on 186 for nine.

When Rhodri Evans grabbed wickets with consecutive deliveries in the 46^th over of the home side’s response it seemed that the league leaders would force a 24-point win, but Ajaz then dug in with the bat to ensure his team banked some draw points at 136 for eight.

In-form Warwickshire batter Kai Smith smashed an even-time 81 while Dorridge felt the full force of the curse of the returning player through Ben Shepperson’s 73 as Harborne reached 207 all out at the John Woolman Ground.

Kalana Perera took four wickets for the home side who finished the first half strongly by claiming Harborne’s last seven wickets for 26. However, this momentum was soon lost against the visitors’ spin attack who blew Dorridge away for 99 thanks to Swapnil Gugale and Ollie Davidson both finishing with a five-wicket haul.

At the other end of the table Bridgnorth have now lost all four games with their latest setback being by an eight-wicket margin at Tamworth.

The fourth-placed home side had spinner Jason Jakeman to thank for being finished in time to watch the FA Cup final live after he tore through Bridgnorth’s lower order to finish with the remarkable figures of 5-4.

Chasing just 91, Tamworth eased home in the 18^th over for the loss of two wickets with Jacob Flower 49no.

Leamington are only one place above Bridgnorth following a 47-run defeat at Shifnal.

Left-arm paceman Tom Randle grabbed four wickets for Spa but with Charlie Home making 41 Shifnal reached 192 for eight in their 55 overs.

In reply Leamington’s poor batting form continued as they were bowled out for 145 in 42 overs. Only George Maddy (45) made much progress against a Shifnal attack in which Ethan Jamieson distinguished himself by taking four wickets.

The battle of the newly-promoted teams went the way of Wellington who edged out Old Hill by one wicket in an absolute thriller in Shropshire.

When the visitors were bowled out for 132 in 49.5 overs they must have feared the worst, but as things unfolded it was failing to bat out their full complement of overs that cost them the game.

Old Hill slumped to 22 for four early on before Jahanzib Khan made an attacking 35 to boost their hopes until Dan Lloyd stepped in to claim the last five Black Country wickets.

Wellington also lost four early wickets but Matt Simmonds dug in for a 98-ball 39 which saw them to the brink of success at 130 for six only for three wickets to fall for two runs.

This meant the last pair needed a single and they duly made it over the line off the final ball of the 56^th (and first extra) over.

At Chester Road skipper Joe Arnold made 52 for Worfield but with Kidderminster’s Dylan Griffiths taking 4-18 the Carpet Men were left to chase 161 which they duly managed with four wickets remaining in the 47^th over.