When Smethwick’s eighth wicket fell with their total on 203 in pursuit of Halesowen’s 221 for seven with 17 balls remaining, their hopes of winning their first ever Premier Division One title and their first top tier title since 1968 were in jeopardy but three runs from the 48th over, 10 runs from the 49th over and six runs from the first four balls of the 50th over were enough to secure a win which keeps them 22 points ahead of nearest rivals Barnt Green. The Broomfield outfit’s ninth wicket pair of Amritpal Singh (16 not out) and Yasir Ali (4 not out) displayed calm heads to steer their side to a valuable victory after their hopes looked to have ben dashed when they slumped to 132 for six. They were revived by a seventh wicket stand of 65 between skipper Rawait Khan (45) and Rajpal Beniwal (40) but their dismissals at 197 and 203 left Singh and Ali with plenty to do. Herefordshire’s Roshan Venkataraman (56) was the only top order batter to shine for Smethwick as Buckinghamshire all-rounder Ed Bragg ripped through their middle order. Earlier in the day, Luke Tulacz top scored for the home side with 51. While Smethwick were battling to a hard-fought win at Halesowen, it was much easier for Barnt Green at Kidderminster after being invited to bat first. A third wicket stand of 125 between opening bat Ben Chapman-Lilley (71) and Jacques Banton (81) laid a perfect platform for Barnt Green to reach 286 for six from 50 overs. Amrinder Brar added a quickfire unbeaten 55 from 34 balls but, at the break, as the guests at Kidderminster’s Vice-Presidents’ Day sat down to a splendid lunch, there was no hint of the drama to come! By the fifth ball of the fourth over, Kidderminster had moved, untroubled, to 22 without loss. 22 balls later, the score was 22 for six as the League’s leading wicket-taker Andy Sutton (6 for 23) and Oxfordshire seamer Robbie Shurmer (4 for 17) carved through a fragile Kidderminster line-up. Four batters were dismissed without scoring and they were, eventually, all out for a dismal 46 in 14.5 overs, the second time this season they have been dismissed for less than 50, following their capitulation to 34 all out against Moseley, in May. Matt Pardoe, with 10, was the only batter to reach double figures before he was leg before wicket to Sutton, who took his total of wickets for the season to 61. Moseley maintained the pressure on the top two with a 38 run win against Shrewsbury, who stay out of the relegation zone, following defeats for Shifnal and Leamington. Somerset’s Andy Umeed (67) and Kishen Patel (46) were the main contributors for Moseley, who reached 261 all out with Harry Darley taking 3 for 41 for Shrewsbury. In reply, despite 59 from Rhodri Evans, the home side were all out for 223 in the 46th over and remain in a precarious position. Usman Awan (3 for 37) and Hampshire’s Keith Barker (3 for 42) took three wickets apiece for Moseley who remain 16 points behind Barnt Green and one point ahead of Kenilworth Wardens, who were seven run winners against Shifnal.

Remarkably, four of the top five run-scorers in the division are from Wardens and it’s Henry Cullen who sits, proudly, at the top of the list with three games to play. He took his total to 795 with a classy 109 in Wardens’ score of 257 for nine, well supported by Ali Zaryab (47) who now sits on 720 runs. The other two Wardens batters in the top five are Jamie Harrison (782) and Harry Johnson (711). Halesowen’s Alexei Kervezee is the fifth man in the group with 750 runs. Jack Edwards was the pick of the Shifnal bowlers with 3 for 33 and the Shropshire side made a brave attempt to chase down the runs, eventually bowled out for 250 with three balls remaining. Ethan Jamieson (88) and skipper Chris Murrall, almost, pulled off a famous victory for Shifnal but maximum batting and bowling points lift them two points above Leamington, who were beaten by Ombersley by five wickets, with Knowle & Dorridge and Shrewsbury, 21 points and 22 points ahead of Shifnal. Kidderminster, still under the threat of relegation, are two points ahead of Shrewsbury and 24 points clear of the relegation zone. Leamington missed an opportunity against Ombersley after closing on 204 for six in 50 overs. Opener Harry Smith top scored with 59 but their total was, easily, surpassed by Ombersley with five wickets and nine overs in hand. An unbeaten 77 from Nick Hammond and 69 from Worcestershire’s Taylor Cornall, who added 100 for the second wicket, was the catalyst for Ombersley, who move up to fifth place in the table, three points ahead of defending champions Berkswell who eased past local rivals Knowle & Dorridge by six wickets after K & D had reached 269 for eight in 50 overs. Amir Khan hit 85 and the returning Carlos Brathwaite hit 36 in 30 balls as former K & D man Ateeq Javid snapped up 3 for 58 for Berkswell. In response, Berkswell lost their first two wickets to run-outs but Chris Whittock (103 not out) and Nick James (55 not out) took a grip of the game after the loss of two further wickets to see Berkswell to victory, after Ajay Shingadia hit 46 at the top of the innings.