2021 League Champions Berkswell held their nerve, last week, to hold off a strong challenge from newly promoted Halesowen and, this week, they faced the other promoted side Kenilworth Wardens at Glasshouse Park. In another nail-biting finish, it was Wardens who triumphed by four wickets with two deliveries of the final over remaining. Batting first, Berkswell reached 237 for nine from 50 overs, thanks to half-centuries by two former Leicestershire players Neil Dexter (73) and Ateeq Javid (55). Another ex-Leicestershire player Alex Wyatt was the most successful bowler for Wardens with 3 for 39. The home side’s reply was held together by Henry Cullen who steered his side to victory with an unbeaten 59. Visiting skipper Nick James took 3 for 31 but he was powerless to prevent Wardens’ surge for victory once Tommy Rex (31 not out) joined Cullen in an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 58. After last weekend’s narrow four run defeat to the Champions, Halesowen were involved in another thrilling encounter, before going down to Knowle & Dorridge by one wicket with three balls remaining. Alex Bingham (59), Billy-J Cox (50) and Alexei Kervezee (46) scored the bulk of the runs in Halesowen’s total of 246 for eight with Warwickshire’s Ethan Brookes taking 4 for 46. Brookes (61) also played a prominent role with the bat, helped by 53 from County team-mate Jacob Lintott and an unbeaten 46 from Martin Donald. Cox took 3 for 47 for Halesowen, supported by Harry Kitchen with 3 for 61. Both Leamington and Kidderminster began the season, last week, with victories but their clash at Arlington Avenue went the way of the visitors after they put 291 for six on the board after being invited to bat first. The main feature of the innings was a superb unbeaten 137 from 109 balls from Kidderminster captain Neil Pinner including 15 fours and three sixes. Callum Bennett chipped in with 54, while Tom Warner took 3 for 64 for Leamington, who lost wickets, at regular intervals, in reply, slumping to 138 for seven, despite a hard-hitting 60 from Ollie Currill who faced 51 balls and struck four fours and six sixes. After Currill was out, Josh De Souza hit 55 from 50 balls before Leamington were all out for 249 in 49.3 overs with Charlie Stainforth taking 3 for 56 for Kidderminster who, after two games, sit at the top of the table alongside Smethwick and Shifnal.

Smethwick’s game with Barnt Green was, also, a meeting of two clubs with a victory already in the bank and Barnt Green looked to be heading for another early finish when they reduced the Broomfield outfit to 35 for four in pursuit of their own total of 182 all out in 49.3 overs. The fourth wicket, however, was their final success of the day after Kadeer Ali (99 not out) and Amritpal Singh (64 not out) came together to share an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 148 to see Smethwick to a six wicket win with six overs to spare. Earlier in the day, Barnt Green had been held together by a stubborn 56 from Oxfordshire’s Robbie Shurmer after Roshan Venkataraman (4 for 26) and Yasir Ali (3 for 37) had combined to see the visitors on 76 for six. Runs were more difficult to find at London Road where Shifnal battled to 186 for nine against Shrewsbury with Overseas Player Tom Winchester taking 4 for 37 on his home debut. They were even more scarce after the interval as Shrewsbury slipped to 137 all out in the 41st over. Worcestershire rookie Mitchell Stanley took 3 for 14 and Shaun Lorimer took 3 for 28 to set up a second win of the season for Shifnal. The most thrilling game of the day took place at Ombersley, where the home side went down to a three-wicket defeat, off the last ball of the day, to Moseley after scoring 263 for six. Former Worcestershire skipper Daryl Mitchell hit 87 and Herefordshire’s Nick Hammond scored 53 with George Furror the best of the visiting bowlers with 3 for 45. Moseley’s reply with the bat was led by Abdullah Awan (88) and Abraash Khan (84) who took the score from 14 for one to 193 for two when they were parted. They, then, lost wickets, regularly, but held on long enough to send Ombersley to their second defeat of the season.