Birmingham League: Century can't save Smethwick from defeat

A century from Worcestershire’s Isaac Mohammed could not save title-chasing Smethwick from a potentially damaging defeat against Halesowen in the Birmingham League.

The defending Division One champions slipped to third in the table after going down by four wickets, with skipper Bilal Shafayat left to rue a bold declaration.

Shafayat called an early end to the home side’s innings after Mohammed, nephew of former England star Moeen Ali, had hit 117 to help them reach 257-6 from 51 overs.

It looked like a smart move when Joe Porter went without score from his second ball, followed by Arun Kalsi for just five to leave Halesowen on 16-2.

But prolific South African Raynard Van Tonder (113) and Glamorgan's Zain Ul-Hassan (80) both stepped up to alter the course of the contest.

Acting captain Ed Bragg (32 not out) then stayed the distance to get Halesowen over the line with nine balls to spare and earn a win which saw them go fourth in the table.

Himley are down to fifth despite taking 16 points from a high-scoring draw at Harborne.

Mitesh Patel (71), Mathew Boroughs (64) and Ollie Westbury (63) were all in the runs to help their team reach 312-7 from 55 overs.

Harborne’s response was rapid with Hasan Mahmood’s 63 made from just 38 balls, while Arjun Nahal got to 52 from 42 deliveries.

That saw the home side to 159-3 inside 27 overs only for Matt Jeavons (4-64) to halt their charge before last pair Tom Arnold (42 not out) and Rayyen Khan (4 not out) stood firm for the final five overs to prevent the visitors claiming maximum points.

Old Hill jumped out of the Division Two relegation zone by ending a month-long wait for a win with a first 24-point haul of the season.

Hasan Ahmed (53) and Hamza Khan (55) put on 89 for their first wicket and with Pakistani pro Saad Naseem weighing in with 98 to leave visitors Tamworth chasing 273.

The visitors never quite matched the run rate despite the best efforts of stand-in opener Tom Smith (45), Alec Price (57) and James Rudge (38), with Sam Keeling-Wright claiming 5-50 they were eventually bowled out for 192.

West Bromwich Dartmouth sit bottom of the table after losing by 103 runs at home to Shifnal, while Kidderminster remain in trouble after losing by 130 runs at Berkswell.

Wolverhampton’s promotion hopes remain just about alive after a 56-run win at Stourbridge.