Express & Star

Halesowen secure promotion following victory

Halesowen clinched a place in Birmingham & District League Division One next season with a final-day victory over promotion rivals Pershore.

Published

Pershore were invited to bat first and were dismissed for 104 in 45.3 overs. Richard Brooker (5-16) and Eddie Rhodes (3-26) did the main damage.

After an interruption for rain, Halesowen were set a revised target of 95 in 40 overs to win the game.

Oswestry’s five-wicket win against Wombourne ensured they would be crowned champions.

Cannock & Rugeley Hawks (Valeed Butt 71, Haseeb Shah 4-14, Kabir Ali 4-31) finished in third following a 25-run win against Penkridge.

Fordhouses rattled up 319-8 at Coventry & NW with Jem Stack hitting 83, David Powles 75 and Pirm Kalair 67. The game was abandoned with Coventry on 126-5 in the 22nd over of their response, 67 runs short of the DLS par score at that stage.

Streetly snatched the Division Three title from Astwood Bank after overcoming Sentinel, while Bank went down to a 64-run defeat at Stourbridge.

Streetly smashed 300-5 in 30 overs with 118 from Matt Hinton, 65 from Neil Curtis and 59 from Sam Bates in 18 balls. Sentinel finished on 173-6.

Stourbridge (188-6) bowled out Astwood Bank for 124 thanks to Jade Richter (4-26) and Luke Alexander (3-21). Lichfield lost to Handsworth.