Smethwick keep up perfect record to move clear at top

The Broomfield outfit are now the only team in Division One still boasting a 100 per cent record after Kidderminster were beaten at Kenilworth Wardens.

On what was another hugely impressive showing from Smethwick following their win over reigning champions Berskwell last weekend, they strolled past Knowle & Dorridge who were put into bat and finished on 219-7 from 50 overs.

Half-centuries from Sam Reddish (60), Amir Khan (53) and Hamza Shaikh (51) looked to have given them a decent total.

But Smethwick cruised past the target with four wickets and five overs in hand.

Kadeer Ali top scored with 69 with staunch support from Roshan Venkataraman with 53 and Gurinder Singh with 51.

It was a different story for Kidderminster, though, who fell to a crushing 287-run defeat.

After losing the toss and accepting an invitation to bat first with open arms, Wardens ran up an imposing 380-7 at Glasshouse Park from 50 overs.

Ali Zaryab Asif led the way with 107 from 115 balls after Jamie Harrison had given the innings a an excellent start with 81 from 56 balls.

Later in the innings, Henry Cullen hit 44 from 30 balls and Harry Johnson added 43 from 50 balls as Wardens almost made it to 400.

The Kidderminster reply began disastrously, losing their first six wickets for 38 before folding to 93 all out from just 21 overs.

Elsewhere, Halesowen earned their first win of the season with a four-wicket success against Shrewsbury. Lewis Evans hit 78 and Matt Swift scored 46 in Shrewsbury’s 243-8. But 106 from Alex Hinkley and 55 from Alexei Kervezee eased Halesowen to victory off the first ball of the 46th over.

In Division Two, Lichfield beat Worfield as the two teams won won promotion via the County League Play-Offs met at Davenport Park.

Winning the toss and inviting their hosts to bat, Lichfield skittled Worfield for 50 in 21 overs with Riley Ward finishing with the remarkable figures of six wickets for nine runs from five overs. Brinder Phagura (3-13) also impressed with the ball. Lichfield then wasted no time reaching their target, despite the best efforts of Worfield’s Ben Hudson (3-10).

Himley collapsed to 78 all out after opting to bat first as they were beaten at Bromsgrove. But there was better news for Wolverhampton, who earned a hard-fought four-wicket win over Bridgnorth with two balls remaining.

Bridgnorth’s total of 210-9 in 50 overs came from a fourth-wicket stand of 108 between Staffordshire’s Michael Hill (60) and Shropshire’s Matty Simmons (50).

Aqab Ahmed (3-37) was the pick of the Wolverhampton bowlers, who then saw the early dismissal of the prolific Warrick Fynn.

But they let that affect them as Tom Fell (78), Charlie Home (30) and Joe Stanley (30) eased them to 190 before Fell was fifth out with 21 required. Skipper Will Nield then played a cameo of 26 not out from 22 balls to see Wolverhampton to their third win in three games.

West Bromwich Dartmouth were beaten by 117 runs at Barnards Green, while Walsall fell to a 34-run defeat at home to Harborne.