Hira the star for Milford Hall
All-rounder Ronnie Hira was the star of the show as table-toppers Milford Hall overcame Wednesbury.
All-rounder Ronnie Hira was the star of the show as table-toppers Milford Hall overcame Wednesbury.
The New Zealander claimed 5-69 from his 20 overs, before hitting an unbeaten 98 to guide his side to the victory that kept them on top.
Former Wednesbury captain Gary Owen top-scored for his side with 57 while Abdul Salom hit 33, Pindy Matharu scored 30 and Hitesh Makan made 23.
But Hira's five-wicket haul, combined with 3-65 from Tim Dredge, helped restrict Wednesbury to 207-9 in their 50 overs.
Hira ended unbeaten, two runs short of his century, as Milford reached 208-7 in the 49th over of their reply.
Opener Paul Hollinshead made 35 and Pat Turner hit 30 with Neil Wyborn, Bal Matharu and Pindy Matharu claiming two wickets apiece for Wednesbury.
Milford spokesman Kevin Herbert is refusing to get carried away by his team's start.
He said: "The pre-season expectations remain unchanged and that was to finish in mid-table. If we finish between third and sixth we will have had a good season."
Springvale captain Tom Chew has urged his team to carry on having fun after they reached his target of five wins before the halfway mark in the season.
The season's surprise package remain second in the table after they claimed a six-wicket victory over Penkridge on Saturday.
Chew has admitted their success in their first season in the top-flight has taken him by surprise.
"At the start of the season I set a target of five wins to stay up and we have got them already," he said.
"I think we're taking everybody by surprise, including ourselves.
"But we have played good cricket, we have only been outclassed twice and the whole team are really enjoying their cricket."
Openers Ben Holmes (89 not out) and Alex Watson (42) were the mainstays of Penkridge's 256-5. Steve Blews took 3-99 for Springvale in his 16 overs.
But batsmen contributed throughout the order as Springvale reached their victory target of 257-4. Mark Kraushaar (65), Adnan Haroon (34), Danny Archer (35 not out) and Michael Lunt (30 not out) were the main scorers.
Chew added: "It was a great batting pitch and we were always confident but it was a great team effort."
Bloxwich's struggles with the bat continued as they slid to a 98-run defeat at the hands of Cannock and Rugeley.
Kelton Scott's Bloxwich gave themselves a chance as Aaron Alcock claimed four wickets to help restrict Cannock and Rugeley to 213.
After bowling out their opponents in the final over, Bloxwich's batting collapsed and they were dismissed for 115.
Riswan Malik was the star with the ball for Cannock and Rugeley, taking 5-38.
Bloxwich skipper Kelton Scott said: "We bowled and fielded well but, as has been the case for most of the season, we just didn't click with the bat."
Cannock and Rugeley captain Aqil Ahmed added: "We're playing some good cricket at the moment and generally it is a great team effort.
"When the chips are down somebody is always coming up with the goods to make sure we get the job done."
