Walsall show championship form
Walsall strengthened their claims for a third successive Birmingham Premier League title with a winning draw against leaders Barnt Green.
Walsall strengthened their claims for a third successive Birmingham Premier League title with a winning draw against leaders Barnt Green.
The Gorway men racked up 242 – their highest score of the season – to reinforce their intentions.
New Zealand overseas player Brad Wilson (88) and Mo Sheikh, with an unbeaten 84 which won him the man of the match award, proved the mainstay of the innings.
Sheikh also claimed two wickets, as Barnt Green hung in with 163-5. Walsall provided the perfect response to their first defeat in 23 games last week and leaves them just 22 points behind their opponents.
Bowlers were the stars as Wolverhampton cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Shifnal.
Saiaraj Bahatule with 5-35 and Jack Snape (5-41) emerged with the honours, as the Shropshire side were dismissed for a paltry 105 inside 44 overs.
Boosted by a quick 40 from Anish Kapil, Wolverhampton reached their target in 36.2 overs.
West Bromwich Dartmouth helped ease their relegation worries with a winning draw at Kenilworth Wardens.
Worcestershire's Moeen Ali smashed 90 a week after hitting 164, but their was little support from elsewhere as Dartmouth were restricted to 169-9 in 4 overs.
Ali also took 4-23 bowling at opposite ends with T P Sudhindram who skittled 4-21, but Wardens hung on at 130-9 to claim themselves seven points.
Himley continued their resurgence with a winning draw against struggling Leamington.
Overseas player T P Singh was again Himley's hero, hitting 104 and Chris Pearce 55 as the hosts closed on 245-6.
Singh, Stuart Wedge, and Tim Heap took two wickets each, but Leamington gained their share of the points after amassing 190-6 with teenagers Alex Phillips and Tom Lewis catching the eye with knocks of 82 and 42 respectively.
Kidderminster Victoria suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Moseley.
Josh Knappett's 63 was the highlight of Kidderminster's low-scoring innings, which saw them reach 134-7 in a match reduced to 31 overs per side.
Moseley reached their target with five overs to spare, thanks to the efforts of Warwickshire's Ian Westwood, who hit 61 on his return from a broken thumb after six weeks on the sidelines.
Halesowen posted just 102 – but it was enough to beat division one leaders Shrewsbury.
Richard Cox was Halesowen's top scorer with 32 but the hosts need not have worried, as only one Shrewsbury batsman managed double figures.
Laeq Christi emerged with 6-42 while Imran Ali took 4-21 as Shrewsbury were dismissed for 66 inside 30 overs.
Simon Lazenbury hit 107 but it wasn't enough for Old Hill to beat Wellington.
Lazenbury's ton helped Old Hill to 238-7 but the Shropshire side dug in and were 210-6 at the close. Old Hill claimed 13 points from the draw.
