Defeat has no six appeal as Leamington lose despite doing ‘double’
DESPITE the presence of 49-year-old former England all-rounder and Warwickshire skipper Darren Maddy in their ranks Leamington slipped to a six-wicket Birmingham Premier League Division Two defeat at West Bromwich Dartmouth.
With 55-year-old Neil Smith having featured last season, Jon Wigley’s Spa team completed an unusual ‘veteran international double’ when Maddy took to the field alongside son George.
However, Maddy Senior made just 17 as Dartmouth spinner Ravan Chahal dominated proceedings at Sandwell Park by claiming five for 26 including the prize scalp of West Indian test star Shane Dowrich who made 19. With Tim Maxfield and Billy-jo Cox sharing four wickets the visitors were bowled out for 144.
Dartmouth then cruised to victory in the 28th over on the back of a fine contribution from Ismail Mohammed whose unbeaten 77-ball 70 contained ten fours and a six. James Hawkins (two for 30) was the most successful member of Leamington’s seven-man attack.
Indian pro Shivam Bhambri was the star of the show for Coventry & North Warwickshire whose promising return to regional Premier League cricket continued with a 16-point winning draw from the visit of Worfield.
CNW lie fourth in the table after eight rounds of action after Bhambri made a run-a-ball 85 containing seven fours and two sixes in their 262 all out. He received good support from openers Will Iles (30) and Alex Johnson (40) who added 67 before skipper Vik Sodhi (33) and keeper Marco Higgins (42) also chipped in useful runs.
Matthew Rees (six for 77) and Ben Parker (three for 46) led with the ball for the Bridgnorth-based visitors who then ground their way to a draw at 167 for six. Bhambri completed a fine all-round day by claiming three for 33 from 15 tidy overs while Harry Horsley and Sameer Vohra bowled economical spells.
In Division One Berkswell slipped to a four-wicket home defeat at the hands of table-topping Knowle &
Maddy Senior made just 17 as Dartmouth spinner Ravan Chahal dominated proceedings at Sandwell Park by claiming five for 26.
Dorridge who sit four points ahead of closest challengers Wolverhampton following their fifth win of the season. Warwickshire skipper Will Rhodes led the way for his new club Berkswell with an accomplished 88-ball 69 but the home side never really got away from a K&D attack in which spinner Umar Shaikh (three for 56) stood out.
This left the visitors chasing 226, a target which proved well within their compass on the back of a solid batting display lead by opener Hamza Shaikh’s excellent 70 plus a half-century from debutant South African pro Marques Ackerman and James Middleton’s unbeaten 46. Rhodes completed
an impressive day by claiming two for 34 from 12 tidy overs.
Awais Mohammed tore through Kenilworth Wardens batting line-up as Moseley left Glasshouse Park with the most emphatic of eight-wicket wins. A home side containing Warwickshre’s Jacob Bethell and Worcestershire’s Josh Baker proved no match for the former Berkswell seamer who grabbed five for 21 from seven penetrative overs.
Mohammed was given good support by veteran former Bear Keith Barker and current Edgbaston staffer Che Simmons who shared four wickets as Wardens were packed off in just 28 overs for 105. Only Bethell, whose 49-ball 42 contained nine boundaries, made any headway with the bat for a home side that slips to eighth following this defeat.