Leamington edge closer to safety - The Leamington Observer

Leamington edge closer to safety

Leamington Editorial 30th Aug, 2018   0

LEAMINGTON have all but guaranteed safety in Birmingham League Division One following a positive Bank Holiday weekend.

On Saturday, Spa took on league leaders Kidderminster and it was the rain which prevented them from falling to defeat.

Kidderminster had won the toss and opted to bowl in helpful conditions with Spa crumbling to 18-3 and then 61-6.

Chris Steele (3-13) was particularly impressive as the league leaders asserted their dominance.




The late order had often been the saviour for Leamington throughout the course of the season and this proved to be the case once again as Sulaiman Hussain and Chris Calcott got Spa back into the match.

Calcott hit a quickfire 33 while Hussain made a measured unbeaten 39 as Leamington closed on 144-9 after 36 overs when the rain halted proceedings.


In reply Kidderminster got off to a flying start and looked well set for victory at 56-1.

However, four quick wickets, including two for Matt Davison, meant Kidderminster faltered to 73-5.

The league leaders then reached 80-5 in 18.3 overs and were favourites to win but the rain returned, with the deluge resulting in an abandoned match.

Spa collected ten priceless points in their bid to avoid the drop.

Leamington then picked up a vital 20 points from their encounter with Bromsgrove on Bank Holiday Monday.

Hosts Bromsgrove chose to bat after winning the toss but could only make slow progress. Jon Wigley claimed the first two wickets with Neil Smith bagging two more as the Boars meandered to 106-4.

Ryan Pedley injected some pace into the latter part of Bromsgrove’s innings, making a patient 90 before being dismissed off the last ball of the innings. This left Bromsgrove on 182-6, a seemingly below-par score.

Leamington paced their response well and never allowed the required rate to creep up to more than four runs an over.

Luke de Souza and Waqar Ahmed made bright contributions but both fell in the 20s when well set.

William Mashinge played the anchor role with Nabeel Asghar providing the impetus. The latter hit 47 off just 42 balls and was dismissed with only two runs required but Mashinge got Leamington over the line with an unbeaten 59.

Spa now need just five points from the last three matches, starting with Bridgnorth on Saturday, to secure their place in the revamped Birmingham League for 2019.

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Leamington Observer.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Leamington Observer newspaper.