Leaders boost title hopes with Stratford win
STRATFORD slipped to a 72-run in the Premier Division of the Warwickshire League as leaders Handsworth strengthened their place at the top of the table.
Decent bowling from Archie Walker, whose ten overs went for just 14 runs, kept the score down early on and there were wickets for Cameron Stiles (3-49), Josh Baines (2026) and Sean Hopwood (2-50).
But Handsworth opened up in the latter stages with Rohel Peters swinging the bat for a boundary-rich 72 while Bevon Brown scored an unbeaten 42 off 29 balls to steer their side to 225/7 from their allotted 50 overs.
Gareth Langman was an early casualty as Stratford looked to chase down their target but Osian Catlin (29) and opener Neel Ammanath (27) kept the scoreboard ticking.
They had reached 85-2 when the latter fell and nobody else managed to deal with the lively bowling other than Walker who finished 20 not out as the Swans Nest side were dismissed for 153, Brown finishing with 6-36.
Stratford skipper James Urquhart said: “At the 25/30 over stage of their innings I thought we were right in it. I thought that if we could just finish off the innings we could chase a nice target. But Handsworth did what they do best and started to clear the ropes. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong end of many of those sixes.
“It was a little disappointing to let them get as many as they did but we got off to a really good start scoring 50/1 off ten overs and I could not have asked for more. But we lacked the experienced middle order of Nathan [Edwards] and Stratts [John Stratton]. If we had had them playing then I think it might have been a different story.”
In Division Two, Ben Fitzgerald scored a half-century for Earlswood at home to Warwick but it was not enough to stave off a five-wicket defeat to leave them languishing at the foot of the table.
With opener Sardara Narotra dismissed for a duck in the first over by seamer Josh Osborne, Earlswood made the worst possible start and things went from bad to worse when Harvey Williams followed him back to the pavilion in the next over to leave the hosts at 2/1.
Adil Haider went on to score 16 before he was trapped lbw and there were also useful contributions from Colby Snipe (30), George Calkeld (22no) and Elliot Weir (21) in addition to Fiztgerald’s 50 as the hosts reached 172/8 from their 50 overs.
Warwick’s response got off to a good start as they made 81 before losing a wicket and they hit their target with five overs to spare and with five wickets in hand.
Jamie Coleman top scored with 70 before he fell to Snipe (1-19 off eight overs). The other wickets were shared between Haider (2-24) and Joe Bussey (2-33).
Studley remain one place above Earlswood after they lost to Water Orton by six wickets.
Stratford head to Solihull Blossomfield on Saturday while basement pair Studley and Earlswood go head-to-head at Washford Fields.
