At the top of the Worcestershire County League Premier Division table second placed Stourbridge 1st XI lost at home to Stourport-on-Severn 1st XI who moved ahead of their opponents by just one point.

The result allowed leaders Old Hill 1st XI to move twenty four points clear after Aamir Manzoor (5-23) helped them dismiss Droitwich Spa 1st XI cheaply to seal a seven wicket win which in turn means that Droitwich Spa will need to win all four remaining games to avoid relegation.

The only other side with an outside chance of winning the title, Pershore 1st XI, beat lowly Chaddesley Corbett 1st XI by five wickets at Longmore to keep their hopes alive and leave their opponents in serious danger of the drop.

At the lower end of the table Matthew Van Dyk (143) scored his fifth century of a very impressive season in the first innings against local rivals Astwood Bank 1st XI to help Redditch 1st XI record an important twenty run win.

Brockhampton 1st XI dismissed Old Elizabethans 1st XI cheaply to seal a four wicket victory at the Memorial Ground which helped them leap frog Worcester Nomads 1st XI who had a bad day gaining just one point in an eight wicket loss to Bromyard 1st XI at Whitegates Farm.

The Division One promotion race looks all but complete as the top two teams leaders Lye 1st XI and second placed Pedmore 1st XI both recorded wins against Burghill, Tillington & Webley 1st XI and Worcester 1st XI respectively and third placed Ombersley 2nd XI were beaten by Bewdley 1st XI for whom Grant Morris (5-19) and Jack Mills (4-29) shared nine second innings wickets between them which altogether means the gap to the top two is now what looks like an insurmountable forty three points.

Elsewhere in the division, Ravi Yarwood-Paintal (5-45) bowled Halesowen 2nd XI to a comfortable victory against Bromsgrove 2nd XI who are in danger of relegation at the foot of the table. Hagley 1st XI beat Barnt Green 2nd XI who sit in the relegation zone thirteen points behind Colwall 1st XI who lost by twelve runs against form team Coombs Wood 1st XI who pulled themselves further away from danger and seem to have hit form at the correct time of the season.

It was all change at the top of Division Two as Bredon 1st XI upset the apple cart by travelling to leaders Himley 2nd XI and walking away with a well-earned twenty run win in a rain affected match. This result gave Alvechurch & Hopwood 1st XI the opportunity to rise to the summit which they took thanks largely to Johangir Khan (5-16) who returned excellent first innings figures in a ten wicket win against Harborne 3rd XI. The East Worcestershire outfit now hold a small three point lead over Bartestree & Lugwardine 1st XI who also moved above Himley 2nd XI by seven points after beating Enville 1st XI by a wide margin. The race for promotion and the title is now between the top three as Bredon 1st XI lead the chasing pack fifty four points behind.

Elsewhere in the division, Cookley 1st XI beat Astwood Bank 2nd XI by seven wickets, finally Oldswinford 1st XI beat Kidderminster 2nd XI and finally Netherton 1st XI inflicted the result on Redditch 2nd XI which means they will pay their cricket in Division Three next season.

Leaders Barnards Green 2nd XI won the battle of the top two in Division Three by beating second placed Belbroughton 1st XI by a wide margin at Hackmans Gate Lane and in doing so extended their lead at the top to twenty six points and also gave a few other teams new life in the race for promotion, most notably third placed Lye 1st XI who now sit just six points behind Belbroughton 1st XI after beating basement side Old Vigornians 1st XI by just one run in a tremendous match at the Kings School. Netherton 1st XI were another team that prospered when Noman Waqar produced an excellent all round performance (99 & 5-26) in a win against Avoncroft 1st XI that helped his team move in to serious promotion contention just fifteen points off the promotion places, whilst the last of the teams with a realistic chance of promotion are Old Elizabethans 2nd XI who remained in the race by beating Martley 1st XI by six wickets and now sit just seventeen points off the promised land.

In other matches in the division, tenth placed Stourbridge 2nd XI were beaten by Brockhampton 2nd XI at the Parks and eleventh placed Feckenham 1st XI lost to basement side Himbleton 1st XI which means one point separates tenth from eleventh at the foot of the table, with Himbleton 1st XI all but relegated thirty three points adrift.

Lawrence Neill (109) ensured Stourport-on-Severn 2nd XI remain title favourites in Division Four as his second innings century helped his team beat Chaddesley Corbett 2nd XI and move twenty eight points clear at the top after second placed Worcester Nomads 2nd XI were beaten in a high scoring match by Harborne 4th XI at the Knotts Ground in which Matt Kettley (109*) struck a first innings century for the Nomads only to be out shone by Sudhir Prabhu (219) who recorded a double century for the home team in a three wicket win. A result that means the five teams behind Stourport are separated by just thirteen points.

Rushwick 1st XI lead the chasing pack, eight points off second place but did themselves no favours by losing to Claverley 1st XI who join them on level points in fourth place. Old Hill 2nd XI are a further five points back in fifth after Fahad Mahmood (101) helped set up a stress free win against West Malvern 1st XI who dropped to sixth place but remain in the hunt in further two points adrift.

Elsewhere, Five Ways Old Edwardians 1st XI beat Romsley & Hunnington 1st XI and now sit twenty five points of the promotion places in seventh with a faint hope of promotion still remaining with four matches left and Bromsgrove 3rd XI recorded an important win against basement side Coombs Wood 2nd XI in which Jack Bilbrough (112*) compiled an excellent second innings century, no doubt much to the pleasure of father Mark Bilbrough (50) who also contributed to the cause.

In Division Five third placed Hagley 2nd XI were beaten by Barnt Green 3rd XI which means the top two, leaders Droitwich Spa 2nd XI who enjoyed a ten wicket victory against Eastnor 1st XI set up by Oliver Sankey (6-12) who took six first innings wickets and second placed Worcester 2nd XI who beat Malvern 1st XI by thirty two runs are now over forty points clear at the summit and will be very difficult to catch.

Elsewhere, Pershore 2nd XI beat Stourbridge 2nd XI to stay fourth, four points behind Hagley 2nd XI and kept their faint hopes of promotion alive. Clare Boycott (85) ensured fifth place Astwood Bank 3rd XI were able to post a total that proved too many for basement side Colwall 2nd XI to chase at Hanbury and finally Pedmore 2nd XI beat Bewdley 2nd XI at Lower Park despite a fine bowling performance from Louis Spencer (5-13) for the home team in the first innings.

It looks like a race between the top three in Division Six after the weekend's matches as all three posted wins to retain the thirty two point gap between Bromyard 2nd XI in third and fourth placed Belbroughton 2nd XI who beat Enville 2nd XI by sixty four runs.

Leaders Hanley Castle & Upton 1st XI continue to lead by two points after Darcy Howell (5-33) help bowl them to victory in the second innings against Claverley 2nd XI at the Glebe. Tenbury Wells 1st XI kept the pressure on the leaders by beating Halesowen 3rd XI by 2 wickets at Earls High School, a result that keeps them a dozen points clear of third placed Bromyard 2nd XI who beat Kempsey 1st XI by six wickets at Flaggoners Green.

Elsewhere, Cutnall Green 1st XI beat Kidderminster 3rd XI by a wide margin and Alveley 1st XI beat basement side Old Vigornians 2nd XI by seven wickets to leave the OV’s sixteen points from safety with just four matches to play.

Himley 3rd XI secured the Division Seven (North) title with two games to go after beating Bromsgrove 4th XI by an eight wicket margin and Harborne 5th XI suffered a four wicket defeat at the hands of Cookhill 1st XI who moved in to second position at the expense of their opponents..

Elsewhere, Halesowen 4th XI beat Feckenham 2nd XI in a rain interrupted match decided by the Duckworth/Lewis method. Oldswinford 2nd XI beat Stone 1st XI by the same method in another match interrupted by rain.

Matt Whittlestone (118) compiled a first innings century to ensure Romsley & Hunnington 2nd XI posted too many for Kidderminster 4th XI to chase and Alvechurch & Hopwood 2nd XI beat Five Ways Old Edwardians by a nine wicket margin.

Harvington 1st XI returned to action in Division Seven (South) this week and secured the title by recording a win against Old Elizabethans 3rd XI.

Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 2nd XI took advantage of Birlingham 1st XI's free week to move into in to second place after beating Martley 2nd XI by a wide margin thanks to Tyler Garrard (72*) and Rob Garrard (71) posting half centuries in the first innings of a match that determined that Martley 2nd XI will be relegated as they have just one match remaining and are more than twenty points adrift at the bottom.

Elsewhere Jack Curtis (105*) scored an undefeated first innings century in Barnards Green 3rd XI's win against Stourport-on-Severn 3rd XI at Newland. Ombersley 3rd XI beat Rushwick 2nd XI by a wide margin and Worcester 3rd XI beat Bartestree & Lugwardine 2nd XI in a high scoring match at Norton Barracks Bottom Pitch.

Report submitted by Worcestershire County League