DROITWICH Spa Firsts recorded their first win of the Worcestershire County League Division One season and put some daylight between themselves and basement club Oldswinford & Stourbridge Social.
Spa were indebted to opening bowlers Max Young and Phil Thomas, who bowled with great control to restrict their opponents to less than two runs an over and captured wickets at regular intervals.
It was only some lusty blows from the Oldswinsford lower middle order that enabled the home side to post 74 from their 43-over innings, with Young picking up six wickets and Thomas claiming three scalps from a phenomenally accurate spell which saw nine of his 15 overs returned as maidens.
Droitwich made hard work of their reply as opening batsmen Young and skipper Martyn Davies put 47 on the board before three wickets fell with no additions to the total.
A flurry of boundaries from Jordan Renau saw Spa home by six wickets despite the Aussie getting out with just four to win.
A pacy spell by teenage debutant Ollie Sankey was among the highlights for the Seconds as they achieved a comfortable 79-run success over the same opponents at St Peter’s Fields.
Sankey nipped in with 4-29 as Oldswinford were bowled all out for 168 in reply to Droitwich’s 247-7, which saw Ash Fearnall weigh in with 83 and Rhys John make 66.
38 extras and runs from Martin Keen (17), Kieran Wilkins (13) and Jonathan Keen (11) also contributed to Spa’s tally.
Josh Palmer (57) and Stuart Alston (30) top scored for Oldswinford.
In the reverse fixtures for the Thirds and Fourths with Old Elizabethans, the Worcester side got the better of the fixtures.
The Thirds had to hang on for a draw despite another half-century for Ash Walton (65) as they were put to the sword by opposition opener Will French, who smashed an unbeaten 169 off 150 balls to run up an unassailable 291-3.
Nathan Dobbins (47 no) and Sam Bayliss (39) also contributed well with the bat for Elizabethans.
In an exciting finish, the Fourths lost by just two runs after looking likely to achieve their victory target of 174 at 156-5. Youngster Matt Gurr fell one short of his first maiden 50 in senior cricket.
