Rain favours Wolverhampton

Rainclouds, which forced the abandonment of four matches in the Birmingham Midshires Birmingham & District Premier League, rolled away to reveal a new leader, with Wolverhampton back on top with more than half the season still to play.

With the return of Isle of Wight star Chris Russell and exciting young prospect Anesh Kapil, back from injury, there was no stopping Wolverhampton but once again it was Indian international Sairaj Bahutule who underpinned the victory with another strong performance with bat and ball, taking 3-7 and scoring 22 to be named man of the match.

In a match reduced to 27 overs per side, Knowle & Dorridge were skittled out for 73 in 22.4 overs, Imran Jamshed finishing with 5-31. Nick Warren took 3-19 for K & D, who went down to their fourth defeat of the season.

With nine matches completed and 13 still to be played, Wolverhampton have suffered just one defeat, as have second placed Barnt Green whose game against Walmley was scrapped due to the weather, the third abandonment this season for the beleaguered 2005 champions.

Wolverhampton are back on top of the league

At Gorway, the match between Walsall and Kenilworth Wardens was reduced to 31 overs per side and a further seven overs were lost during the home side’s innings, which was given a lively start by Chris Tranter and Paul Baker, who made a breezy 21.

Walsall, then, slumped to 77 for five, a situation that may have influenced skipper Paul Wicker’s decision to bat the full 31 overs, before a stand of 64, for the sixth wicket, between man of the match Brad Wilson (68 not out) and Richard Mills (26) took their side to 144 for six.

Jason Young was the pick of the Wardens attack, taking 3-41, from 12 overs, while Paul Rowe finished with 2-73, from 10 overs.

Wardens scored 10 from the first over of their innings, but a hostile spell from Warwickshire’s Andy Miller (4-22) left them hanging on for a draw, reaching 59 for six after 24 overs.