B’HAM LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

KNOWLE & DORRIDGE v KIDDERMINSTER 

KCC 317-5 (55 overs) K & D 320-6 (54.5 overs)

K & D won by 4wkts ( 24 pts) KCC ( 6 pts)

A wonderful game of cricket that went to the last ball. The home team’s George Worker, a New Zealand Test player, scored 169 with twelve 4s and four 6s, that bettered Kidderminster’s Craig Wood’s 160, to win the match writes Brian Gittins.

KCC won the toss and elected to bat. With only 13 runs scored, opener Sam Beadsworth (1) was bowled by Ben Brookes.

Craig Wood was joined by Kidderminster’s skipper Neil Pinner and 162 runs came off the next 30 overs.

Pinner (75) including eight 4s and one 6, was caught by Worker off the bowling of Henry Brookes. Wood had reached 92.

A further 71 runs were scored before the 3rd wicket fell when Ateeq Javed bowled Connor Smith (37).

The next two men out were Richard Kimberlin (16) leg before to Javid and Liam Weston, out first ball. He was caught by Javid giving Henry Brookes his second wicket.

Wood was on 149 and finished on 160. A slight back injury had hampered him at times, but it was an innings to savour.

Wood had struck eighteen 4s. The other not out batsman was Pat Brown who had scored 6. Henry Brookes took 2-68, Javid 2-74 and Ben Brookes 1-73.

The K & D innings started steadily with 53 runs coming off the first ten overs.

George Worker and Alex Philips were hardly troubled by the bowling and had reached 134 when the partnership ended.

Richard Kimberlin had bowled well and had his reward with the wicket of Phillips whose 54 came from eight 4s and a six. Worker was on 71.

Two wickets fell at 158, Javid (7) caught Pinner bowled Gomez Vincent, and Oliver Haley (13) also bowled by Vincent.

The fourth and fifth wickets produced 61 runs. Worker had reached his century, but Vincent claimed two more wickets.

Sam Reddish (22) was caught by Wood and Dominic Harding (10) was caught by Brown.

K & D still required 75 with eight overs remaining, but Worker was in superb form.

Tom Smith had scored 33 in a good stand of 73 before being run out by Pinner.

This left K & D needing just one run for a hard won victory. It came off the fifth ball of the final over.

Henry Brookes had not scored but Worker lived up to his name with a magnificent score of 169 not out.

His score featured twelve 4s and four 6s. Kidderminster, still below full strength, put up a good fight but there was far too much wayward bowling.

Vincent deserved his 4-57 off 11 overs of spin and Connor Smith did well with 26 runs off 6 overs. Richard Kimberlin took 1-34 off seven.

KCC badly need to improve and will find West Bromwich Dartmouth no pushover when the two sides meet next Saturday at noon.