BEWDLEY bagged local bragging rights over Cookley in Worcestershire Division One in a fascinating rain-hit game.

While Bewdley earned maximum 20 points, their Wyre Forest rivals came agonisingly close to reaching their revised target before being edged out by five wickets.

Jack Mills elected to bat and Bewdley got off to a solid start through Paul Beard (55) and Simon Mauger (36).

After 22 overs, at 77-1, a lengthy rain delay meant that Bewdley’s innings was restricted to 36 overs, but their batsmen made the most of those 14 remaining overs.

Connor Franklin (32) and Charlie Eastoe (35no) were the main contributors as Bewdley rattled along at nine an over, and reached 207-6.

For Cookley Jack McVey (0-33) and Paul Thomas (0-14) both bowled economically, and Gary Mills chipped in with three wickets.

Cookley’s target was assessed at 143 from 20 overs, and Thomas and Jamien Rudd made a brisk start.

However, Jack Mills’s left arm spin soon saw Rudd fall to a boundary catch, and a brilliant catch in front of the pavilion by Mills off Luke Groves saw off the dangerous Jon Stanaway.

Nevertheless, at 86-3 Cookley needed 57 from six overs and with Thomas ominously well set, were probably slight favourites.

The last two overs saw Cookley needing 20, and a huge six by Thomas off Mills’s last ball brought that down to 12 off the last over, to be bowled by an icily calm Robert Crane.

Jay Dhadwal was bowled by the first ball, and then Thomas was run out by Eastoe at the bowler’s end, coming back for an optimistic second run.

Thomas’s splendid 65 had taken his side to the brink of victory, but Bewdley held their nerve and ran out winners.

Bewdley host Hagley on Saturday, while Cookley go to Oldswinford and Stour Social.