Offchurch Lapworth 247 all out in 50.0 overs (Brown 10-1-51-1, Williams 15-1-55-4, Kasim 15-3-63-4, Wadelin 4-0-43-0, Jag 6-0-31-0)
Kings Heath 245 all out in 49.4 overs Kasim Abbas lbw 11 (22 balls, 1x4) Jon Clugston run out 103 (125 balls, 11x4, 3x6) Paul Spinks lbw 19 (33 balls, 3x4) Bernard O'Connor lbw 1 (16 balls) Aaron Oliver caught 42 (64 balls, 7x4) Adnan Ali caught 1 (6 balls) Josh Williams caught 8 (9 balls) Gregg Arrand caught 7 (7 balls, 1x4) Sean Brown run out 4 (13 balls) Jack Wadelin caught 0 (1 ball) Jag Patel 1 not out (1 ball) FOW: 25 65 113 211 223 226 236 241 241 245
OFFCHURCH WON BY 2 RUNS
Lapworth were not a friendly team; they refused to allow a non playing umpire to stand during their batting innings, which is contrary to the rules of the Warwickshire League and does not tally with the spirit of the game. Lapworth batted first and their scoring was initially restricted due to some tight bowling from Sean Brown and Josh Williams. After 10 overs Sean was replaced by Kasim Abbas and the batters began to take advantage of the frequent short deliveries and a close leg side boundary. In an endeavour to stem the flow resulting from the short deliveries; Under 15 Jack Wadelin was introduced into the bowling attack. Wadelin bowled consistently full, but was frequently cover driven by the powerful Lapworth batsmen, and despite numerous fielders in that region, the ball constantly evaded them. He was withdrawn after four overs which cost the side 44 runs. Jag Patel was introduced but his first three deliveries were hit to the boundary in three different locations. He managed to pull back the scoring rate and only conceded 19 runs in his next five overs; but was wicketless and was subsequently changed with Josh to complete his 15 over allocation. By this time Kasim had rediscovered his line and length and had taken four wickets whilst stifling the scoring. In his final over the batsman struck a low catch to Adnan Ali at cover. The bowler and fielder thought the ball had carried and the batsman duly took their word and walked; however there was doubt expressed by Paul Spinks and Jag Patel, who stated they clearly saw the ball bounce. The batsman was recalled to the crease and Kasim was denied a fifth wicket, which would have been his first five wicket haul for Kings Heath. Sean returned for a final five over spell and Josh also contributed four wickets as the Lapworth innings finished in a run out from the final ball, but Lapworth had posted an imposing 248 to win. The required rate was all but five runs per over and two left handers opened the innings; but Kasim was soon run out, whilst Paul Spinks and Bernard O’Connor offered a little longevity at the crease but scored slowly. These three batsmen scored their combined total of 31 runs from 71 deliveries at a run rate of only 2.61 per over, pushing the required rate up to nearly 5.70 runs an over for the lower order to maintain to secure the win. Meanwhile Jon Clugston had continued to bat on, but when on nine, offered a simple catch to mid on, who dropped it. This turned out to be a costly drop as Clugston added 98 in a fourth wicket partnership with Aaron Oliver, taking the total up to 211 for 3. Jon Clugston had progressed from fifty to near his hundred by taking advantage of a flustered Lapworth attack, hitting three sixes from particularly short deliveries. The excitement mounted for the supporters as he moved through the nineties, but excitement turned to horror as he was bowled on 98, only for the umpire (Spinks) to call a front foot no ball. This particular bowler had been a prolific offender throughout the day so it was no surprise when he Lapworth team screamed out in frustration, with their hands on their heads. All of the built up emotion was released when Clugston reached his hundred, a brief raise of the bat accompanying the milestone, but he was run out for 103; striking eleven fours in addition to the three sixes during his 125-ball stay. He and Aaron (42) had been dismissed in quick succession, leaving the remaining batsmen with an uphill struggle as the better bowlers returned. Adnan was caught out for a single from six deliveries, and Gregg Arrand was caught by midwicket the ball after hitting a boundary through square leg. Josh Williams was on strike at the start of the penultimate over, but controversially turned down several singles in an attempt to retain the strike and hit boundaries, as Sean Brown was batting at the other end and struggling to rotate the strike. This tactic did not work and Josh was soon caught out and several crucial deliveries had been wasted. Jack Wadelin was the new batsman and he was caught at long off from his first ball to complete an inauspicious and forgettable 2nd XI debut. Kings Heath had a solitary wicket remaining with a run a ball still needed. The equation soon changed to four runs from three balls when Jag Patel struck a ball firmly to long on, three quarters of the way back. Both batsmen ran the single, but Jag refused to turn and complete the second run. Sean Brown was running to the bowlers end (the danger end) but with both batters at the same end and after a seemingly endless discussion with Jag he was forced to turn around but the keeper demolished the stumps with Sean a long way short. The confusion effectively cost Kings Heath the match, a defeat by only two runs; if they had survived the final two deliveries the match would have been drawn with both sides collecting maximum bonus points. Lapworth won and were therefore mathematically safe from relegation with two matches left.
