Bridgnorth (176-9) had a losing draw to Sutton Coldfield (191-9)

The hosts won the toss and chose to bat first on a used wicket in warm conditions. Tom Weston (3-20) bowled well to make early inroads, and when Ryan Lockley pulled off an excellent run-out to bring about the fourth wicket with only 25 runs on the board, the fielding side were in the ascendancy.

A recovery followed as the Sutton Coldfield middle-order worked hard to drag themselves back into the game. Spin twins Sam Whitney (1-42) and James Ralph kept things fairly quiet, before Tom Weaver (3-18) picked up some late wickets as the hosts looked to accelerate towards the end.

Jamie Brown (1-39) took a welcome wicket with the final ball of the innings, as the Birmingham League Division Three front-runners finished on 191-9 off 55 overs.

Unfortunately, Bridgnorth’s run chase never really got out of the blocks. Some accurate bowling and indeterminate shot selection accounted for the first three wickets falling for 38 runs in fifteen overs.

James Ralph (39) played with typical flair in an effort to kick-start the innings, supported by a determined Matt Martin. Unfortunately, the dismissal of Ralph triggered a middle-order collapse of six wickets for 30 runs, leaving the Cricket Meadow men on the brink of defeat at 112-9 with 14 overs remaining.

However, Weaver joined Martin and the crease and the pair showed the sort of application that had been missing earlier in the day. With Martin remaining obdurate and stoic in defence, Weaver began to open his shoulders as the score edged towards to an unexpected upset against the odds.

But as the required run-rate increased and overs ticked by, Bridgnorth were left in a quandary whether to chase down the winning target and risk defeat, or opt for the more calculated effort to ensure they salvaged the draw. Ultimately the latter was more obtainable, as Weaver finished unbeaten on a BDPCL-best 41 not out, and Martin 34 not out, as their side came up just 16 runs short of a remarkable win.

Bridgnorth host current league leaders Hawkins on Saturday.