The First XI made it 3 BDPCL wins out of 3 and sit top of the league after another convincing victory, this time, beating West Bromwich Dartmouth by a huge 189 runs.

After losing the toss, K&D were invited to bat first on a fresh unused wicket, which potentially could have been tricky to bat on, however openers Harrison and Shaikh handled the conditions well, scoring runs with relative ease.

With the scoreboard showing 92/0 Jamie Harrison was the first wicket to fall for 26. Hamza continued however and made an excellent 84. The home side then suffered a little wobble, losing Ethan Brookes and James Middleton with only 1 run being added. However we recovered, led in most part by the in-form Oliver Currill (84*) supported by Baines (19) and Dave Ball with a quick-fire 38 not out. The 7th wicket partnership of Currill and Ball worth 73 not out helping us reach a nice round 300/6 in our 50 overs.

The visiting side in reply, never really got going, and were up against a wily K&D attack with Currill and Ball taking 7 wickets between them. With first change bowler Ethan Brooks and veteran Chris Cheslin taking the other 3 wickets, Dartmouth never looked like getting close to the target.

Special mention to WBD number 3 batsman Tim Maxfield who watched his partners disappear at regular intervals, whilst making 55 himself. Maxfield was the final wicket to fall with the Black Country side making just 111.

Ethan Brooks taking 3 smart slip catches bought gasps and whoops of delight from the large home crowd.

So a relatively easy victory for the 1st XI, and skipper James Middleton who said “We played well, the run keeps going, I am generally happy, we are scoring runs, and look good with the ball. Our fielding was also excellent today. We all know how good Ethan is in the slips and he entertained the crowd again today”

Looking forward to this weekend’s bank holiday double header ‘Midds’ continued “This weekend will be a good test for us. Moseley away is never easy, and then we welcome Barnt Green who themselves have had a good start to the season, both teams know each other well, so it will be a good battle, lets hope for the sun and a large noisy crowd at Station Road to cheer us on!

Saturday 2nd XI – Home to Solihull Municipal 12.30 start
The 2’s travelled to Harborne on Saturday, hoping to continue their good run of form.

K&D won the toss and bowled first, however Harborne got off to a good start with boundaries being scored with relative ease on a small ground. The home side making 334/6 with a century for ex Warwickshire Junior Jimmy Clifford.

Ben Kavanagh (3-78) and Tom O’Donnell (2-43) were the main wicket takers for K&D. Mo Habib bowled with good economy (0-42 off 9) without getting in the wickets column.

In form skipper Jamie Hughes, scored a quick fire 19 before being bowled. Wickets soon followed, and it was quickly a case of batting out for a credible draw. This was achieved with us losing 6 wickets, Ahmed Hussain (75 not out) and Nick Rice (55) helping us to 211 in our 50 overs.

Hughes said post game “A good friend of mine often says if you can’t win the game, then don’t lose it, and that pretty much sums it up today. I am proud of the boys, we battled hard, dug in and we come home with 8 points. We sit top of our league, and we looking forward to next Saturday against ‘Muni’ now”

Saturday 3rd XI – Home to Attock 12.30 start (Lugtrout Lane)
The 3rd XI had a day to forget, losing by 8 wickets to Earlswood. Batting first, we were all out for 90, which was never really going to cause the home side too many problems, although it did take 32 overs for them to reach their target.

Saturday 4th XI – Away to Solihull Blossomfield 3rd XI 1pm start
The 4th XI had a great day, winning by just one less than the first XI (188 runs). K&D scoring 217 all out, opposition Studley were then skittled for just 29. Opening bowlers Sajid Imtiaz (6-10) and Ahktar Haider (3-12) ensuring the game finished early on.

Sunday 26th May: Women's 2nd XI - Away to Bedworth

National Knockout update
Please note that the NKO fixture against Barnt Green has now been re-scheduled for Sunday June 2nd 1pm start at Barnt Green (Cherry Hill Road)

Author: Rob Plaister
Photo Credits: Mike Woods Photography