Aston Manor and Stourport are in pole position to qualify from the County League play-offs after two rounds of action. Third-placed Fordhouses also retain realistic qualification hopes if they can beat the Warwickshire Premier League winners in next Saturday’s showdown at WB Dartmouth while Wellington are not yet mathematically out of the picture.

League table: https://bdpcl.play-cricket.com/website/division/142727

Sunday September 20^th – Round Two

Aston Manor’s 274/7 was built around solid contributions from their openers which laid a base for late-innings acceleration.

Lovish Dhar made 51 from 60 balls while adding 98 in partnership with Qundeel Haider who then put on a further 56 with Zia Ul Haq Parwani before the latter was run out in a mix up for 22.

Haider went on to anchor the innings with a workmanlike 84 before skipper Waqar Ahmed hit three sixes in a breezy 37 and Saad Waseem contributed 37 from just 23 balls while adding 51 in the closing stages with Dani Khan. Junaid Iqbal took 3-59 for Stourport.

Chasing 275 the home side’s top-order then all got starts but none went on to produce the big score which would have swung momentum their way.

Sam Beadsworth, Charlie Foley and Bonga Makaka passed 30 but tight spells from spinners Shakeel Janjua, Kuldeep Diwan and Lovish Dhir forced up the asking rate.

With Saad Waseem contributing a brilliant run out and Akeel Haider (2/36) claiming late wickets Stourport closed on 229/6 to slip to a 45-run defeat, but thanks to Craig Wood (58no) and Ollie Uffindall (25no) Stourport also collected six bonus points which may yet prove invaluable.

Scorecard: https://bdpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/7758610

Fordhouses bounced back in emphatic style from the disappointment of round one defeat by Stourport with a convincing 67-run win at Wellington.

The South Staffordshire League champions’ reaction to being bowled out for just 112 on home turf took the form of a convincing batting display in which their top order took full advantage of being inserted with a trio of fine knocks which took their team beyond 300.

Niall Cooper led the way with an even-time 106 containing 15 boundaries. He added 158 in 28 overs with opening partner Muheen Rashid whose 102-ball 82 included nine fours and three sixes.

Alex McChristie continued in similar vein with a fluent 58 and as a result the Shropshire League winners were left to chase 307/6.

After losing two early wickets Wellington regrouped through a useful third-wicket partnership of 60 between Jason Oakes (40) and Morgan Ward (43).

But economic spells from Adam and Lewis Peat tightened the screw and left the defiant David Laird fighting a lone hand. He went on to contribute a robust 82 from 64 balls with four sixes, but despite these late heroics Wellington were bowled out for 240.

Cooper ensured he collected the star man award by adding figures of 5/36 to his earlier ton.

Scorecard: https://bdpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/7758612

Saturday September 19th - Round One

Seamer Junaid Iqbal grabbed the headlines as Stourport claimed a comfortable seven-wicket win at Fordhouses in the opening round of play-off action.

After the hosts opted to bat first Iqbal (4-33) and new-ball partner Ryan Derrick (2-26) (both pictured) soon made significant inroads through a disciplined display of medium-pace bowling.

They exploited some typical September seam movement to good enough effect that Fordhouses slumped to 40/5 in the twelfth over.

And with Shebi Iqbal and Naeem Abbas then grabbing two wickets apiece, the South Staffordshire County League winners were back in the pavilion in the 39^th over with just 112 on the board.

This left Fordhouses needing early wickets and when both Stourport openers were gone for 32 the home side had a glimmer of hope.

But a useful third-wicket stand of 62 between visiting skipper Charlie Foley (43no) and South African pro Bonga Makaka (32) then steadied the ship before Sam Beadsworth joined his captain to see Stourport home in the 28^th over.

Scorecard: https://bdpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/7758611

A brilliant unbeaten 136 from Zia Ul Haq Parwani steered Aston Manor to an exciting six-wicket home win over Wellington.

Chasing Wellington’s challenging 312/8 in 49 overs, following a brief rain delay during the visitors’ innings, Manor charged to the finishing line with more than two overs remaining.

Openers Qundeel Haider (42) and Lovish Dar (57) got the chase away to a good start by adding 79 in 14.2 overs before Parwani took centre stage in the second half of the innings.

He struck 14 fours and two sixes while passing 100 from 91 balls before going on to 136no from 112 balls while adding 70 with Shakeel Janjua (21no).

At 74/4 in the 20^th over Wellington earlier seemed unlikely to post a big total but their middle and lower order then changed the momentum of the innings.

Wicket-keeper Morgan Ward led the charge by hitting eight sixes in an excellent 80-ball 88 while adding 129 with sixth-wicket partner David Laird who also cleared the ropes four times while making 52 from 43 balls.

And after a flurry of wickets, enough time remained for Hugh Morris to smash an unbeaten 52 from 39 balls – including a further four sixes.

Seamers Waqar Dad and Akeel Haider both claimed a couple of early wickets for Aston Manor.

Scorecard: https://bdpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/7758608