Eastnor extend lead at top of Birmingham League Division Two (From Hereford Times)

Eastnor extend lead at top of Birmingham League Division Two

4:30pm Wednesday 20th June 2012 in Sport

ON another soggy day for the county’s cricketers on Saturday, Eastnor were the only side to see any action.

But even they failed to beat the weather completely as the rain intervened for a third time to curtail their Birmingham League Division Two clash at Cannock with the Herefordshire side in a strong position.

They did, however, fare better, than all of their rivals with the points they gained allowing them to stretch their lead at the top of the table.

After winning an important toss in a match reduced to 43 overs, Eastnor made a good start after choosing to field first.

Amjad Butt (4-15), standing in for the injured Shahid Ahmed, and Mohammed Adeel (2-15) made early inroads either side of a rain interruption to reduce the home side to 21-4.

A revival led by Cannock’s Australian overseas player Sean Collings (47), brought the Staffordshire side to a better position before Atuq Ur Rehman (2-32) and Josh Emery (1-19) took late wickets to restrict the hosts to 104-9.

Eastnor were allotted 31 overs but Shahid (14 not out) and Jabran Khalid (11 not out) had made a promising start at 25-0 from seven overs but before the rain made a further, and this time decisive, return.

Brockhampton’s hopes of see more Birmingham League action at The Parks were again washed out by the weather, meaning that the villagers have played just one home game all season.

None of Herefordshire’s sides in the Worcestershire County League were able to take to the field.

And the GB Liners Marches League programme was a complete wash-out with not a ball bowled.

While all clubs have suffered from the appalling start to the season, it is hard, in particular not to feel sympathy for Kington.

The border club’s first and second teams have each seen six of their seven games abandoned while the third team has been rained off in four of their seven games.

To make matters worse, all of the matches that have been played to a conclusion — just five from a possible 21—have ended in defeats for the Kington sides.