League launches an inquiry after music festival call-off

The Division Two match was called off after the umpires deemed it unsafe to proceed because of a concert also scheduled to take place at the Lichfield Sports Club at the same time.

A 3,000-strong crowd was expected for the Six O’the Best festival, which began at 3pm and was staged on the other side of the boundary rope just 50 yards from the wicket.

Birmingham League officials have started what they describe as an “urgent inquiry” into the circumstances, with a verdict expected later this week.

Both teams are in a battle to avoid relegation from Division Two, with Bridgnorth sat 11 points above Lichfield in the table.

Bridgnorth skipper Matt Simmonds explained: “The boundary toward where the festival was taking place was about 50 yards and the umpires were concerned about the ball flying into a crowd of people who would not be watching the cricket. Ultimately, their decision was final and there was nothing anyone could do. We’re waiting to see what the league decides. Hopefully it won’t go against us.”

A superb all-round performance from Alex Kervezee helped Halesowen go joint top of the Birmingham League ahead of the season’s final run-in. The Netherlands international smashed an unbeaten 116 from 86 balls as Hales chased down 254 to win by four wickets at Barnards Green and move level on points with Knowle and Dorridge at the Division One summit. Kervezee had earlier finished with bowling figures of 4-44 as the hosts made 253-8 after choosing to bat, before then timing his innings with the bat to perfection as the visitors got home with 10 balls to spare.

Wolverhampton remain in the title hunt, sitting third in the table 22 points behind the top two, after a six-wicket win at Kidderminster, which all but condemned the home side to relegation with still six matches to play.

After the visitors had won the toss and chosen to field, visiting seamer Charles Jackson ripped through the Kiddy top order and from 37-5 they never truly recovered, eventually being bowled out for 130. Jackson finished with figures of 5-29.

Liam Weston did his best to out-do Jackson’s effort by taking three early wickets in Wolverhampton’s reply. But from a position where their team were wobbling at 15-3, Warrick Fynn (53) and Zia Ul Haq Parwani (66 not out) put on 114 for the fourth wicket, Weston claiming Fynn as his fourth victim just prior to the target being reached. Kidderminster remain winless and are now 85 points adrift of safety.

Defending champions Smethwick saw hopes of retaining their title suffer a serious blow as they were thrashed by 178 runs at home to Ombersley. Tazeem Ali claimed 5-71 as the visitors were bowled out for 237 after being put in, but Smethwick’s reply quickly turned into a nightmare. Opener Rajpal Beniwal (37) was the only player to score more than seven, while six were dismissed for a duck or one as the hosts were bowled out for just 59 in 20.3 overs.

Himley are back in the Division One top two after an 80-run win over fellow promotion challengers Dorridge.

Ollie Walker scored an unbeaten 101 as the Stourbridge Road outfit reached 206-5 from their 55 overs, sharing in a 148-run fourth wicket partnership with Navindu Vithanage (76). Ben Robinson then starred with the ball, taking 6-39 as the visitors were dismissed for just 126 in reply.

Himley are 12 points behind leaders West Bromwich Dartmouth, who claimed a five-wicket win at home to Bromsgrove.

The visitors appeared to have set the hosts a testing target after Ashley Newfield’s century helped them compile 289-7.

But Dartmouth chased it down with more than four overs to spare, thanks in large part to a brilliant unbeaten 144 in just 117 balls from Ismail Mohammed, whose innings contained 23 boundaries. Opener Bruce Thomason also made a big contribution with 87 from 93 balls.