Leamington wide of the mark as Clarke proves stubborn obstacle

Having won the toss, stand-in captain David Bailey had no hesitation in bowling first due to a bit of moisture in the wicket and Wellington were soon struggling at 50 for three.

Wickets continued to tumble but the innings was held together by teenager Joe Clarke who scored a responsible 64 to help take his side to 201.

Captain Wendell Wagner chipped in with 20 but wides, for the second week running, were Leamington’s downfall with 29 conceded.

Tom Warner bowled ten overs straight through at the start of the innings and was unlucky to only pick up one for 22.

Olly Williams (3-35), Paul Rowe (2-43) and Faisal Khalid (3-35) all chipped in.

An excellent opening burst from Wagner (2-20) reduced Leamington to 20 for two and after stumbling to 86 for seven, some late lusty blows from Rowe (34) were not enough to save them from a disappointing 58-run loss.

Leamington 2nds suffered an eight-wicket defeat against an experienced Walmley side.

The Spa side’s total of 201 for eight from their 50 overs was well-below par on a dry wicket which offered some assistance to Walmley’s slow bowlers.

They were indebted to Richard Swann, who reached an undefeated 100 off the last ball of the innings.

Swann, continuing in a rich vein of form, received little support from his team-mates, with only Jack Bewick and Wayne Killian making double figures.

In response, Walmley raced to victory with 20 overs to spare, with George Allen (91 not out) and Andrew Hendry (67 not out) making hay against the Spa bowlers.

Leamington 4ths maintained their 100 per cent record with an easy win at Henley.

Leamington were indebted to a century second-wicket stand between Billy Hallett (109 not out) and James Cutts (58) on a difficult wicket as they made 208 for five from their 45 overs.

Henley made a confident start in reply but the introduction of Jim Morton moved the game Leamington’s way, his two wickets aided by smart catches from Callum Dixon.

The evergreen Mark Ryan then strangled the life out of Henley’s middle order, claiming three for six in ten overs as they closed on 165 for nine.

Leamington’s Chairman’s XI gained a narrow win over Kenilworth Wardens Classicals in a Sunday friendly after setting a target of 173 (Paul Wilson 30, Shaun Williams 29).

Wardens were up with the rate while Tom Brammer was at the crease, but his dismissal for 57, caught by Mark Davison off son Matthew’s bowling, and two late wickets for Toby Askin saw Wardens fall short on 157 for nine.

Leamington enjoyed a day away from league cricket when they faced the England Visually Impaired (VI) XI on Sunday in a match played under VI rules.

It took time for Spa to appreciate the subtleties of the game but they eventually came to terms with the England attack, albeit aided by 20/20 vision.

The VI side eventually ended 30 short of Leamington’s total of 236.