Pitch steals headlines but Wood shines for Wardens

Wardens’ former Durham UCCE star, who stroked a boundary-laced 38, added 30 crucial runs for the visitors’ final wicket with an obdurate Andy Fox, to boost his team to 84 all out.

Former Leicestershire seamer David Brignull took 7-37 for the home side, but he was subsequently upstaged by Wardens’ seamers. James Jordan claimed three early wickets, before Wood, who had missed the previous six matches through injury, grabbed 4-21 as Berkswell collapsed to 75 all out, and a nine run defeat.

Wardens’ fourth win of the season leapfrogged them over Berkswell to the top of the table for the first time. However, with 20 wickets falling for 159 runs in 62.3 overs, the pitch inevitably dominated post-match discussions.

Despite the presence of a covered, dry surface elsewhere on the square, the home club elected to stage the match on an adjacent damp pitch. If this tactic was intended to negate the impact of Wardens’ overseas professional Sitanshu Kotak it was doubly-baffling, since the Indian star was missing with a knee injury.

The ball seamed prodigiously, and occasionally “spat” from a good length, as Brignull and Chris Cheslin (2-46) ripped through the visitors’ top order, with the help of four catches from Phil Neale.

Only Martin Donald (14) managed double figures, as Wardens slumped to 42-8, before Wood joined forces with tail-enders Wilkinson and Fox to double the score. Fox bravely held up an end, despite taking several blows to the hands and body, while Wood struck seven boundaries in his outstanding 38.

The Berkswell reply followed a similar pattern, with James Neale’s 14 being the only double figure score, as they slumped to 41-8. Jordan was forced out of Wardens’ attack with a hamstring injury, before a defiant 25-run ninth wicket partnership between Brignull (13) and Adil Khan, who battled 76 balls and 84 minutes for his 13, brought Berkswell back in the match.

However, Wood finally removed Brignull, before a major mix up led to the run out which provided a fitting conclusion to a bizarre match.

Nick Whiting tore Berkswell’s 2nd XI batting apart, to return the superb figures of 6-23, and steer Wardens 2nds to an emphatic eight wicket win in a match that finished before 2.30pm.

The veteran trundler produced a trademark spell of accurate seam bowling, to remove the visitors’ top order, including Paddy Milnes (25) and Matt Saghabashi (14), who had built a promising opening stand.

The remainder of a young Berkswell side had no answer to Whiting, or off spinner Michael Challis-Brown, who claimed 3-7 from four tidy overs, to hurry them out for 57 in only 22 overs.

Wardens’ openers Adam Smyth (32) and skipper James Madley (13) raced to 45, before third wicket pair Robin de Regt and James Ray completed an eight wicket win achieved in only 50 balls.

The result sees Wardens in third in table, level with Barnards Green on 118 points and 23 points behind league leaders Barnt Green.

Their next fixture is at home to Dorridge on Saturday from noon..