Brown: Next three games are crucial for Stratford
STRATFORD skipper Mike Brown says their next three games are crucial as they bid to avoid relegation from Birmingham Premier League Division Three.
The Panthers’ survival hopes took another knock as they slumped to their sixth defeat of the season on Saturday, going down by five wickets to leaders Astwood Bank at Swan’s Nest Lane.
The defeat sees them sit just two points above the drop zone, ahead of a run of three games against teams all sitting below them in the table.
They now face fellow strugglers Sentinel, Nuneaton and Handsworth in consecutive weeks and Brown said: “These next three weeks are going to be crucial to our season.
“If we can get three positive results, then that’ll go a long way to seeing us move back up the table. If we don’t, then we are going to be really struggling.
“We know from last year, if you don’t beat the teams around you then it can really cost you.”
On Saturday, both teams wanted to bat first, but it was Stratford who won the advantage, having first use of a pitch that looked like it would offer help to the spinners throughout.
Once again, early wickets hurt the home side, despite this David Bailey (19) and Aidy Witts (27) did a good job rebuilding.
It was a pitch that was going to be difficult to score runs on with prodigious turn and some variable bounce, the Bank spinners kept it tight and despite the Stratford middle and lower order battling hard, wickets continued to fall.
Will Noble showed real resistance in facing 92 balls for his 26 runs, before becoming the last wicket to fall with the score on 144 from 52 overs.
Although it was never going to be an easy chase for Bank, Brown knew it was not going to be enough runs. Matters were not helped by receiving five penalty runs against them for repeated running infringements.
The Bank openers batted carefully and took the wind out of Stratford’s sails by opening up with a 60-run partnership.
Off spinner Perry Derrick (16-1-43-3) bowled well and picked up three wickets, backed up by Pratley (1-34) and Brown (1-36). Despite five wickets falling, each Bank batter made a contribution to chip away at the total, with the winning runs eventually being hit in the 44th over.
“It’s a disappointing result as we’ve always done well against them,” Brown added. “But credit to them — they were the best side on the day and you could see why they are top of the league.”
Stratford team v Sentinel: Bailey, Bayliss, Brown, Calcott, Derrick, Douthwaite, Langman, Pratley, Price, Salmon, Witts.
