AN EMPHATIC display by Matthew Gurr in both innings helped claim a priceless victory for Droitwich Spa against Worcester Nomads in Worcestershire County League Division One.
16-year-old Gurr (45) fell just short of a half-century to finish Droitwich on 249 after being the final dismissal, before taking four wickets for 22 runs conceded as the Nomads were skittled out for just 70 runs.
Victory ends a run of eight successive league defeats for Spa and keeps alive their survival hopes ahead of another crucial fixture this Saturday against Belbroughton (1pm).
Batting first on an ideal wicket, the visitors slumped to 100-7, despite solid totals from captain Max Young (37) and Paul Bryan (21).
The introduction of Gurr at number eight helped turn the tide of the innings significantly, as accumulated partnerships of 50 and 80 with tailenders Ajay Kumar (39) and David Stephens (39) respectively.
Gurr was the final man to go to signal the change of ends, but Droitwich had momentum on their side after hitting their highest score of the season.
Young (3-11) took three wickets from the opening four batsmen as Worcester slipped to 25-4, before Gurr built on his early dismissal of Harry Williams (0) to take out the following three batsmen of Ollie Ranscombe (17), Nicholas Jones (16) and Mark Groves (0).
Gurr’s intervention left it up to Martyn Davies and Kumar (2-7) to take the final wickets and dismiss the Nomads for 70 after 27 overs.
The visit of Belbroughton could prove to be another significant point in Spa’s season, considering they are the only other team that Droitwich have beaten to date this campaign.
