COOMBS Wood required just 26 overs to overhaul Droitwich Spa’s 189 target score and condemn Max Young’s side to a first defeat this term in Worcestershire League Division One.
On a day when Darryn Bancroft’s half-century proved to be in vain for the visitors, the six-wicket loss sent Spa down to second in the table following new leaders Feckenham’s triumph over Lye.
After winning the toss and batting first, Droitwich did not really get up and going, until a fifth-wicket partnership of 49 between Connor Grant (23) and Bancroft (51).
Losing regular wickets did not help the visitors’ cause, however, as the likes of Alex Tierney (3-11), Haseeb Shah (2-24) and Safi Zabiullah (2-48) enjoyed a field day at Stewarts Road to end the Spa innings in the 38th over.
Coombs Woods’ reply initially appeared to be in danger when they slipped to 49-3 after Phillip Thomas (3-53) made an immediate impact.
But Syed Bukhari hit 42 in a partnership of 87 with Raja Shakeel Nawaz (57 not out), followed by the emphatic introduction of Zabiullah (42no) at number six, proved enough to win the day.
On Saturday, Droitwich host sixth-placed Lye.
