VICTORY for Exhall and Wixford over Saturday's visitors Stratford Bards could all but seal the Cotswold Hills League Premier Division title with only half the season completed.

Exhall's 104-run demolition of reigning champions Overbury last Saturday leaves the leaders 39 points clear of their closest rivals who suffered a heavy defeat at Twyning.

Amazingly, Exhall have lost just 12 wickets in building up their huge lead and only two fell last Saturday after a delayed start.

Captain Simon Hollands again led from the front with 73 but he was overtaken in the closing stages by Steve Kerby who smashed an unbeaten 75 off just 54 balls as the visitors closed on 183-2 after 35 overs.

Scott Carmichael, who had become the sixth Exhall player to reach 10,000 runs for the club four days earlier, was unable to add to his total but Kerby managed to add to his season's haul of wickets with three more after leaving Hollands and Jon Simpson to open the attack.

Cheaply

The latter dismissed both openers cheaply but it was Kerby who took four wickets for three runs and Andy Marsh whose three victims came at a cost of just six runs who snapped up the last six wickets for just five runs.

Like Bards, Shipston suffered a surprise setback after being set 187 for victory at Tanworth. Dave Murphy took his 600th league scalp but steady scoring in the top order saw just four wickets fall with Hill top scoring with 46.

Most of the batsmen made starts after tea but the reply had slumped to 115-8 when Murphy was joined by Dave Pyne.

The experienced pair added 39 but three wickets apiece for Payne and Rowlands left Shipston 151 all out.

Bretforton suffered a blow when their first division match was cancelled - one of 13 to fall victim of Friday night's deluge.

However, Norton Lindsey lost again and the top three are separated by three points after Welles-bourne's win over Stratford.

Ashton's hopes of moving closer to the top sides suffered a blow despite the best efforts of Dave Hudson-Wood.

The all-rounder produced best ever figures with the ball of 6-21 as Ebrington were dismissed for 149 but three wickets apiece for Clarkson and Payne helped make Hudson-Wood's unbeaten 44 a fruitless effort as the chasers slumped to 139 all out.

It's almost as tight in the second division where Kineton lead by two points after a six-wicket win at Elmley Castle.

Claverdon are in second three points ahead of Catherine-de-Barnes with Exhall's win over Overbury lifting them to the 100-point mark.

James Lindner's was Chipping Campden's hero with figures of 6-26 in a 15-run win at Claverdon.

Winchcombe enjoyed a profitable weekend with the second team inflicting a first defeat on Long Itchington after the senior side's win over Norton Lindsey.

However, Long Itchington still boast a 33-point advantage in Division Three as closest rivals Leamington were rained off.

A similar situation at Temple Grafton allowed Woodbourne to take over at the top of Division Four after a 77-run defeat of Harvington.

The top match scheduled in Division Five between Fladbury and Mickleton also fell victim to the rain but Ashorne's defeat of Tanworth lifted them to within nine points of runners-up spot.

Cookhill snatched a dramatic win over second in the table Blockley to move 42 points clear in Division Six where wins for Broadway and Bretforton narrowed the gap in pursuit of promotion.

Mick Stanley was Bretforton's star with 137 against Claverdon who found a target of 312 far too many and they collapsed to 107-9.