WILL Gifford hit a century as Kidderminster Victoria beat Harborne by seven wickets in the Birmingham League Division One at Chester Road.

Kidderminster skipper Jonathan Wright won the toss and asked Harborne to bat.

Opening bowlers Ted Baylis and Matt Friedlander kept the visitors in check and took the first wicket with just 32 runs on the board.

Wicketkeeper Duncan Willetts took the catch off the bowling of Friedlander to remove Simon Gear for 15.

Dan Wood and Andy Lloyd doubled the score before Baylis dismissed Wood for 24 courtesy of another Willetts catch.

A partnership of 52 between Lloyd and Howell Morris saw the visitors getting into their stride, but the third wicket fell when Nigel Davenport trapped Morris leg before when he had reached 17.

Wright was using Mark Mansell and himself to good effect and this proved so when Willetts took his third catch to dismiss Lloyd when he had reached 52. It was the first of Wright's six wickets.

Andy Sutton was making his first team debut and accounted for the fourth wicket, that of Sam Payne. Friedlander took the catch that dismissed Payne for 13.

Five wickets down and 158 scored in 42 overs meant the game was swinging in Kidderminster's favour. However, Jon Cockcroft was batting well for Harborne and he was the man Kidderminster needed to remove. His new partner Mark Hambleton had only scored six from a partnership of 33 when he was caught by Mansell off Wright's bowling.

Twenty four runs later, at 215-7, Tim Clay was caught by Andy Mason off Wright's bowling for 12. Cockcroft finally met his end. He hit Wright for six and then what appeared to be a another, but was caught just inside the ropes by Baylis. He had hit 65.

Wright bowled Dave Lovell for a 'duck' and Willetts took his fourth catch to dismiss Mark Thompson for 1. Ciaran Hicket was 0 not out

Wright had taken three wickets in that final over that might have been more expensive had Cockcroft still been in.

With Wright taking 6-47 Kidderminster had left themselves a reasonable target of 232. Friedlander, Baylis, Mansell, Davenport and Sutton had taken one wicket each. The opening pair of Mansell and Wright did not last too long. Mansell set about the bowing and had struck the ball with confidence. However, Wright was bowled by Hickey for 11 in the the over, making it 32-1.

New batsman, 18-year-old Gifford started confidently and the pair added 60 runs when Mansell was adjudged lbw on 56. Gifford was joined by his former college batting partner Craig Wood and once again they showed how it should be done.

Good running gave the fielders plenty to do and while Wood stroked plenty of twos he also hit some nice fours.

It was Gifford who was scoring at the higher rate, but just when Wood looked set for his half century he was caught by Gear off Cockcroft's bowling. Wood had scored 44.

Kidderminster required nine runs for an important win. Gifford was aproaching his century and reached the landmark with a four. He made an unbeaten 109.