ZIMBABWEAN Ross Liddell proved his skipper's instincts right last Saturday as Bromsgrove Cricket Club First XI secured a winning draw at high flying Leamington.

Liddell was deliberately moved down the order to number seven by Nick Husbands for the trip the Birmingham and District division one second placed side and he justified the decision with an unbeaten 79.

His effort helped the Boars post 209-9 before Worcestershire's Jon Farrow took 6-64 as Leamington reached 157-9.

Husbands said: "It's nice to get a positive result again. Leamington are a good side and play very competitively. I deliberately batted him (Liddell) at number seven to do the exact job that he did and he didn't let me down.

"Jon Farrow gets better by the week. He has gained in confidence and helps the side tremendously with his extra pace.

"I am hoping that we can move on now and start pushing back up the league."

The Boars batted first and got off to a disastrous start when Simon Keyte was caught at slip with the first ball of the game by Namibian world cup start Sarel Burger.

Nick Reade (11), Nick Davies(19) and Richard Barnes (8) saw the visitors to 43-4 before Paul Duffy (34) and Jamie Campbell (31) repaired some of the damage, taking the score to 91 before Duffy was caught and bowled.

Campbell was run out after being stranded when Liddell slipped over, leaving the latter to take responsibility for batting with score perilously on 106-6.

Liddell took control of the lower order and had good partnerships with Gibbin and Farrow as well as despatching Burger for boundary after boundary as the Boars finished on 209-9. Burger's five wickets cost him 105 runs.

Farrow took three wickets in his first four overs in reply, including Burger for one, brilliantly caught at slip by Kish Patel.

Patel also took two wickets to reduce the hosts to 56-5. Farrow returned to dismiss captain Klopper (14), edged to Gibbin, while Husbands removed Hawkes (51).

Hancock (17) and Higgens (14) were both taken by Farrow, but the overs ran out for the Boars as Leamington clung on to 157-9.