KIDDERMINSTER Cricket Club lost by 60 runs to next-to-bottom Wolverhampton in a Birmingham and District Premier League match at Chester Road on Saturday.

The visitors had nothing to lose and everything to gain in this clash and having lost the toss and being put in to bat, made the most of their opportunity.

KCC made an early breakthrough, with Duncan Lampitt caught at slip by Mandeep Singh off the bowling of Mark Sellek, when the score was on 10. However, from then on the visitors took charge.

Three excellent stands of 61, 74 and a final unbeaten stand of 88 gave the visitors a well-earned 20 points to KCC's three, with a final score of 233-3 declared from 50 overs.

Greg Wright's 106no from 119 balls included eight fours and a six, while his partner Chris Tranter hit an aggressive 51no from only 42 balls, including six fours and two sixes.

None of the KCC bowlers made much impression and sloppy fielding added confidence to the Wolverhampton batsmen.

The early declaration allowed the home side a minimum of 57 overs to reach their target at a fraction of over four an over. However, the early loss of captain Mark Mansell with the score on 11 was not a good start.

Jon Firth and Amit Sharma put on 29 for the second wicket, but four wickets in the space of five overs reduced KCC to 60-5.

Singh and Godfrey Lamb put on a further 37 but with the loss of Singh the scoring rate dropped dramatically.

Colin Hemsley, making his first appearance in the first team this season, was unbeaten at the close on 22, he and Sellek posting the best stand of 40 for the ninth wicket.

Wolverhampton 233-3dec (G Wright 106no, C Tranter 51no), KCC 173 (M Singh 37, G Lamb 28, M Sellek 26, J Firth 23, C Hemsley 22no, T Connolly 4-59, J Anders 3-30, A Reynolds 2-48).

Fixtures

Saturday: 1st away v Cannock (noon), 2nd home v Moseley (1pm).