DROITWICH retained their Premier Division status in the West Midlands Third XI Championship with a five-wicket victory in their final match against fellow strugglers Walmley.

Defeat for either side would have meant relegation and it was ultimately Droitwich who squeezed to safety thanks to an unlikely hero.

John Harris, whose previous best score was 27, guided Spa past their victory target of 177 with his first half century.

Grasping the opportunity to open the innings, his controlled display of sensible strokes held the innings together after the loss of Trevor Westwood (29), who got the home side's reply off to a rapid start, Stuart Mapp (12) and Paul Rowley (17).

His unbeaten 67 followed an equally vital contribution with the ball, which saw him claim 3-40 to help peg back Walmley's early onslaught.

Openers Hill and Trowman were scoring at more than four an over until Harris intervened in the 15th over by dismissing the latter thanks to a splendid diving catch in the gully by Rowley.

Once Harris had accounted for Hill shortly afterwards, the Walmley innings fell apart as batsmen gave their wickets away with an array of poor shots.

Dave Horsfall also captured three wickets for 40 runs from 14 tidy overs to help set Spa up for the crucial win.