Bromsgrove 314-8

Stratford-upon-Avon 177 all out

Bromsgrove won by 137 runs

BUOYANT Bromsgrove ended the season in style in the Birmingham and District League Division One with an emphatic victory over Stratford on Saturday.

The Boars ended the season with their fifth win in the last six games to complete a difficult campaign on a high.

Bromsgrove had been fighting relegation for most of the summer, but a late flurry of wins sealed seventh in the table and a points haul of 246, which was greater than last season's total when they finished fourth.

On Saturday it was the Boars' much maligned batting order, which had struggled for runs all summer, who hit form.

Captain Nick Davies lost the toss and saw his side put into bat.

New Zealander Nick Edwards and Davies forged a one hundred run partnership in just under 12 overs.

Ndima bowled Davies for 63, while Edwards was dismissed on 83.

Richard Barnes (50) kept his side's run rate going quickly, while Tom Hill (40) and Mark Evenson, who hit a quick 35 not out, guided Bromsgrove to an impressive 314-8.

However, Bromsgrove had lost this fixture in 2004 when defending a total of 328 and were wary of repeating that game's mistakes.

Evenson (2-16) gave his side the perfect start when he removed openers Humphrey (7) and Whitehouse (5) cheaply.

Nick Husbands (4-41) set about making sure that Bromsgrove did not end the season with disappointment, dismissing Joshi (27), Ndima (20) and Rogers (3).

Mark Bagley caught and bowled Donald (10) and Julian Court removed Lamb (22), as Stratford's batting order was not allowed to make a significant score, which could change the game.

Only Owen made an impact with 52 runs, but Husbands bowled him, before Kish Patel (1-16) dismissed Carr lbw for a duck to end Bromsgrove's Warwickshire opponent's resistance.

Davies said: "I have been saying all season that we are a good side but we haven't been showing it.

"We hit form in the nick of time to make sure we didn't go down.

"If we can keep this up for the start of next season then we should not have any worries about relegation."