A SEVEN-WICKET haul from Stuart Tipper, coupled with a century opening partnership, saw Worcester's Old Eliza-bethans topple second division leaders Cannock at the Memorial Ground.

Skipper Sean Cairney won the toss and invited the visitors to have first use of a good-looking track.

This decision seemed to be vindicated as a run-out and an lbw success for Matt Sprague saw Cannock reduced to 11-2 within the first eight overs.

But Humphries (92) and Powells (61) steadied the ship as they added 116 in good time before Sam McNally had Powells caught by Tipper.

The visitors still looked set for a big score but Tipper (7-50) had other ideas.

He was introduced in the 25th over and immediately the visitors found scoring more difficult and wickets began to tumble at regular intervals.

Tipper bowled his first two victims and then had Francis well caught on the boundary by Macey.

Bowling a tight line and length, he troubled all the middle and late order batsmen and, with another bowling success followed by a stumping and a caught behind, Tipper ended the Cannock innings with figures of 7-50 off 15.3 overs.

The visitors had been restricted to 217, probably 50 runs short of what they looked likely to achieve earlier in their innings.

In response, Simon Macey (75) and Jamie Boyle (40) compiled an excellent 113-run opening partnership, both displaying some impressive shot selection and measured aggression.

Macey fell to a caught and bowled chance and McNally (40 not out) then joined Boyle, the pair adding 23 before Boyle was trapped lbw.

Tipper ended the Cannock innings with figures of 7-50 off 15.3 overs.

James Brinkley (46) then joined forces with McNally in an impressive 65-run partnership, scored in only 29 minutes.

This pair took the north Worcester side to within touching distance of their target which they reached for the loss of only four wickets with more than three overs to spare.

Bulpitt (3-54) was the pick of the Cannock attack but could not prevent Old Elizabethans completing a six-wicket win.

They can now look forward to entertaining Tamworth next week at the Memorial Ground.

OEs' second team scored an emphatic but dramatic victory at Berkswell to keep in touch with the promotion battle in their division.

Having won the toss on a very dry surface, OEs decided to bat first. The call to take first use of the pitch looked to have backfired when both openers fell within four overs.

James Bull (19) and Pete Boyle both looked in good touch for a while before becoming two of Stuart Randall's three victims in a stuttered start to the innings.

Debutant Linley Portsmouth was then joined by Andy Stephens, and the pair batted sensibly, taking the score to 91 when Stephens was caught by wicketkeeper Blundell. Chris Hopwood fell soon after, leaving the visitors in disarray at 95-6.

Portsmouth and Scott Blakeway then turned the game on its head with a superb century partnership. Blakeway made a brilliant 47 off just 37 balls.

Portsmouth and Ed Smith (34) added more misery to the home fielders with a quickfire stand of 95 in just 13 overs with the former hitting 17 boundaries in a knock of 118.

OEs piled up 303 before being all out on the final delivery.

In reply, their opponents were reduced to 16-3 in the ninth over after a brilliant running catch by Hopwood.

Paul Tragellas and MattFrazer then played aggressively to add 95 for the fourth wicket but they were eventually bowled out for 143 with Butler producing bowling figures of 4-29 and Smith chipping in with 3-23.