Cricket
Pershore get up and running

PERSHORE produced a vastly improved performance to earn their first victory of the Worcestershire League Division One season against Worcester at The Bottoms on Saturday.

The 24-point win lifts Pershore into sixth place and they sit just 24 points behind leaders Oldswinford, who they visit tomorrow.

After winning the toss, Worcester skipper Liam Kelleher asked the home side to bat and they got away to a steady start in reaching 75-2 after 25 overs, with David White hitting a solid 58.

Wickets then fell at regular intervals and at 117-5 Pershore seemed to be running out of batsmen, but teenagers Ali Duddell (45no) and Sam Cross (46) put together what was to prove a match-winning stand as they pushed the total to 170.

After Cross' dismissal Duddell continued with quite easily his best knock in 1st Xl cricket as the Pershore innings closed on 208-7.

Worcester must have fancied reaching this total on a good looking pitch but made a disastrous start, losing three early wickets.

A stand of 79 between Kelleher (36) and Jack Horton (47) gave the visitors hope but, with Luke Dalley coming back into the attack to remove Kelleher, assisted by Tom Pilling and Darren Critcher with two wickets each, the visitors' batting crumbled and their last six wickets fell for the addition of just 35, leaving Pershore easy victors by 58 runs.

Dalley produced an inspired spell of pace bowling in taking 6-34 and Pershore are now relishing tomorrow's key match at Oldswinford.

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