BERKSWELL concluded their 2015 Premier League campaign in fine style after coming away from near neighbours Kenilworth Wardens with a 118-run win – a result that enabled the Meeting House Lane side to finish as runners up in the league.
Batting first in a rain affected match reduced to 44 overs per side, all the Berkswell top order came good in the final game with Mark Best and Darren Maddy getting the innings off to a fine start with a partnership of 79 for the first wicket.
Chris Whittock came to the crease following the departure of Best (35) in the 11th over and together with Maddy the pair added a further 80 runs in 14 overs before Maddy (58) was caught behind.
Tom Milnes replaced Maddy and in partnership with Whittock added another 56 runs in nine overs, but Milnes (31) lost his wicket when caught by Matthew Hancock.
While wickets were falling at the other end, Whittock, after an initially slow start, gradually started to put bat to ball and with Nick James, rapidly pushed the total over the 250 mark and on towards 300.
With one ball left in the innings and Whittock on 99 runs he clipped the ball to short mid-wicket and scampered through to register his maiden century for the club to much celebration from his team mates as the innings closed on 315 for three with Whittock 100 not out, and James undefeated on 58.
In reply the Wardens made rapid progress and had reached 42 by the seventh over but Dave Brignull made the breakthrough when he bowled Nick Seager (12), and two overs later he bowled Nick Sale (34).
Udit Talati and Harry Johnson found run scoring hard against the Berkswell bowlers and only managed to add 30 runs in ten overs before Johnson (5) was caught and bowled by Jamie Spires, and in the next over Talati (19) was trapped lbw by Milnes to leave the hosts on 85 for 4.
Scott Stenning and Nathan Edwards stemmed the loss of wickets putting together a 25 run partnership but Kenilworth could only close on 197 for seven.
Elsewhere, Solihull Municipal finished their Warwickshire Premier League campaign with a two wicket success at Marston Green.
The hosts made a good start as Saleem 45 and Shahid 32 opened with a stand of 72 before the introduction of James Roslyn and Khalil Ahmed helped Municipal gain the upper hand as they shared six wickets and reduced the hosts to 128 for seven.
Dean Tune 29 Nawaz 21 and an unbeaten 15 from Mussadar eventually helped the score to 195 all out in the 49th over.
Ahmed finished with 3 for 32, Roslyn 3 for 46, and Alex Roslyn 3 for59 with Matt Stanley taking the remaining wicket aided by Kevin Bissett who claimed his 200th stumping for the team.
The Municipal reply followed a similar path as Mike Rowley 25, Nathan Boyce 44, and Jon Stanley 24 were all back in the pavilion with the score at 130 for seven.
Matt Stanley 29 was joined by Kevin Bissett in a stand of 36 but when the former departed Bissett (36 not out)used his experience to chip away at the total and, despite the best efforts of Nawaz 4 for 42 together with Nathan Reynolds seven ensured Municipal finished the season with a win.
