AN UNBEATEN half-century from Swardeston’s Peter Lambert helped dump Berkswell out of the ECB National Club T20 Championship on Sunday.
It means Berkswell exit the competition at the quarter-final stage, with the club unable to add to their victory over Kenilworth Wardens in Birmingham & District Premier Division One the previous day.
In the T20 meeting, Swell’s Ateeq Javid (38) helped carry his side to 65-4 before being caught by Stephen Gray off Mark Thomas’ delivery (2-39), with the hosts suffering a top-order slump.
Middle order duo Richard Jones (30) and Nick James (19) helped add much-needed runs, but the dismissal of the former by Callum Taylor (3-16) prompted a tailend collapse to finish Berkswell on 132.
The visitors endured the worst-possible start when slipping to 14-4, with Jones (2-21) and Thomas Milnes (2-11) both taking a couple of wickets each.
But a stand of 81 between Lewis Denmark (36) and Swardeston talisman Lambert (60no) smashed the hosts back on track, as the visitors saw out victory with an over to spare.
The disappointment of defeat will have been eased somewhat by the commanding lead that has been built in Division One, with the league title possibly being clinched on Saturday (noon) if Berkswell win on the road at Kidderminster.
A reduced overs affair, in which Danial Chaudhry (123) fired a century from just 77 balls, put the game beyond the reach of basement side Kenilworth after finishing on 345-5.
Chris Whittock (31) and Chaudhry provided one of the highlights of the game with their partnership of 138 before the third wicket, whilst Tom Lewis (86no) remained unbeaten to resume Berkswell’s rapid run rate.
The Wardens were reduced to 38-3 in reply, with Nick James taking an early wicket en route to his bowling figures of 4-47.
Harry Johnson (109) was valiant in his efforts to keep Kenilworth in the game, but his eighth-wicket dismissal put an end to the visitors’ hopes.
