RISING Kidderminster Victoria showed strong character to hold off the challenge of county rivals Bromsgrove for their third Birmingham League Division One success.

Chasing a big 252-5 total, it did not look good for KVCC as the scoreboard read 32-3 in the sixth over.

But Sean Lloyd's men dug deep, especially when wickets started to fall towards the end of the innings, to win a good game with just one ball to spare.

KVCC made a good start after asking their opponents to bat and restricting openers Nick Davies and Simon Keyte to 61 runs by the 20th over.

They had reached the halfway stage when Keyte (29) was bowled by Marc Derrick to leave Bromsgrove on 79-1 after 27 overs.

Paul Duffy joined fellow former Kidderminster player Davies in a 69-run partnership as they upped the rate.

Mark Mansell caught Davies, who batted for two-and-half hours with 11 fours in his 74 tally, off the bowling of Jonathan Wright.

New batsman Jamie Campbell soon settled in alongside main run-scorer Duffy but was out for 27, caught by Derrick off Ted Bayliss.

Bromsgrove had improved to 240-3 in the 53rd over before Duffy eventually fell for a superb 80 which included nine fours and two sixes.

Baylis also trapped Ross Liddell lbw in a good bowling display of 2-43 in 14 overs, including only eight runs conceded from his first nine overs.

KVCC did gift 38 extras though with half coming from no-balls and wides, leaving them a tricky job on a good wicket.

Opener Wright was bowled by skipper Nick Husbands for 11 and debutant Will Gifford, an England U-18s player, went for a duck.

Vic Lawes was adjudged lbw for just 5 as KVCC faced problems but Chris Jones and Mansell settled them down.

But Mansell had only contributed six to a 48-run partnership when he was caught behind off Kish Patel's bowling with 85 on the board.

The economical Patel (3-60) proved a thorn in their side but in stepped Craig Wood to play a rock of an innings, despite recording blanks in his last two outings.

Aussie Jones showed what he was capable off with a classy 90 before Farrow bowled him out.

They had taken the total to 144-5 from 36 overs and then Baylis took on the bowling but fell lbw to Patel for 15.

With four wickets left and 89 runs needed from 14 overs, a KVCC win did not look possible.

But captain Lloyd thought otherwise and teamed up with Wood to increase the score, albeit slowly at first.

Lloyd took on both bowlers to score a stylish 41 from a partnership of 77 and give them a platform for victory.

KVCC reached 244 by the 54th over and despite the quick loss of Tom Sherriff (1) to Farrow (3-74), Derrick hammered two decisive fours.

He finished on 9 not out, while Wood had kept his cool to stay undefeated on 51.

Seventh-placed KVCC moved eight points ahead of Bromsgrove with the victory and seem to have put the threat of relegation behind them.

Bromsgrove 252-5, KVCC 255-8.

A good win over Barnt Green moved KVCC seconds into sixth place in the Premier Division and showed the depth of young talent at the club.

Robert Bratt returned 4-47 as Green also found it difficult against the medium pace of Craig Siwicki and Chris Pyke.

Phil Shaw's 57 not out was the highlight of the reply, though Pyke added 34, Joe Hill and Matt Fludgate 27 each and Mark Venross 18 not out.

Barnt Green 188-8, KVCC 2nds 191-6.