ON an afternoon when a handful of table topping sides were emphasising their superiority at the summit, Cotswold Hills League Division Six leaders Cookhill came unstuck for the first time this summer.

Already assured of promotion, Cookhill lost out at improving Welford by 83 runs - a result that allowed Blockley, winners at Kenilworth, to harbour hopes of wrestling the title trophy from the leaders.

The pair clash on Saturday and visitors Blockley will be hoping batsmen Hicks, Coupland, Knight and Vick all repeat their excellent knocks against Wardens when the quartet all reached fifty.

Details of Exhall's and Bretfor-ton's exploits are contained elsewhere, while the respective top dogs in Divisions Two and Three, Claverdon and Leamington, both won without losing a wicket.

Promotion has already been sealed for the top two in Division Four and it's Temple Grafton who currently top the pile 26 points ahead of Woodbourne.

The leaders lost just one wicket in overhauling the 205-6 posted by the second string of Stratford Bards, while their championship rivals enjoyed a similar nine-wicket triumph at home to struggling Bidford.

The top two in the fifth division squared up and, after an enthralling contest, it was leaders Fladbury who all but clinched the title after a 51-run triumph.

The hosts didn't have it all their own way after slumping to 32-4 as Ashworth's ten-over spell of 3-13 left Ashorne in the driving seat.

However, a fifth wicket stand of 132 between Owen Donovan (90) and Simon Purfield (35) rescued the villagers and it was the former who helped ensure Ashorne had little chance of reaching 203 for victory with a ten-over stint that cost just 18 runs.

The afternoon's surprise results came in the top two sections where relegated Alcester and Ragley won for the first time. Broadway did their hopes of avoiding the drop no harm with victory over Moreton, while Tanworth put a huge dent in Bards' hopes of claiming second place in the Premier Division.

Tim Morris was Broadway's hero with one of the best all-round displays of the season.

The opener hit 104 in his side's total of 199-8 and then helped dismiss the visitors for 176 with a spell of 6-25. He grabbed two wickets in his first over after the openers had knocked 78 off their target and proceeded to torment the Batsford Road men to help Broadway's bid to beat the drop.

Overbury are favourites to finish runners-up after Paul Gillett's penultimate ball heroics at Ship-ston.

The home side will have been disappointed to have only set Over-bury 237 for victory having stood at 163-1 after 30 overs thanks to 71 from Julian Morris and useful contributions from Simon Wickson, Jon Walker and Howard Bentham.

Sam Matty's 66 then set Overbury on their way in fine style but the chasers were still 53 short with only five overs left.

That became six off the last six balls after some typical Gillett hitting but one run and a run-out off the first four balls of the 45th over left the match in the balance only for Gillett to smash the next ball over the long-on fence.

Another player giving the bowlers a bashing was Elmley Castle's James Cawson who blasted a third century in his last four visits to the wickets in his side's nine-wicket win at Rowington.

Cawson smacked an incredible unbeaten 133 as Castle chased 162 for victory, slamming a dozen 6s and nine 4s in an innings that helped the visitors to victory in just the 21st over.