ASTWOOD Bank kept the pressure on the top two in Birmingham and District League Division Three after a seven-wicket win against Whitchurch.

Bank are third in the table and 30 points behind second-placed Pershore, whose match against Fordhouses was abandoned due to rain.

Despite 62 for Ijaz Yousaf, Whitchurch were restricted to 158-9, in 42.4 overs by Astwood Bank, with left-arm spinner Dan Taylor taking 4-26.

Facing a revised target of 152 for victory, Astwood Bank romped home in 18.2 overs with opener Tom Pedley leading the way with 53 and the help of 42 extras.

Pershore’s Lee Wilks (3-16) and Darren Critcher (3-41) bowled well to restrict Fordhouses to 158 all out in 49.1 overs.

However, in what promised to be a close-fought match, the weather brought an early conclusion with promotion-chasing Pershore on 17-1 after 8.2 overs.

Eastnor slid nearer to relegation after defeat to Handsworth in a stop-start affair at Handsworth Park. The home side romped to a 30-run victory via DLS method after Eastnor reached 192-8 after Mahaaz Ahmed (73) and Atiq ur-Rehman (55) put on 116 for the third wicket.

The experienced Clifton Folkes took advantage of seamer-friendly conditions to finish with 5-44 as Eastnor slid nearer to relegation.

Marvarick Perry (35 not out) led Handsworth’s response which had reached 107 for two after 21.1 overs, 30 ahead of the DLS par score of 77, when bad light ended play.

Worcestershire Tom Fell underlined his class with a superb unbeaten century for Wolverhampton in their seven-wicket win against Walmley in the Premier Division.

Tom Burton hit 42 in a Walmley total of 191 all out with Worcestershire’s left-arm spinner Ben Twohig taking 4-36.

Walmley’s hopes of victory were raised by two early wickets, but Fell cracked 134 not out from 98 balls as Wolverhampton cantered to victory.

Kidderminster have taken over in second place following an impressive win at Barnt Green after overhauling the home side’s total of 275-7 in 50 overs.

The visitors raced to victory in 41.1 overs thanks to 116 from Matt Pardoe and an unbeaten 87 from Neil Pinner.

Three days after their Herefordshire side celebrated a Unicorns Trophy final win against Staffordshire, the quartet of Gwynne, Pardoe, Pollock and Pinner amassed a giant 370 runs between them for the loss of only two wickets.