A COMPLETE batting display saw Droitwich Spa win by three wickets to knock Coombs Wood off the top of the table as they chased down 257 in a thrilling last-over finish.

Martyn Davies and Max Young set Spa on their way in a confident opening stand of 111 in 25 overs with both mixing flair and intelligence before each being dismissed lbw for 63 and 64 respectively.

A composed 41 from youngster Kieran Wilkins kept the scoreboard ticking over until he was run out in a mix-up.

With the game in the balance skipper Ian Cottrill took control with a commanding 35 not out aided by the calmness of Carl Thomson that left the hosts needing five runs from the final over.

Following a dot ball from the first delivery, the win was clinched in bizarre fashion with an erratic, head-height no ball that flew to the boundary.

Earlier Davies and Young combined to good effect with the ball before Spa’s nemesis of recent seasons Dan Jones continued to haunt his opponents.

After being given a life in his 30s, Wood’s captain hit the ball with increasing power and helped the visitors to take nearly 100 from the last 10 overs.

He finished unbeaten on 110 but it could not prevent his side losing the exciting contest.

Davies was the pick of the bowlers with 2-38 as Spa moved up to seventh in Worcestershire League Division Two just ahead of Enville who they visit on Saturday.

In the reverse seconds fixture in Division One, disappointing bowling resulted in a 37-run win for Wood as Spa failed to chase down their rain-revised target of 248 in 40 overs despite 71 from captain Karl Goddard and a hard-hitting 50 from Dan Cottrill.

In Division Five, 86 from Mark Smith could not prevent Spa thirds from a nine-wicket defeat to high-flying Highley.

The fourths leapfrogged Worcester fourths in Division Seven with a five-wicket win as Jack Eaton rifled 68.

On Saturday the seconds and thirds host Feckenham and Cutnall Green respectively while the fourths head to Hagley.

Meanwhile, mid-Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston was bowled over by the success of the All Stars programme at Droitwich Spa when he attended their latest session.

With over 100 youngsters signed up, the club has the second highest intake in the country for the ECB initiative which provides an introduction to the sport for boys and girls aged five to eight.

Huddleston joined in with some of the batting, bowling and fielding drills.