EVESHAM and Pershore both lost at Worcester opposition in the Worcestershire Cricket League Premier Division.
Lowly Evesham were beaten by fourth-placed Old Elizabethans by 98 runs at the Memorial Ground while Pershore went down to Worcester by seven wickets in Norton.
Opener Jamie Boyle inspired OEs with 122 as they amassed 246 all out in 49.3 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
They fell to 25-2 as Ted Goodwin and Chris Pearman departed to Adnan Sagheer for 0 and 5 respectively.
Then overseas batsman Raminda Wijesooriya went for 10 and captain Alex Bastable for four.
At 64-4 Boyle found support in a 42-run partnership with Dan Colburn who hung around for 15.
When Colburn was out to Arshad Mughal, Michael Cooper hit two sixes in his 39 before he was caught out off Wajahat Chohan.
But Cooper and Boyle had shifted the momentum in favour of OVs with their quick stand of 88.
Boyle departed to Chohan after facing 121 balls with 19 fours and two sixes.
Late runs from Archie Oxley (9) and Sam Harn (13) boosted OEs from 210-7 to 246.
Chohan was the pick of the bowlers with 4-48.
Evesham started solidly with Ali Shan hitting four boundaries before he was run out by Oxley for 19.
Tight bowling from the seamers prevented Evesham from getting going as Sadam Khan (18) was run out by Dan Colburn.
Muhammad Saqib took Amar Jawanda for a couple of sixes before the spinner had him caught out for 27 to leave the visitors on 72-3.
Sandeep Kumar only made one before he was out to Colburn and then the spinners took over.
Kamran Abbasi (15) was run out and despite 40 from 33 balls by wicketkeeper Shiv Kumar Evesham collapsed to 148 all out in 36.1 overs.
Oxley picked up 2-27 and Rowan Upton 1-31 with Harn (2-27) returning to snaffle two late wickets.
Meanwhile, Worcester bowled Pershore out for just 112 in 25.5 overs as Clark Knapton took 4-18 and Mohammad Adeel 2-28.
Openers Stephen Miles and Oliver Oxley scored 20 and 16 respectively for Pershore.
Chris Miles added 13 and skipper Liam Ridings 33 but no other batsman got into double figures for the town side.
There were four ducks lower down the order as Pershore collapsed from 112-5 without adding another run as Knapton took three of the wickets.
In reply, Worcester won with 115-3 from 21.4 overs thanks to opener Henry Lewis’ dogged 25 not out and a quicker 41 from Joe Blight.
Bryn Evans added 14 with the wickets shared between Stephen Miles, Darren Critcher and George Kirby.
Evesham entertain Bewdley on Saturday while Pershore go to Chaddesley Corbett (both 1pm).
Bredon remain bottom of Division One after losing a high-scoring clash by two wickets at fellow strugglers Worcester Nomads.
Nomads inserted Bredon on a good surface and the openers added 82 for the first wicket.
Ollie Cox (35), Dominic Fenney (45) and Clive Fenney (27) took the score to 130.
Guy Davies took 4-46 but 32 not out by Will Metcalfe allowed Bredon to set a challenging 236-9.
After two early wickets Dave White and Ollie Ranscombe settled the reply with a stand of 87. Bredon took pace off the ball with spinners for long periods.
Cox broke the partnership and the scoring rate required climbed past seven an over.
But Nick Jones (40 not out) and Steve Emson (18no) drove Nomads towards victory.
The scores were tied before Jones (40no) hit the first ball of the last over for four. Dominic Fenney took 3-41 and Tim Fenney 2-18.
Bredon host Belbroughton on Saturday (1pm).
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