BARNARDS Green's players and officials worked hard to get the pitch ready for the annual six-a-side competition after their league games were all washed out.

After more than nine hours of cricket, the eventual winners were Mario and Friends, who included Green's Phil Harris and the club's first and second XI captains Andy Ford and Lewis Hooper.

In the final, they hit 132 runs off five overs which their opponents Five Year Plan, a team of young players from the Malvern side, could not quite reach.

Third place was shared by Dovey and Friends, captained by Green leading wicket-taker Jon Dovey, and Malvern Town FC.

Town's top goal-scorer Lee Hooper was joined in the team by both club managing director Chris Pinder and manager Les Jones.

It was a festival of local sport and business as other teams included Sanctuary Housing, WSP Group, Malvern Cricket Club, Malvern Radar’s Green Army and two from Powick FC.

Harris was crowned king of the six-hitters with 20 maximums in his four games with runners-up Rishe Umasuthan and Alex Hepburn with 10 each.

Green's Birmingham and District Premier League games with Bromsgrove were both abandoned at the weekend without a ball being bowled due to the rain.

The Worcestershire League Division Five matches with Hallow were also called off.