VICTORY for Old Elizabethans moved them within range of a late assault on promotion from Birmingham and District Premier Cricket League Division Two.

Jamie Boyle (54) and James Padden (36) scored the bulk of the runs in an OEs total of 145 against Harborne with Alex Pyecroft taking 6-44.

The Birmingham side collapsed from 45-2 to 54-9 as Hemaka Pathirinage (4-6) and Padden (4-29) turned the screw.

An unbeaten 12 from number 11 Tim Holland was in vain as Harborne were dismissed for 74.

Although they were unable to secure a victory over second-placed Kidderminster, Premier Division leaders Berkswell sit 53 points clear at the top of the table with seven games to play.

Mark Best (87) and Darren Maddy (45) put together an opening stand of 87 for Berkswell, which was built upon by Oliver Haley (43) and Chris Whittock (30) before Tom Lewis (89 not out from 42 balls) applied the finishing touch to an innings that closed on 326-5.

Kidderminster openers Nathan Round (59) and Matt Pardoe (50) threatened to make a game of it but, after they were parted at 114, the innings fizzled out and the game ended in an almost inevitable draw with Craig Wood (39) and Jonathan Wright (30) providing resistance.

Maddy emphasised his all-round value to the side with 17 overs to finish with 3-54.

After a sluggish start to the season, 2015 champions Shrewsbury looked set for a year in the lower half of the table but their recent form offers them real hope of finishing in the runners-up spot.

An exciting last ball victory over Ombersley moved them up into fourth place 13 points behind Knowle and Dorridge.

Batting first, Will Parton (52) hit a half-century in a Shrewsbury total of 176 with Ombersley skipper Arti Fiaz taking 5-54.

At 115-2, Ombersley were coasting to victory but that soon became 124-8 as Henry Blofield (4-34) and James Hulton-Harrap (3-35) sliced through the middle order.

Ombersley’s lower order refused to give in but Simon Harwood was caught on the boundary off the last ball, seeking the maximum they required to achieve an unlikely victory.

Barnt Green were helped to 227-6 against West Bromwich Dartmouth by a fourth-wicket stand of 147 between Adam Hussain (72) and Tom Brown (65).

Apart from Navdeep Poonia (44), the Dartmouth response showed little fight as Luke Radford (3-26) and Andrew Sutton (3-44) sent them packing for 153. Division One leaders Brockhampton completed a routine seven-wicket win over bottom club Sutton Coldfield.

Sutton’s Tom Eustace scored 60 in a total of 190 all out with Senuran Muthusamy taking 4-60 for the home side, who slipped from 45-0 to 53-3 in reply.

But an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 141 between Joe Crichard (71no) and Muthusamy (59no) eased the Herefordshire side to victory without further alarm.

Bromsgrove moved away from danger at the wrong end of the table after Alex Wilkinson took 6-36 to dismiss unpredictable Himley for 135.

Stuart Wedge hit 41 for Himley to prevent a complete rout but the target they set proved to be no problem as Alistair Hickman (33no) guided Bromsgrove to a much-needed victory.

Moseley leap-frogged Barnards Green in the table after handing out a seven-wicket drubbing to a side that may have had one eye on their area final of the ECB National Twenty20 Competition in north Wales the next day.

Jugdip Nandra (5-23) and Ali Awan (4-34) combined to dismiss Green for 123 with openers Josh Haynes (37) and Will Dovey (36) the only batsmen to show any signs of fight as the Malvern outfit collapsed from 74-0.

Jack Harper (48no) and Rob Yates (45) showed Green how to do it as they raced to an easy win.

Pershore continued to pursue promotion from Division Three.

They were made to work hard for their 65-run win at Handsworth, who were bowled out for 140 in response to the visitors’ 205.

Pershore's total owed much to Adam Wiffen (61) and Charlie Norton (46).

Dwayne Crossgill took 4-25 for Handsworth, who were unable to cope with the Pershore spinners Matt Brace (4-34) and Taylor Pugh (4-41).

The individual performance of the day came from Astwood Bank skipper Steve Adshead, who struck a double century in his side’s mammoth total of 368-6 against Aston Manor.

The former Worcestershire wicketkeeper smashed 25 fours and seven sixes in an innings of 144 balls, 19 more than his partner Ryan Blakemore who scored 71.

Tom Underhill added 46, while Shaun Findlay picked up 4-66 among the carnage caused by Adshead.

Facing such a daunting total, Manor fought hard to finish on 251-8 with South African Byron Wyngard hitting 116 from 125 balls and Sahal Malvernkar scoring 49 in a second-wicket partnership of 128.

Tom Harris took 4-55 for Bank, who remain in third place, poised to take any advantage of a slip-up by the top two.

Worfield missed an opportunity to move further away from danger and at the same time offered Eastnor a lifeline when they failed to beat the Herefordshire side.

They fell four runs short of victory with two wickets in hand.

Anees Tariq hit 75 in an Eastnor total of 195 all out and Ross Aucott hit 67 for Worfield.