WORCESTER Nomads continued their impressive start to the 2018 season with a comfortable win over the much-fancied Hagley at Bransford in Worcestershire League Division One.

Chasing down a modest 143-run target, the home team made light work of the run chase.

The high-powered run machine that showed itself in Hagley’s previous match was not firing on all cylinders this time, probably a legacy of missing two of its main components through unavailability.

Nomads skipper Ben Schiffmann won the toss and invited Hagley to bat on a firm but easy-paced surface.

The visitors could not have got off to a worse start, losing both their opening batsmen for ducks.

First to go was Christiaan Levitt who chipped a drive straight to Baker off the bowling of O’Driscoll in the first over.

His partner Spavin was rather unluckily run out backing up two balls later when Schiffmann diverted the ball onto the stumps.

Hagley then had a period of consolidation and found scoring difficult due to some tight length bowling - Lee Nightingale and skipper Michael Stead added 39 in 15 overs.

Nightingale looked assured and played well with a mix of delightful cover drives and watchful defence.

Just as the tide looked to have turned Nightingale tried to force the pace and edged a back-foot drive to David White in the gully off the bowling of Schiffmann.

As at the start of the innings another wicket soon followed when James Trinham was cleaned up by the ever-willing Nomads skipper.

Hagley were certainly struggling to enforce a presence on the game and never really got into any sort of stride.

They missed many opportunities to run singles throughout their innings which hampered their ability to keep the scoreboard moving.

Any promise that was shown seemed to be snatched away as Nomads grabbed vital wickets in pairs.

Skipper Stead, who had played faultlessly, was trapped in front when not getting fully forward to a ball of good length – he made a resourceful 41.

Unfortunately, he was followed back to the pavilion by young Will Hymer with the score still on 76.

Hymer chose to leave a turning ball and was bowled by Blakey (3-31).

This was the second of three wickets for the fast-learning youngster who now has eight wickets in his first two matches.

Jon McDonnell came to the crease with the score on 76-6.

Batting at number 8, he looked to be the most assured of all the visiting batters; he certainly made a case for batting higher up the order.

Craig Bray had to leave the field retired hurt when he pulled a muscle whilst batting.

More trouble for the visitors it would have appeared.

However, a late rally between McDonnell and Hurst saw 39 precious runs added, taking the total to 143 before McDonnell was out caught off the bowling of Groves for 45.

The Nomads response also got off to a poor start when Ollie Scurry mistimed a drive with the score on just three and was caught.

Guy Davies was joined by David White and the pair batted with the calmness and assurance that was a little missing in the visitors' batting display.

Davies was perhaps the more forceful of the two but White was nonetheless efficient in his accumulation of runs, missing very few scoring opportunities that came his way.

The pair added 80 runs for the second wicket and rarely looked troubled.

Indeed, the scoring rate was more than adequate, even though it never appeared that either batsmen were hurried.

Davies went for a well-complied 33 when he offered a catch to keeper McDonnell.

White continued to bat in partnership with Ollie Ranscombe (28).

The stylish left-hander was content to play the anchor role and duly reached a deserved half-century in the 31st over.

Ranscombe clearly fancied the task and was very forceful, particularly against the bowling of Hurst.

His eagerness to surge across the finish line proved to be his undoing as he drove a ball straight to a diving mid-off.

Jamie Oliver then joined the mercurial White, who finished undefeated on 56, to see Nomads comfortably to the finish line with almost 20 overs still to bowl.

The win leaves Worcester Nomads rising high at the top of the division after three matches.

Nomads' second team were well beaten by Hagley in the reverse fixture.

Having reached 69 without loss in good time, the visitors' batting imploded somewhat, losing all their wickets for just a further 15 runs.

Only Malcolm Jones made any headway against the Hagley bowling attack with a patient 40.

Simon Burgess (5-24) and Russ Andrews (4-12) were far too good for an under-performing Nomads team.

In response Hagley made light work of the meagre target, taking just 11 overs to record an emphatic nine-wicket victory.