Malvern crash to loss (From Malvern Gazette)

Malvern crash to loss

2:00pm Saturday 30th June 2012 in Cricket

MALVERN Cricket Club continued their dismal first half of the Worcestershire League Division Three season with a seven-wicket defeat against Kidderminster Victoria.

The visitors batted first and quickly lost Anthony Arnold, but Andrew Cullen steadied the ship and hit some pleasant boundaries.

However, when Cullen was dismissed for 19, a couple of wickets fell quickly to put Malvern in deep trouble. Chris Bridges hit out for a quickfire 22, before Sean Smith and Mark Baugh added some useful runs for the last wicket.

When Smith was out for 12, Baugh was left unbeaten on 20 in Malvern’s total of 141 all out, which was not huge, but given the fact the wicket was far from ideal and the outfield slow, a competitive total.

The home side replied and it might have been so different had an early chance to dismiss Paul Mitchell been taken. As it was, he escaped and he went on to bat through the innings, making 64 not out as Kidderminster strolled to victory. Owais Shah and Ashley Jones were the wicket takers for Malvern.

Bottom-of-the-table Malvern host fellow strugglers Himbleton, who are in ninth place, tomorrow and will be looking to try and move out of the division’s drop-zone.