IT is a crucial match for Barnards Green Cricket Club this weekend as they look to avoid relegation from the BDPCL Premier Division One in their season finale at Chester Road.

Green require five bonus-points at already-relegated Kidderminster to officially secure their safety, regardless of results elsewhere on the final day.

The visitors on Saturday have been playing in the top-flight division in club cricket in this country for the first time this year after last season's promotion, but still have a job to do this weekend.

If second-bottom Shrewsbury beat title-chasing Moseley and Green fail to get five bonus-points from their game with Kiddy, then it will be Barnards Green who will drop down into Division Two. 

It has been a challenging debut season in Premier Division One for the club with only four wins all season, but maintaining their place in the league will be seen as a great success.

They looked to be on course for a shock win at North End Lane on Saturday when league leaders and title-favourites Knowle & Dorridge came to town, a win that would have made this weekend a whole lot less stressful. 

The home side won the toss and elected to bat against K & D and a second wicket partnership of 120 between Ryan Tongue (90) and George Rhodes (46) took them to 168 for two before both were dismissed for the addition of five more runs.

This began an all too familiar collapse by Barnards Green who were all out for 213, losing their last eight wickets for 45 runs.

The damage was done by seamers Oliver Currill (4 for 36) and Vidhan Iyer (3 for 19), the latter being the seventh bowler that K & D brought into the attack on the day.

The K & D reply began badly, losing two wickets for 12, but a sublime unbeaten 112 from 128 balls from Ethan Brookes saw them to victory, supported by 36 from Currill and 24 from James Middleton. Ben Clarke took 3 for 38 for Barnards Green.

Elsewhere at the club, it was a memorable afternoon for the 2XI as they clinched the Worcestershire County League Division Three title after a six-wicket win at Martley.

They finished the season with a whopping 328 points after suffering just one defeat all year.