A DERBY-DAY defeat at Bablake put a fatal dent in Coventry & North Warwickshire’s Warwickshire League Premier Division title hopes, after falling by three wickets.
Third in the table, C&NW now sit 38 points behind leaders Walmley – who made matters worse for Vikram Sodhi’s men by recording a maximum-points win over Streetly to boost their champion credentials – with just two matches remaining.
Opting to bat first at Norman Place Road, Coventry never really got going at the crease and often struggled in the absence of any major partnerships, slipping to an 84-7 score as Dipesh Patel (3-15) and Tom Yardley (3-25) ran riot for the hosts – foreshadowing the match-winning batting partnership between the pair that was yet to come.
The emergence of number eight Harry Horsley (40) revitalised the away side and saw an eighth-wicket partnership of 43 runs recorded alongside George Neal (15).
But in spite of this momentary upturn in fortunes, C&NW were dismissed for 136 runs in the 46th over.
In reply, Bablake fared significantly worse initially and looked capable of imploding when struggling at 55-7, largely thanks to contributions from George Neal (3-18) and Horsley (2-32).
But, knowing that Coventry’s score was by no means out of reach, number eight Patel (72, no) found form alongside Yardley (22, no) to smash 85 runs and win the day with ten balls remaining.
With slim hopes of the title remaining, Coventry & North Warwickshire next host fifth-placed Attock on Saturday.
