TENBURY stalwart Darren Thompson was in first-class mode as he celebrated a maiden century last Saturday after more than 20 years with the club.

The popular 48-year-old postman, whose previous best in over 250 league and cup innings for Tenbury was 98 against Martley 2nd ten years ago, finally passed the magical three figures in the 2nd XI win over Worcestershire County League rivals Stourbridge 4th at Penlu.

Thompson hit 102 not out towards towards Tenbury’s 218-6 off 45 overs, sharing in a second wicket stand of 87 with Ian Taylor (45). Stourbridge then lost on the Duckworth/Lewis method on 198-8 off 39 overs, with both Jack Farrar and Adrian Edwards taking a couple of wickets apiece. Stourbridge had needed a revised target of 206.

Thompson, cousin of 2nd XI skipper Ben, who himself scored his maiden hundred for the club earlier this season and then added a second ton for good measure, said: “It’s been a long time coming after more than 20 years with the club.

"I was stuck in the nervous 90s for a while and I finally got a streaky four through the gully area to reach my hundred.

“I must have batted for over three hours and all the guys were so happy for me, the opposition side all shook my hand too and my wife was there to see it as well.

"And we had some celebratory drinks after the game.”

Thompson also cuts the outfield at Penlu and he admitted: “I treat it like my garden and my wife complains that I spend more time down at the cricket club than I do at home.”

Chris Giles was the star as Tenbury 1st kept their Division Five promotion push bubbling with a 75-run victory at Stourbridge 3rd.

Giles, brother of skipper Steve and making a rare first-team appearance, hit 73 (13 fours and a six) and shared in a second-wicket stand of 141 with Andy Adams (55) after Tom Pugh departed to the first ball of the match.

Tenbury, who travelled with only ten players when Zack Yarranton was a late withdrawal due to illness, sailed to an impressive 276-6 off 50 overs, Neil Crump chipping in 32 in his first game for two years and Steve Giles making 22.

Chris Giles then claimed 4-53 with the ball as Stourbridge were kept down to 201-6 off 42 overs.

Their target was 260 under the Duckworth/Lewis method but Robbie Farrar pegged them down from the start by conceding only nine runs off his nine overs.

Cleobury Mortimer returned to winning ways in Division Three by firing out Bartestree & Lugwardine for just 94.

Ben Griffiths polished off the Bartestree tail with 3-7 off just three overs while David Shorter finished with 3-21 and Oliver Rowlands 2-21.

Earlier Nick Griffiths had top-scored with 48 and Michael Green hit 39 in Cleobury’s 184.

But ten-man Cleobury 2nd were unable to complete a winning weekend for the club, collapsing to 48-9 in 14 overs in reply to Halesowen 4th’s impressive 302-4.

Their first six batsmen only managed to scrap together 12 runs between them and it needed Charlie Edwards (16) and Jake Wadhams (10) to prevent an even worse defeat.

* DEPLETED Knighton-on-Teme pulled out all the stops to salvage a losing draw at GB?Liners Marches League Division Two rivals Weobley.

Knighton, stricken by availability problems, travelled with only nine men so did remarkably well in the circumstances to dismiss Weobley for 147 in 42 overs, Adrian Grosvenor and Mark Evans emerging as the pick of their weakened bowling attack.

Grosvenor picked up 3-30 off nine overs and Evans collected 3-33 off 12 overs.

Knighton then began their reply like an express train and had 32 runs on the board after just four overs of lusty hitting.

But once dangerous skipper Matt James had been dismissed for a breezy 21, the run rate dropped considerably, despite Evans chipping in with 34 and Richard Grosvenor making 21 to keep them ticking over.

They needed to score 112 off 45 overs for a losing draw and their seventh-wicket pair of Adam Grosvenor and Dave Chance decided to chance their arm.

They took Knighton beyond the 112 mark and though Grosvenor was bowled for 10 by Kevin Hurds (3-33), Chance finished on 17 not out and last man Kai Pullen faced five balls for nought not out as they successfully avoided defeat to finish the game on 133-7.