CHADDESLEY Corbett and Stourport-on-Severn are the early pace setters in the Worcestershire County League Premier Division as both made it two wins out of two with impressive home performances.

Chaddesley are top by four points as their two in-form batsmen Waqas Ahmed (93) and Mohammed Sajid (82) scored heavily again to ensure they posted a challenging first innings total of 265-9 which proved too many for Redditch to chase as namesake Waqas Ahmed took 6-30 in the second innings for the home team to ensure maximum points.

Stourport also continued their fine start and are second after last season’s player of the year Ryan Derrick led them to a twenty point five-wicket victory against Worcester with an undefeated second innings 63.

Seven points cover the next eight teams as Stourbridge, Astwood Bank, Evesham and Old Elizabethans all gained their first victories of the season which leaves only Old Hill and Feckenham without wins.

In division one, strongly fancied title favourites Hagley got off to an excellent start with a maximum points win at Bredon. The visitors dismissed the home team for 160 and cruised past the total with a 67 from keeper/batsman Lee Nightingale.

Oldswinford lie second after Tom Blunt's first innings 73 and 5-30 from Rhys Williams proved enough to gain a maximum points against Droitwich Spa and Ollie Ranscombe helped Worcester Nomads get off to a flyer as his 70 saw them achieve maximum points at home against Belbroughton by three wickets.

Matthew Holloway (65*) and Jamie Brighton (63) led the way for Cookley as they comfortably chased down Pedmore’s first innings total and Ben Cooke’s 77 led Colwall to victory as they reeled in Coombs Wood's first total of 217-8, for whom Nathan Round amassed a solid first innings 85.

Bromyard and Burghill shared the points in a game both teams could have won.

In Division Two Halesowen are top as Thomas Williams scored 71 in the second innings to help his team to a maximum points win at Seth Somers Park against Bromsgrove. Half centuries from Marcus D’Oliveira and Tom Oakley helped Ombersley post a first innings total of 244-8 which proved enough for maximum points against visiting Bartestree who were dismissed cheaply in the second innings and despite 6-68 from George Haslam in the first innings, Astwood Bank were dismissed cheaply in the second innings at Lye.

Kidderminster defeated Enville by five wickets at Enville Hall, Barnt Green travelled to Himbleton and won by a comfortable five wicket margin and Brockhampton beat Himley by the same margin.

Martley are top of Division Three after an excellent all round performance ensured they took maximum points at Stourbridge by a convincing 99 run margin, Barnards Green find themselves in second position after convincingly beating Pershore by 157 runs, Kempsey are third following a half century (67) from Chris Jones helped them to a 35 run victory at Plovers Rise against visiting Old Elizabethans and Netherton won a tight match at Rushwick by 14 runs to complete the quartet of teams who began with maximum point wins.

The other two matches in the division ended in winning draws for Avoncroft for whom Steve Eastham scored a fine first innings 138 and Jonathan Hunter claimed a second innings 7-46 at Redditch Entaco and Old Vigornians for whom Joe Sullivan’s first innings 132 was the highlight of the match against Old Hill.

In Division Four Harborne are top dogs following their maximum point victory against Bromsgrove at the Hedges ground. Baldev Raj scored a fine first innings 86 for the visitors and Ahsan Sahwar followed up with 5-26 in the second innings to ensure a perfect start.

Coombs Wood won a high scoring match at home against Astwood Bank to go second. Dave Price (94), George Ross (59) and Paul Boycott (58*) helped the visitors amass an excellent first innings 288-4 only to see Stuart Baker (85) and Ian Whitmore (65*) lead Coombs Wood to a six wicket victory on what must have been an excellent early season surface.

Stourport were the other team in the division to start with a maximum points win as they travelled to Worcester and came away with a comfortable five wicket victory after Matt Hatfield’s 61 ensured they chased down the home team’s first innings 165 all out.

The only other victory on the day went to Romsley who gained a twenty point victory as they destroyed Halesowen by ten wickets in a very one sided affair at the Earls High School.

The other two matches in the division saw both Eastnor and Bewdley fall agonisingly short of victory. After making the long trip to Alvechurch, visitors Eastnor posted a competitive first innings 206 all out, only to be frustrated in the second innings as time was called with Alvechurch nine wickets down on 168-9 in reply, just one wicket short of victory for the visitors and finally Bewdley who posted a competitive first innings total of 181 thanks to half centuries from Connor Franklin (70) and Matt Cowdrey (50) were themselves left frustrated as a solid second innings bowling performance restricted visitors Five Ways Old Edwardians to a closing total of 153-9, again just one wicket shy of a maximum point victory.

In Division Five an excellent 115 from Rory Mathews and an undefeated 85 from Ollie Price ensured Hanley Castle & Upton started with maximum points at Hagley. Their impressive first innings 298-5 proved too many for the home team to chase despite a fighting 83 from Will Hymer as Josh Benson-Smith picked up 6-42 in the second innings to secure a seventy seven run, maximum point win for the visitors.

West Malvern lie second after gaining maximum points against visiting Worcester Nomads. Veteran Pete Gurr compiled an excellent first innings 85 to help the home team post a combative first innings 288-6, a total which was never in danger as only Malcolm Jones (53) offered any resistance in the second innings for Worcester Nomads.

Claverley also scored over two hundred in the first innings as Tom Grainger (65) and Riyaz Hashim (60) led the Shropshire men to a competitive 242-8 against visiting Chaddesley Corbett. In return only Zukky Shabbir (68) got to grips with the home teams attack who eventually wrapped up proceedings to win by a healthy 69 runs.

Two other teams posted twenty point victories to start the season well. Rhys John picked up 4-12 as Droitwich dismissed visitors Feckenham for a meagre first innings total before comfortably winning by seven wickets at St. Peter’s Field and Mohammed Ishtiaq (4-17) and Tanveer Hussain (4-47) shared eight first innings wickets to set up a three wicket victory at the Ramblers Ground, Malvern.

In the other match in the division Netherton were left frustrated in only ending with a maximum point winning draw as Jawad Nazir 85 and Muhammad Asim Masood (63) helped them compile the highest score of the day (320-7) in their first innings at home against Colwall only to run out of time with the visitors precariously positioned on 228-9.