A FIERCE display of hitting by youngster Olli Cross set up a winning start to Brockhampton’s second Birmingham League Premier Division season.

With the match at Berkswell reduced by heavy showers to a 25-overs-a-side win-lose contest, Brockhampton made a poor start to their innings, slipping to 31-4 from 10 overs.

Skipper Ben Stebbings (28) propped things up in a stand of 33 with Joe Crichard (15) before Cross came in to dominate the closing stages of the innings.

He smashed four sixes and four fours on his way to an unbeaten 55 from only 28 balls, including 20 off the final over from Aditya Rai, as the Herefordshire side reached 139-8 from their allotted overs.

Chris Boroughs and Callum Stewart applied pressure in the first overs of the Berkswell innnings before two wickets from Dave Exall and one from Adam Hewlett increased Brockhampton’s chances.

The villagers’ hero in the closing overs, however, was another youngster, teenager Will Barrett who claimed 4-17 from his five overs to leave the home side well short of their target on 117-9.

Overseas star Atiq Ur Rehman showed his all-round capabilities to ensure that Eastnor also made a winning start to their Division Two campaign with an eight-wicket success at Coventry and North Warwick.

The leg-spinner produced an excellent stint of 5-23, receiving good support from Jabran Khalid (2-17) and paceman Shahid Ahmed (2-29) as well as skipper Clive Chadhani who bagged four victims behind the stumps, as the home side were bowled out for just 139.

Although Chadhani was an early departure in the Eastnor reply, newcomers Andrew Fisher (35) and Sunil Rahi (66 not out) set up a solid base.

And Atiq (27no) came in to help Rahi to guide Eastnor to victory with an unbroken stand of 71 for the third wicket.