FOR the first time since joining the Premier Division in 1994, Stratford find themselves in a desperate position at the bottom of the table after consecutive abandoned games.

The gods were not smiling on Swan's Nest Lane last Saturday when Halesowen were the visitors as a heavy downpour put paid to all the sterling efforts to get the game started.

Despite losing an hour and three-quarters, the Panthers looked on track to post a competitive score off the 32 overs available. To make matters worse, nearest rivals, Wolverhampton and Aston Unity, both managed draws to increase the pressure on the beleaguered Panthers.

Conditions were never going to be easy as the 10mm of rain that had fallen over night had left the square extremely damp. But, due to the hard work of groundsman Geoff Calcott, the wicket had been protected well.

As team members were still arriving at the ground, Halesowen won an important toss and had no doubt in electing to field first.

The ball not surprisingly was seaming viciously, but openers Neil Humphrey and Luke Parker were quick to latch onto anything overpitched and drove well down the ground. Humphrey especially looked in confident mood as he lofted Gary Williams over his head for a boundary four.

Intelligent running kept the scoreboard ticking over until Parker drove loosely at Warner only to see his off-stump cartwheel out of the ground.

A 39-run partnership off 58 balls represented good attacking batting on this wicket and, after a watchful start, David Graham carried on in the same vein with consecutive cover boundaries off firstly Gareth Williams, who had to retire mid-over with a back problem, and then the off-spin of Richard Simms.

A sweetly struck six off Warner capped a fine innings of 29 for Graham before being unluckily adjudged lbw sweeping to the spinner.

Humphrey, meanwhile, had continued his assault with cheeky tip-and-run singles and a champagne back-foot cover driven four that expertly pierced a packed off-side field.

A 59-run partnership at nearly five an over began sewing seeds of doubt in Halesowen's minds but, with ten overs remaining, the heavens opened to force an early abandonment, leaving Stratford on 101-2, just 19 runs short of a priceless batting point.

Stratford v Halesowen

Stratford

L Parker b Warner 15

N Humphrey not out 38

D Graham lbw Simms 29

W Killian not out 0

Extras 19

Total (for 2) 101

Bowling: A Warner 11.5-0-45-1, Gy Williams 4-0-20-0, Gth Williams 4.2-1-18.0, R Simms 2.3-1-10-1.

Match abandoned

Birmingham Premier League

P W D L A Pts

Himley 16 5 7 2 2 191

Moseley 16 5 7 2 2 175

Walsall 16 5 8 1 2 169

Halesowen 16 4 5 4 3 163

Knowle & Dorr 16 4 6 4 2 161

Barnt Green 16 4 6 4 2 156

Old Hill 16 3 8 4 1 149

Cannock 16 4 4 4 4 147

Cov & NW 16 4 6 5 1 146

Aston Unity 16 3 6 6 1 136

Wolverhampton 16 3 6 7 0 133

Stratford 16 2 9 3 2 130