Halesowen skipper Wes Griffiths believes his side are gaining momentum after a winning draw at Cannock.

The result saw Hales pick up 16 points and they are now seventh, comfortably in mid-table in Birmingham League Division Two.

Griffiths believes they now have a chance to push on.

He said: “It was a big game in shaping our season.

“Cannock are a decent side and it was good to get a positive result against them and in truth we were always in control in the game.

“We are now starting to pick up a bit of momentum which is good.

“The aim now is to continue improving and gradually edge our way up this league.”

After being put into bat, Halesowen had the best of the game as they pushed the hosts all the way, without quite taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

Top scorers in the innings were Wes Griffiths with 41 and Ajantha Weerappuli with 39 as Hales totalled 211 all out, though there were contributions from several others.

In reply, Cannock ground out a draw as Halesowen were unable to claim the three wickets needed for a deserved win. Seven wickets were shared between Phil Croft (4-44) with another excellent spell and Adam Hawker with (3-53). Cannock finished on 168-7 in 56 overs.

Griffiths added: “There are still areas that we can improve in our batting, getting bigger scores, the top score was 40 Saturday which needs to improve, and we’re still yet to get a hundred, but we’re batting well as a general rule.

“I also think there are some massive positives to come out of our bowling performance again.”

The second XI put in another strong performance as they picked up a winning draw against Coventry.

Skipper Steve Baker decided to bat first and the innings was built around a 128 opening partnertship between Andrew Windsor (79) and Charlie Tromans (47).

Ryan Beaumont (29) and Richard Cox (25) then took the team to 238-7 in 50 overs.

In reply, Coventry struggled against some quality home bowling, Martin Harvey and Mark Hutchinson both grabbing two wickets as Coventry hung on at 167-9.

Captain Steve Baker said: “This was another solid all round performance against a side who always cause us difficulty.

“We are developing some very good habits and the depth of the squad is proving to be our strength.”

Having played 4 of the last 5 games at home, the seconds hit the road to Bridgnorth next week.

The third XI recorded an empahatic 102-run win over Claverley at Earls High School.

Batting first, a strong team effort saw Hales rack up 254-9 in 50 Overs. Top scorer was Eddie Rhodes with 49 not out, ably supported by skipper Kelvin Davis (34), Aaron Kisiel (33) and Joe Tromans (27).

The home bowlers then never let Claverley get into the game and dismissed them for 152 in 38 overs. Chris Jones lead the way with 4-50 as he continues to find his form and rhythm each week. Mo Ramzan was once again impressive taking four wickets.