MONMOUTH Cricket Club have taken their promotion battle to the final

MONMOUTH Cricket Club have taken their promotion battle to the final weekend of the season after securing a hard-fought five-wicket win over Worcester Dominies in the Worcestershire County League Division 2.

The Welshmen remain third in the table but are 21 points adrift of second-placed Oldswinford with just one league match remaining.

Monmouth will need to claim a maximum 24-point haul at Hagley on Saturday to stand any chance of clinching the second guaranteed promotion spot.

Monmouth would then need their Stourbridge-based rivals Oldswinford to slip up at home to mid-table Belbroughton.

Whatever happens in the last round of matches this weekend, Pedmore are promoted and Monmouth will finish at least third in the division - their highest-ever placing.

Monmouth moved their scheduled home fixture last Saturday against Dominies to Barnards Green in Malvern owing to winter games being played at the Sports Ground.

The Welsh club made in roads, with the returning seam duo of Tej Saran (6-49 from 16.5 overs) and Jonathan Roberts (4-72 from 17 overs) doing the damage against fourth-placed Dominies.

Dominies were eventually skittled out for just 145 inside 34 overs.

Jonathan Jones held a sharp catch at backward gully to instigate Dominies' collapse and they fell from 84-2 to 84-5.

Although Dominies rallied through Jamie Williams (40), wickets fell at regular intervals.

Despite their modest total, the Worcester outfit reduced Monmouth, sponsored by JD Wetherspoon, to a perilous 60-5.

Stephen Miles claimed 4-12 in a fine nine-over spell to put Monmouth's victory hopes in serious doubt.

However, an assured 80-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand between vice-captain David Teague (70 not out) and Jonathan Jones (28 not out) steadied Monmouth's nerves.

The duo swept Monmouth to victory with 15 overs left and avenged a heavy defeat to Dominies in the away fixture earlier in the season.

The match balls were sponsored by Matthews and Jones Dental Surgery and club vice-chairman Ian Morgan.

The Division 2 table with one match remaining: 1 Pedmore 351 points, 2 Oldswinford 343 points, 3 MONMOUTH 322 POINTS, 4 Worcester Dominies 290 points.