BOWLER Jon Dovey shone again for Barnards Green but it was a team effort overall as they won at Harborne in Birmingham and District Premier League Division One.

Green romped home by 42 runs at their fellow high-fliers to go second in the table three points behind leaders Bromsgrove despite only scoring 142 in 45.3 overs.

In the first of the 55-over games, skipper Andy Ford lost the toss and the visitors were put in to bat on a damp wicket with overcast skies.

The wicket and weather favoured the bowlers as, after hitting a six off Tom Payne, Alex Milton (8) was bowled by George Land.

Alex Hepburn and Mark Hardinges were both caught by Dalton Polius at slip for six when driving off Land (3-20), leaving Green struggling on 29-3 after nine overs.

Adam Dovey and Jamie Tapper toiled away but spinner Nasir Ali Khan trapped the former lbw for nine.

Captain Rajiv Sen (2-53) forced Tapper (20) to mishit to mid-on and Ford (5) played on off Ali Khan.

Ash Brewer (15) hit two fours and a six before being bowled and Elliot Hennessy (5) was trapped lbw.

Green floundered on 97-8 with 25 overs left but Jon Dovey and Rishe Umasuthan took them to 124.

Jon Dovey (8) found Polius on the boundary off Ali Khan (5-31) but Umasuthan (25) impressed until he was bowled.

Harborne faced a modest target but Liam Smith and Mark Hardinges caused both openers difficulty.

Smith broke through as Darren Franklin (4) chipped to Tapper and Andrew Lloyd (15) was bowled.

Top wicket-taker Jon Dovey stepped in to take wickets with consecutive balls, trapping Guriq Randhawa (18) and Jimmy Clifford (0) lbw.

Ford had Payne (1) caught and Jon Dovey bowled Matt Parker (1).

Jon Dovey (5-28) claimed two wickets in an over again as Sen (6) mishit to Tapper at short backward leg and Ali Khan fell lbw for a duck.

With 71 runs needed to win, Land (19) hit two straight sixes before firing Hardinges to Milton at mid-on.

Four balls later, Hardinges (2-30) wrapped up the innings for 100 in the 28th over, leaving Polius on 31 not out.

For pictures from the Harborne match, see this week's Malvern Gazette.