Whitchurch have slipped to the bottom of the Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League Division Three table after a five-wicket defeat to Newport on Saturday.

Stand-in skipper Sam Ellis won the toss and decided to set a target for his hosts to chase but his confidence was not rewarded when his side were shot out for just 79 inside 33 overs.

Openers Salim Ahmed and Ed Watson-Jones both made good starts with 13 and 23 respectively, but Evelyn Jones, promoted to number three, didn't grab the chance she's been looking for when she was caught for just two runs.

From there, the Whitchurch batting card made for sorry reading as numbers four to numbers nine were all dismissed for single figure scores.

However, a spirited 22 from 38 balls from tail-ender Dave Weaver gave Whitchurch's score more credibility than Ellis must have first feared.

Shabbir Khan proved that, in fact, he could, when he destroyed the Whitchurch batting line-up with 6-21 from 12 overs.

However, Whitchurch did not go down without a fight as Ellis took the new ball and backed up Nadeem Ahmad's early breakthrough with two quick wickets of his own to leave Newport 41-3.

However, while Jack Batkin took two further wickets, Newport's Mark Downes's 30 was enough to take the home team over the line, with support from skipper Jamie Prew's 16 not out. Ellis finished with 2-25 and Batkin 2-21, both from seven overs while Nadeem Ahmad finished with 1-23 from four.

In the reverse fixture at Heath Road, the second XI lost to Newport after they were bowled out for 106 inside just 26 overs, as they scored quickly but lost wickets at the same rate.

Connor Tinsley had been promoted to first team duty and his stand-in Eddie Lewis opened the batting in his absence, but he was one of three ducks in the top three with fellow opener Luke Parker and number three Dominic Freer-Carmichael.

James Evans and Richard Weaver led the fightback for Whitchurch with 15 and 22 respectively while Ashleigh Heath top-score with a fine 25 from 58 balls. But the home side needed the help of 22 extras to reach 106 as visiting bowler Anthony Hyde grabbed a fine 5-22.

In reply, Whitchurch never looked like troubling Newport's run chase and they strolled home with nine wickets to spare as a 52 not out from opener Scott Gormley won the game.Weaver took Whitchurch's sole wicket.

The club's third XI did however save the weekend as they picked up a fine win on Sunday at Wellington. Batting first, Whitchurch, who only had nine men, posted a highly-competitive total of 192-7 from their 35 overs with opener Tom Griffin's 41 the pick of the scorers with contributions by James Marvell (30) and Wilfred Peers (34).

Jack Ramsay (3-25) made a great start with three early wickets with two Luke Boughton and one each for James Marvell, Dave Marvell, Peers and Griffin as the home side were bowled out for 100.

The first XI host Handsworth, the second XI play Smethwick – the thirds host Bomere Heath.