CONFIDENT skipper Dominic Ostler believes Berkswell are ‘peaking at just the right time’ in the Birmingham League Premier Division.
The 2016 champions got the new season off to a slow start with defeats to West Bromwich Dartmouth and Shrewsbury but have since turned their fortunes around.
Berkswell are unbeaten in their last four games with their latest success coming on Saturday with a 97-run victory away to Moseley.
The victory moved the Balsall Common side up from seventh to third in the table, leapfrogging Knowle & Dorridge who were beaten by West Bromwich.
Berkswell entertain Kenilworth Wardens on Saturday before playing host to K&D the following weekend and Ostler knows how crucial these fixtures will be.
“We had a very tough start to the season but we are in some good form now and I think we are peaking at just the right time,” he said.
“There is a long way to go but we have two massive fixtures coming up in Kenilworth and K&D.
“Hopefully we can keep our momentum going into these two games and just do what we have been doing over the last month, playing good cricket.”
Berkswell openers Danial Chaudhry (24) and Mohammed Ahmed gave the visitors a solid start against Moseley with a 54-run opening partnership until the former lost his wicket.
Chris Whittock (11) and Tom Milnes (1) feel cheaply to leave Berkswell on 92-3.
Ahmed and Nick James steadied the ship and compiled a fourth wicket partnership of 63.
The losses of Ahmed (69), James (38), Dominic Ostler (0) and Tom Lewis (5) reduced Berkswell to 168-7.
However, Grant Thornton (31) and Amirullah Sidiqhkil (18) pushed the side over the 200 mark and the innings closed in the 55th over when Berkswell were all out for 213.
Moseley’s reply got off to the worst possible start with Milnes bowling Jake Sammons (4) but Bhavik Patel and Kishen Patel recovered the situation and added 51 runs for the second wicket.
The loss of Bhavik Patel (17) at 51 and then Kishen Patel (28) at 77 started a batting collapse with the left arm spin bowling of James (5-19) and Ahmed (3-20) doing the damage.
The two bowlers then dismissed the remaining seven Moseley batsmen for the addition of only another 39 runs.
