STOURBRIDGE skipper Matt Bradley insists his side are doing everything they can to beat the drop this season.

Currently cast adrift at the bottom of Birmingham League Division Two, Bradley said: "We're not playing badly - it's just that other teams are playing better than us."

However, Bradley believes this Saturday's local derby with Halesowen at the War Memorial Ground could present a real opportunity to turn their fortunes around.

Bradley added: "It's a bit like a cup final and sometimes recent form can go out of the window. Halesowen themselves have struggled a bit in the past few weeks. All we can do is go and try and win the game."

Bradley has also praised the contribution made by opening bat and Herefordshire Minor Counties coach Harshad Patel, who like Bradley, hit a century in last Saturday's defeat to Oswestry.

A key member of the Stourbridge side that swept all before them in the late 1980's, Bradley claimed: "Harshad has settled in really nicely and his experience has been a huge help".