RICHARD Bradley believes Stourbridge only have themselves to blame after they crashed at Penn.

Chasing 183, Stour looked well set for victory at 130-3 but a shuddering collapse saw them bowled out for 146 — as their final five batsmen failed to make a run.

It was their second defeat on the bounce and saw them slip to third in Birmingham League Division Three.

Afterwards, Bradley was frank in his assessment.

He said: “It was a game we should have won comfortably and to not do so is unacceptable really. It wasn’t good enough and we let ourselves down.

“We lost to Oswestry the week before and they outplayed us, in many ways that defeat was easier to take.

“But on Saturday we were in control for 80 or 90 per cent of the game and should have seen it through.”

After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Stourbridge by and large kept the shackles on the hosts.

But a superb knock of 69 from Penn skipper Dan Bassett helped them post 182-9 from 55 overs, a decent total on a difficult pitch.

Even then, Stourbridge looked like cruising to victory after getting over the early loss of Steve Game. With Jitesh Patel and Bradley looking well set, the skipper’s departure for 37 brought about the stunning collapse.

Patel finished unbeaten on 61 and could only watch the carnage from the other end, as Matt Briggs (6-32) and Adam Quiney (3-42) turned the game on its head.

Bradley is now calling for an improved performance in this Saturday’s clash at fourth-placed Bridgnorth.

He said: “It’s not unlike us to have batting collapses but typically in the last couple of years someone has taken responsibility and dug in.

“We should never have let it get down to the last two or three wickets on Saturday, the game should have been won with four or five to spare.

“We had a bit of a chat after the game and got a few things off our chest. I would still have taken this position at the start of the season but we need to get back to winning ways.”