A superb all-round performance from Tommy Rex steered Kenilworth Wardens to an 82-run opening day Birmingham Premier League division one success at Bridgnorth.

At 158 for eight the visitors were in real difficulty before Rex marshalled partnerships with lower-order colleagues Jabez Weale and Josh Baker that added 79 vital runs.

Then after the hosts passed 50 without loss the pacy Rex returned to grab three vital scalps and send Bridgnorth crashing to 155 all out.

Captain Harry Johnson was quick to acknowledge the contribution made by the homegrown talent who is pressing hard for Warwickshire 2nd XI recognition.

"Tommy did brilliantly with the bat," he said. "We know he is a very accomplished player and coming to the wicket in a tricky situation with a lot of time left and quite a few wickets down he did a great job.

"He batted a lot of time before cashing in at the end of our innings to get us to a defendable total.

"Tommy had a breakthrough season with the ball last year and became very dependable. He bowls with great discipline and hits the seam regularly which makes him very dangerous with red and white ball.

"He came back very well in the middle of the Bridgnorth innings as a strike bowler and took some vital wickets."

Henry Cullen's 38 was the only significant score in Wardens' top-order which quickly slipped to 39 for four.

Rich Linfield then Andy Leering (38) helped the wicket-keeper add 97 runs for the next two wickets, but a below-par total seemed likely when Warwick University paceman Weale joined ninth wicket partner Rex.

The duo dug in against the penetrative Matty Simmonds - who claimed four for 40 - to add 28 vital runs, but it was Wardens' last pair that swung the match decisively in their favour.

Left-arm spinner Baker belied his position at the foot of the order to contribute a fluent 23-ball 25 to this unbroken 51-run alliance with Rex whose battling 73-ball 30 enabled Johnson's team to close their 50 overs on 237 for nine.

When openers Dave Exhall (34) and Ian Gregory subsequently took Bridgnorth's response to 51 a competitive contest was in prospect.

But the introduction of league debutants Baker (3-30) and Pakistan under 19 off-spinner Ali Zaryab (2-31) then put a stranglehold on the chase which declined to 120 for six.

Fittingly it was Rex who returned to apply the coup de grace by castling the defiant Simmonds before polishing off a tail in which only Sam Baugh (26) briefly threatened.

"It was a good performance overall," Johnson said, "although being hard on ourselves we were below par with the bat on a good pitch.

"Henry Cullen and Tommy Rex did a great job for us with the bat, then after Bridgnorth got off to a bit of a flier our spinners tied them down and built a lot of pressure.

"Josh Baker has been a great addition to our squad – he bowls very few bad balls – and we now have a very useful all-round attack."