Birmingham Phoenix's Will Smeed, the youngest player in the men's Hundred, tells BBC Points West about his rise into the limelight.

The plea comes as West Midland councils pledge their help to house families fleeing Afghanistan.

Layloma, 79, was knocked unconscious as she tried to board a plane out of Kabul.

Stoke City sign midfielder Romaine Sawyers on a season-long loan from fellow Championship side West Brom.

The victim, in her 50s, was found with serious head injuries at the home in Solihull, police say.

Each of the 51 statues on display in Birmingham has been decorated by a different artist.

Deodorants stored at the site explode, "popping right through the night", the fire service says.

Smoke could be seen from miles around and residents were advised to keep doors and windows shut.

Five-year-old Mathew Richards' family says hydrogen sulphide from the site is damaging his health.

He is caught after a member of the public supplies the grateful local council with CCTV footage.

Worcestershire opening batsman Jake Libby signs a new contract with the Pears until 2024.

Residents in a Cheshire village whose homes were flooded in January are still unable to return home.

A man who assaulted a sleeping woman while his wife was in the same room is jailed by appeal judges.

A motorcyclist has been seriously injured in a collision involving a taxi.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was was called to the junction of Steward Street and Spring Hill in Hockley, Birmingham at 07:00 BST.

The male motorcyclist received treatment at the scene before being taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, it said.

While the taxi driver, also a man, was treated for injuries not believed to be serious before being taken to Sandwell Hospital.

Some residents in Stoke-on-Trent say they were misled over 25-year contracts.

Heart patients can get their pacemakers and ECG monitors checked without leaving the car.

She saves her vehicle from a transporter's ramp shortly after leaving a slimming club at a church.

The tawny owls have been cared for at a rescue centre while developing their flight feathers.

More areas than ever before have put in bids to be made the next UK City of Culture.

They include Wolverhampton, which is among 20 places to express their interest in hosting a year of cultural festivities in 2025, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.

The successful bidder will take on the baton from Coventry, which is the 2021 UK City of Culture.

Image source, Getty Images

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "This record number of applications from all four corners of the country is testament to the huge success of City of Culture in generating investment, creating jobs and boosting local pride.

"This prestigious prize creates a fantastic opportunity for towns and cities to build back better from the pandemic and I wish all bidders the very best of luck."

The 20 bidders will be reduced to an initial longlist in the coming weeks and then cut down further to a final shortlist in early 2022, with the winner announced in May 2022.

Josh Larcombe has been given a suspended jail sentence at Plymouth Crown Court.