report2009

Hatfield's Cricket Season finished with the traditional match played between the Married Men and the Single Men. First played in 1919 for a trophy presented to the club by the 1/10th London Regiment in 1915 the Married Men were ahead with 40 wins to the single men's 30. The Single Men batted first in this 90th anniversary match, Ian Golder bowled a typically tight bowling spell picking up a wicket, as did Andy Foster at the other end. It was skipper Darshan Desai ( getting married in November) who injected some urgency into Hatfield's batting dominating the 4th wicket partnership of 40 runs with John McCarthy after the single men had found themselves at 37-3 off 13 overs. This seasons leading bowler Graham Causton took two quick wickets to have the Single Men 77-5 from 25 overs. 21 runs later Causton took his third wicket Keven Whitehead, the single men now 98-6 from 30 overs. Lewis Wynne and Dan Hardy now took the attack to the bowlers forcing Richard Hazeldene out of the attack as they reached 142 when Lewis Wynne became Causton's (4-32) final wicket caught for 31 runs. Dan Hardy went for 23 when he became the latest victim of Robert Groves lunatic running between the wickets the score. With Tony Jakes too savvy for Groves odd calls it just allowed Grove to lay into Ian Golder's final over to take The Single Men to 180-8 from 45 overs, Grove 22 not out.
Tony Jakes 3-10

The Married Men's innings got off to a poor start when Lewis Wynne removed Heath Bond and Richard Hazeldene in the 4th over the score 9-2. Barry Phillips and Gareth Wynne Lewis Wynne 31 & 5-25

then put on 66 for the 3rd wicket in the next 20 overs. The introduction of leading wicket taker Tony Jakes tore the heart out of the Married Mens middle order as he took 3-10 from 6 overs first Phillips for 28, Andy Foster for 1 and the Gareth Wynne for 35 became Jakes 50th wicket of the season. The Married men were toppling at 84-5 from 27 overs. Some resistance came from Sean Edge with 16 and then Ian Golder (20) and Graham Causton (13) took the score to 150 before Lewis Wynne removed Golder and Causton was stumped by Whitehead off Desai. Lewis Wynne then wrapped up the match in the 43rd over removing married skipper Mick Debenham and then Club Chairman Alan Dudman for figures of 5-25 the married Men all out for 156 a 24 run defeat.

Hatfield played their last Sunday match of the season a home fixture against Aldenham. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat and were lucky to only lose one wicket to the fine John McCarthy 55

bowling of Alan Jakes. However having survived Jakes onslaught the batsmen tucked themselves into the buffet bowling laid on by Hatfield. Gareth Wynne applied a break to the run charge but Aldenham were well on their way to a formidable total. Veteran, veteran Tony Foster rolled back the years to take 5-47 aided by some sharp catches from Hatfield's fielders. Aldenham were bowled out for 225 but this only left time for the visitors to bowl 36 overs at Hatfield's batsmen who would now have too reach a scoring rate of seven runs per over to win the match.
Good medium pace bowling meant that Hatfield could only score at just over four runs per over. Whilst restricting the score Aldenham were not threatening to take Hatfield wickets and Hatfield's first two wickets came from batsmen miss hits Ben Golder going for 19 with the score on 45 and Alex Digby for 17 the total 83-2. The score had reach 121 when opener John McCarthy was out for 55 and skipper Keven Whitehead was next out for 31 at 145 for 4. Mark Collins enjoyed the last few overs hitting some lusty blows in his 23 not out as Hatfield finished on 167-4 for a drawn match.

Darshan Desai continued his end of season purple patch of form with the bat to smash a career best 144 not out in Hatfield's friendly with Chipperfield Clarendon. It was Desai's second consecutive ton after his heroics against London Colney the previous week and gives him an excellent chance of winning the clubs batting prize. Chipperfield batted first on a true pitch and despite some fiery bowling from Billy Bigley managed to get off to a solid start. It was Bigley who made the first breakthrough but skipper Grout looked in good touch and played the major innings early on. Skipper Richard Hazeldedene introduced himself into the attack but made little impression as Chipperfield cruised along at a fair pace. Gareth Wynne rolled back the years to take two wickets including that of Grout for 84, as Bigley took a smart catch on the boundary. The tempo was upped somewhat when star batsman Gary Wyse took to the crease and played an aggressive innings from the outset. He blazed away and Hatfield didn't really have an answer to some classy batting. Wyse smashed 74 runs in double quick time and enabled the home to reach a sizeable score of 247 from their 45 overs. Wynne was Hatfield's most successful bowler with 2-28.
Heath Bond opened the innings with Andy Ashley-Smith as usual opening partner Barry Phillips incurred a freak back injury whilst playing football in the warm up. Bond fell early whilst Ashley-Smith played some quality shots before being bowled for 18. At 40-2, the Chipperfield total looked a long way away but Darshan Desai had other ideas. Despite a scratchy start and the loss of Keven Whitehead, he and Billy Bigley started to set about the home side bowlers with great gusto. Bigley showed what great potential he has as a future star all-rounder by smashing 37 runs and out scoring his more senior partner. The pair put on a fine partnership of 70 runs to steer Hatfield back into the match. With Bigley dismissed, Desai took the game by the scruff of the neck with a plethora of boundaries. He received some good support from Sam Kanaghara who sensibly played second fiddle to Hatfield's in-form left hander. Desai reached his second hundred in one calendar week with another classy boundary and took the tiring Chipperfield bowlers to task. Hatfield did not lose another wicket in the run chase and secured victory with two overs to spare. Desai dominated the innings ending on 144 not out and the highest individual score by a Hatfield player during the 2009 season. Hatfield's winning margin being 4 wickets.

Mayfield 156-9 Hatfield 157-5

Hatfields 2nd XI secured a 5 wicket success against Mayfield in their friendly at Ascots Lane. Mayfield struggled against the bowling of Graham Causton who took 3-23 whilst young Matt Saxby picked up 3-41. Derek Smalls took three catches in the outfield as Hatfield bowlers kept the village side down to 156-9. In reply Hatfields top order struggled with wickets falling at regular intervals. It was a partnership between John Edge (44) and Joe Bigley (36 n.o.) that turned the match. The pair put on 72 for the 5th wicket and saw Hatfield home with great aplomb. Edge hitting 3 sixes and his highest score for the club. Alan Jakes' men winning the game by 5 wickets.

Hatfield ended their league season on a high with an excellent all round performance to defeat London Colney by 103 runs at Ascots Lane. Hatfield took to the crease first with Heath Bond and Barry Phillips setting an early platform by putting on a opening partnership of 44 runs before Bond was dismissed for 23. Phillips followed shortly after being caught behind for 15 as Hatfield reached 49-2. Darshan Desai joined Andy Ashley-Smith at the wicket and the pair started to build the innings with some fine stroke play. Desai was in a typically aggressive mood and hit three boundaries off spinner Bristow almost immediately. Ashley-Smith played second fiddle to Desai but kept the scoreboard ticking over as the partnership built. The dynamic duo took the score past 100 and Hatfield look set to post a large total. Ashley-Smith ran himself out for 27 as Hatfield reached 125-3 but Lewis Wynne quickly took the opportunity to slam a couple of fine boundaries to keep the momentum going. Desai passed his half century and started to take apart the perspiring Bristow with some wristy drives and flicks. Wynne was stumped with the total on 171 but it was clear Hatfield would be scoring a total well in excess of 200 with plenty of overs remaining. Desai was now heading towards a century and mixed some thunderous shots with carefully picked singles. Ian Golder was dismissed by Goff at 196-5 but Desai received good support from Richard Hazeldene to hit a well deserved century. The floodgates were opened towards the end of innings as Hatfield went on the charge in the last few overs. Hazeldene fell for 19 and Desai finally caught for 123, his highest innings of the season. Hatfield eventually declared on 262-9

Colney made a steady start in reply but it was fairly evident that something special would be required to get the runs required. Ian Golder made the initial breakthrough having Buckmaster caught behind with 27 on the board. Gareth Wynne was introduced early into the innings and it was he who had veteran Fisher caught for 12 runs by Sam Kanagaha. A third wicket partnership between Bristow and Hadley started to build and kept London Colney but the required run rate now reached 7 an over and some risks had to be taken. Richard Hazeldene introduced himself into the attack in an attempt to tease the batsmen out. Hadley played an attacking innings and reached 49 before being dismissed by the Hatfield skipper. Bristow hit 53 in good time but he too was dismissed by Hazeldene with another fine catch from Kanagaha. By now Hatfield were in the hunt for victory and batting starlet Desai was handed the ball. He did not disappoint and collected a couple of wickets with his left arm spin. Colney later order didnt really show and suddenly found themselves at 130-8. Some hefty swipes at the end took the total to 159 but Desai (3-22) and Hazeldene (4-37) worked they were through the tail as Hatfield eased to a 103 run success. Hatfield finished 12th in Division Three of the Herts League. Andy Foster 64 not out

Hatfield 2ndXI 174 London Colney 2ndXI 175-2

Hatfield's 2nd XI claimed the 7 points they needed to avoid the drop into Division Eight and were indebted to Andy Foster for his 64 not out as they posted 174 against their London Colney counterparts. Hatfield had got off to a decent start with Suki Grewal hitting 31 but Ben Golder, Robert Grove and Erick Bangs all fell for ducks. Colney bowlers held sway on a slow low track and at 129-8 Hatfield were staring down the barrel of a relegation gun. Skipper Alan Jakes came to the crease to play a captains innings supporting Foster and the pair put of a vital 45 runs for the ninth wicket. Hatfield's bowlers claimed two early wickets but the Colney batsmen made sure that they too wouldn't be relegated by batting sensibly to steer the home side home. London Colney reached 175-2 despite Jakes using all his nine bowlers. Hatfield's 2nd XI finished 17th in Division Seven, avoiding relegation by one place.

Sunday, Hatfield played host to Gaddesden Row. Skipper Robert Grove elected to bat and Hatfield reached 107 thanks to 57 runs from the prolific Chris Reid. A batting collapse saw Hatfield tumble to 119-7 but Joe Hague aided by Alex Digby(22) recovered the situation with a 72 run 8^th wicket partnership that saw Hague hit his maiden 50 for Hatfield CC. Hatfield declared at 212-9 Hague making 58.
Gaddesden made slow progress in reply as opener Mead scored a patient 61 before being trapped lbw by Mark Collins. Lewis Wynne with 3-15 had the visitors needing ten runs an over. Then skipper Grove tried to entice Gaddesden’s batsmen into a run chase with slow bowlers and Bostock(53) and Woof(35) eagerly grasped the invitation with Woof hitting the winning runs of the penultimate ball for a 3 wicket win at 213-7.

Friday, Hatfield played Touring side Winterton. Hatfield's bowlers evenly shared the wickets as Winterton were bowled out for 137. Hatfield's innings was dominated by the 2nd wicket partnership of 81 runs between Sean Edge and Mick Debenham. Edge was dismissed for 52 his first fifty for the club to make the score 85-2, Debenham went on the same score for 29 runs. The rest of Hatfield's batsmen saw the team home to a four victory at 138-6

Hatfield collected their fifth win of the season at Wheathampstead on Saturday and consigned their near neighbours to Division Four next season. The home side shot themselves in foot by only putting nine players on the park and preparing a surface that varied from poor to treacherous. Richard Hazeldene won the toss and elected to field and it was evident that batting was no easy task on a wicket that didn't look a lot different from the outfield. Wheato's opening batsmen elected to go on the offensive and ride their luck which was a sound tactic on a unpredictable surface. Early dividends were paid with the ball Heath Bond 95

going to the boundary rather than to a fielders hand but it was only matter of time before a wicket fell with Sumit Sarahan bagging the first victim. Hatfield did themselves no favour with some poor fielding and a number of difficult chances going down. However it was the introduction of spin that changed the game with Darshan Desai and Richard Hazeldene proving to be unplayable at times. Hazeldene made inroads into the Wheato batting removing the top order whilst Desai wheeled away giving nothing away. The home side slumped to 130-6 and Hatfield were in the box seat although the runs conceded meant a difficult task was ahead for their batsmen. Hazeldene completed a fine spell to take 4-40 whilst a last wicket partnership of 22 saw Wheathampstead to 151 all out. It was at this point that it became clear that the home side had just 9 men playing as the last wicket fell with Wheato at 152.

Hatfield elected to take the bull by the horns in reply and Heath Bond in particular took charge. He went on the attack pretty much from ball one and took advantage of some wide spaces in the outfield. The introduction of a new ball made little difference as Bond and Barry Phillips put on 50 for the first wicket. Phillips rode his luck but some poor fielding meant that he and Bond were able to build the foundation for Hatfield's innings. Bond played some flashing cuts and drives and steamrollered the Wheato bowlers to all parts of the ground. Phillips was finally dismissed for 21 but Hatfield had passed the 100 mark and were well on the way to victory. Suki Grewal came and went for 14 and Bond was finally dismissed for a superb 95 just 5 runs short of a well deserved century. Hatfield reached the required runs in good time with just 4 wickets down and moved to mid table in the Division Three.

Hatfield 209-8 Ickleford 207-8

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI had another exciting encounter with Ickleford in the North Herts Sunday League and came out winners by one run to virtually guarantee themselves the runners-up position in the First Division. Hatfield were indebted to Chris Reid who smashed 83 runs to continue his vintage season whilst Ben Golder hit a fluent 30 in support. Hatfield scored 209 from their allotted overs.
Ickleford's innings was based around opening bat Millward who despite having an uneasy start against the pacy Sean Edge settled in for a big innings. He received little support as the home sides batsmen came and went. Lewis Wynne bowled a penetrative spell to take 2-30 from his 8 overs but it was Millwood who kept the runs ticking along with some clever batting. Suki Grewal was on fire in the field and made an important run out at a crucial time. Ickleford required 7 runs from the final over with Millwood still at the crease but he was run out going for a second run and Hatfield smelt success. Sean Edge again showing excellent nerve bowled the last ball with 3 runs required off the last ball. The batsmen missed the ball and Hatfield were home and dry by two runs

Hatfield 2ndXI 123 Old Chomeleians 2ndXI 124-3

Hatfield's batsmen put in poor batting performance at Ascots Lane on Saturday. Starting when Robert Grove was bowled for another low score with the total on 20 the rest of Hatfield's batsmen found a variety of different methods to hit the ball to fielders for catches that were gratefully taken. Thus when skipper Alan Jakes joined Gareth Wynne at the crease the total was 92-9. Some fine strokes from both batsmen took the total to 123 when Jakes was bowled for 23 runs Wynne not out on 16 runs.
Old Cholmeleians made a positive start but a couple of scares for the batsmen saw them change their approach to a cautious regard of some accurate bowling from Hatfield. In consequence they required 42 overs before they scored the winning runs having lost three wickets to the slow bowlers, Jakes two and Wynne one, for a seven wicket win.

Hatfield 3rdXI 114 Leverstock Green IV 115-3

Hatfield's 3rdXI had an equally bad day with the bat as wickets fell with regularity. Even a six from skipper Alan Dudman who top scored with 16 could not avert a batting disaster as Hatfield were all out for 114. The visitors made progress to the win as Hatfield's fielders dropped many catches. But two catches from Anand Krishnan helped Dan Ward take two of the three wicket that Leverstock Green lost as they won by 3 wickets.

Hatfield's topsy-turvy season in the Herts Division Seven took a disappointing twist when they were comprehensively beaten by Abbots Langley. Richard Hazeldene's men didn't show with the bat and succumbed to a 10 wicket mauling at the hands of a side gunning for promotion. Hatfield batted first on a dry track at Ascots Lane but Heath Bond was dismissed for just one on a sun-kissed Saturday. Chris Reid (14) and Barry Phillips (18) started to build a partnership before the former was adjudged LBW. Phillips followed shortly afterwards and the top order were suddenly in disarray as the home side slumped to 35-4. Hatfield's middle order offered little resistance to aussie quick bowler Chellew who ran through with great gusto to rip out the heart of the home side's batting. At 59-7, Hatfield were staring down the barrel of a putrid total but thankfully Keven Whitehead and Lewis Wynne took time to bring some sanity to a rather loose Hatfield batting display. The duo batted sensibly putting on a stand of 48 with Wynne playing some excellent shots against the Langley bowlers. Whitehead was dismissed for 27 with the score on 107 but Wynne held firm despite others around abandoning ship. Luke Waterman hit 12 not out coming in at number 10 but the determined Wynne was eventually dismissed for an adventurous 30. Hatfield eventually succumbed to 124 all out. Chellew ended up with figures of 7-26 and proved to be the real thorn in the Hatfield innings. Chellew opened the batting with Smith and took little time to demonstrate the quality of the wicket. The pair never looked in any real trouble and smashed the Hatfield bowlers from ball one. Hatfield's paltry total was never going to be enough and Chellew (74 n.o.) and Smith (42 n.o.) showed their were no demons in a excellent batting wicket. Abbots rattled off the runs required without losing a wicket.

Titanic 181-7 Hatfield 182-2

Hatfield's Sunday XI remain second in the North Herts Sunday League after a comfortable 8 wicket win over Titanic. Tony Jakes lost the toss but watched as his opening bowlers made early in roads into the Titanic innings. Lewis Wynne followed his Saturday batting exploits to gain success with the ball to claim 1-23 in a tidy opening spell. With a fast outfield, runs were always going to come and Titanic scrambled together a total of 181-7 with Sean Edge claiming 2-27 from his allotted overs. In reply, Hatfield got off to an excellent start with Chris Reid and Suki Grewal playing some fine shots. Reid, who is in rude batting health, hit the necessary 29 runs required to give him a thousand runs for the season. He and Grewal put on a fine opening stand before the later fell for 42. Andy Ashley-Smith joined Reid at the crease and took advantage of some loose change bowling. Reid was eventually dismissed for 66 put Ashley-Smith took the batting chalice to the alter and smashed 49 not out to see Hatfield home by 8 wickets with 5 overs to spare.

Hatfield 2ndXI 243-7 Kings Langley 2ndXI 142-9

Hatfield's 2nd XI failed to take the last wicket they needed against Kings Langley to give them the full 30 points despite dominating the match. Hatfield hit a substantial total against their Langley counterparts with John McCarthy (26), Andy Ashley-Smith (32), Kunal Shah (34) and Billy Bigley (67 not out) all contributing to a imposing total of 243-7. Kings Langley turned in a soporific batting display which saw them decide to bat for a draw from the opening over. Billy Bigley bowled with great pace to take 4-30 whilst skipper Alan Jakes claimed 3-20. At no time did the home side attempt to raise their batting tempo above first gear and ended the match on 142-9. Kings Langley are doomed to division eight next season and will be lucky to avoid consecutive relegation seasons.

Other Results:

Cockfosters IVth XI 195 (Paul Ward 3-66, Rory Golder 2-27)

Hatfield 3rd XI 166-8 (Paul Ward 43, Rory Golder 25 n.o.)

Hatfield turned in a disappointing performance against high-flying Redbourn in their Herts League Division Seven match and were comfortably defeated by 6 wickets. Hatfield were put into bat at Redbourn and put on 24 for the first wicket before Heath Bond was dismissed for 16. Chris Reid followed to a sharp catch by keeper Sandford and Barry Phillips collected his second duck in three games shortly after. Hatfield were struggling at 34-3 and whilst Darshan Desai's flashing blade produced a quick 18 runs the situation was not much improved at 52-4. Dave Hughes and Keven Whitehead did their best to redress the balance with a productive stand against some tidy Redbourn bowling. The duo put on 39 runs in Hatfield's best stand of the match before Hughes was run out. Whitehead knuckled down but couldn't really find a stable partner and Hatfield were never likely to score a large total. Wickets continued to tumble although skipper Richard Hazeldene blazed a quick 16 run cameo towards the end. Whitehead was left stranded on 33 nout out as Hatfield capitulated to 138 all out. Redbourn's batsmen were quick out of the blocks sensing that victory was there to be had on what was a reasonable track. Runs flowed although Ian Golder was his usual accurate self. The opening pair put on 52 runs without much trouble before Golder initially struck and it was Hatfield's veteran left armer who collected his second victim with only two more runs added. Hatfield smelt an outside chance of success but Golder received no real support at the other end and Sandford and Root were able to play their shots against some average bowling. Sandford hit 38 before he fell to the persevering Golder but at 113-3 the game was virtually won. Root fell to the same bowler for 35 with Redbourn on 127-4 but the winning runs were scored a couple of overs later to seal a six wicket win for the home side. Ian Golder returned 4-52 and deserved better support from his fellow bowlers.

Hatfield 2ndXI 223-5 Redbourn 200-8

Hatfield's 2nd XI were involved in a high scoring match against their Redbourn counterparts at Ascots Lane. Hatfield amassed 223-5 from their 53 overs with 16 year old Kunal Shah hitting a sparkling 74 not out. The youngster thrilled those watching at Hatfield's home of cricket as Alan Jakes' men posted one of their largest totals of the season. Ben Golder played a sensible knock to score a fine 57 whilst Andy Foster flayed 41 runs in typically flamboyant fashion. Opening bowlers Paul Ward and Lewis Wynne both claimed an early scalp to have Redbourn at 33-2 after 10 overs. Astonishingly, Redbourn appeared to drop anchor at this point and look for nothing more positive than a draw. Skipper Jakes had to open up the game with his slow bowlers and fed the Redbourn team some runs. Andy Foster wheeled away at the middle order and took wickets at regular intervals as batting bonus points seemed to be the height of Redbourn's ambition. Foster finished with 5-46 as Hatfield managed to eek out 8 batsmen but Redbourn ended on 200-8 and hounours even.

Monken Hadley 2ndXI 123-9 Hatfield 3rdXI 127-8

Hatfield's 3rd XI defeated Monken Hadley to claim an important 2 wicket win in their Herts Division 12 clash. Justin Evans (3-10), Matt Saxby (2-13) and Tony Foster (2-18) all profited on an unpredictable track at King George Vth playing fields. Hadley being bowled out for 123. In reply Graham Causton dug deep to score a determined 33 whilst Alex Digby returned to form at an important time to hit 31. With some late wickets tumbling it was left to all-rounder Evans to score the winning runs as Hatfield ended on 127-8 and a full 30 points.

Hatfield 238-6 Letchworth 120

2^nd placed Hatfield visited 3^rd place Letchworth for a crucial North Herts Sunday league match.

Batting first Hatfield’s regular young Sunday openers Suki Grewal and Chris Reid got Hatfield off to another good start putting on 80 runs in good time before Grewal was caught for 45 runs. This brought seventeen year old Ben Golder to the wicket to continue the onslaught on Letchworth’s bowlers. Reid was caught for 38 when the score reached 107 but veteran Keven Whitehead gave Golder support as he took the score to 162 before he was out for 59 runs. Alex Digby being stumped for a duck did not affect the Hatfield run charge as all rounder Ian Golder came to the wicket and hit a swift 36 runs. Hatfield finished with 236 for 6 from their 40 overs despite Whitehead who finished with 28 not out completing his second run out of the weekend this time Kunal Shah was the unlucky batsman.

Hatfield skipper Tony Jakes totally bewildered Letch worth’s batsmen by opening up with slow bowlers. Letchworth batsmen were unable to force the pace and Jakes picked up 2-15 from 8 overs while Graham Causton took 3-20 from the other end. Letchworth’s innings in disarray Jakes continued the slow torture of Letchworth’s batting as Letchworth crawled to 100-7 with Joe Hague taking 2-20 from seven overs. Jakes then introduced the medium pace of Ian Golder who took the final three wickets in just three overs for figures of 3-8 leaving Letchworth all out for just 120 a 128 run win for Hatfield.

Hatfield collected their fourth win of the season in the Herts Division Seven with an eight wicket decimation of Waltham X Rosedale. Richard Hazeldene won an important toss and elected to field on a wicket which was still drying from Fridays onslaught of rain. Rosedale lost an early wicket to a fine caught and bowled from Billy Bigley who was operating at a searing pace. Ian Golder continued his fine form as Hatfield strangled the run rate early on with only 18 runs coming from the first 10 overs. Some desparate shots were played by the Waltham top order to try to keep the scoreboard ticking over but timing was difficult and control lacking. Hatfield claimed two further quick wickets as Rosedale reached 40-3 with the bowling side firmly in the ascendency. Sumit Saharan joined the attack and made an immediate breakthrough with Keven Whitehead taking a sharp chance behind. Golder completed a miserly 16 over spell which saw him never giving anything away whilst wickets tumbled at the other end. Skipper Richard Hazeldene entered the fray with his left arm spin and extracted immediate turn. Waltham Cross struggled to 85-7 as Hazeldene claimed two important wickets as Hatfield began to turn the screws. Billy Bigley returned for another 6 over blast as Hatfield had their opponents now on the ropes at 90-9. A last wicket stand of 16 runs showed that batting was not as hard as a proposition as the top order had made it seem. Hazeldene bowled the last batsmen to finish with 3-28. Billy Bigley with 4-23 was Hatfields most successful bowler and was unlikely to not finish with a 'fiver-fer'.

In reply Hatfield motored to 31 before losing Heath Bond but Chris Reid and Barry Phillips looked comfortable against some erratic spin bowling from Waltham Cross. Reid, who is in a rich vein of form, dominated the bowling and played some classic shots particularly whenever the bowlers pitched short. He scored 37 classy runs before being dismissed but Hatfield were well on the way to victory with Phillips taking on the mantle of run scorer. He rattled up 45 runs in good time as Hatfield never looked in any trouble in their run chase. Suki Grewal joined Phillips at the crease and victory was achiveved by 8 wickets in just 28 overs.

Hatfield's match against league leaders Letchworth in the Herts Division Three had to be abandoned when heavy rain brought the match to an early end. Hatfield had got off to a poor start when Barry Phillips was dismissed for a duck off the second ball of the match. Chris Reid and Keven Whitehead had to knuckle down against some decent bowling on a wicket that was two-paced. The pair put on 66 for the second wicket with the in-form Reid once again leading the way. Whitehead was caught with the total on 66 and Reid (46) fell without Hatfield adding a further run. Andy Ashley-Smith was also caught shortly after and Hatfield were wobbling at 68-4. Suki Grewal hit some sparkling shots against the slow bowlers but off-spinner Marsh was slowly chipping away at the middle order. Grewal fell for 25 as Hatfield slumped to 111-7 but Billy Bigley took the opportunity to show his batting prowess by smashing 32 runs very quickly. His innings proved to be vital as Hatfield were eventually bowled out for 151. Marsh finishing with 5-45. With the clouds gathering and rain predicted Letchworth needed to be positive but instead found themselves pegged back by another excellent spell from Ian Golder. He made the first breakthrough and hooped the ball to cause the batsmen some concern. Billy Bigley followed his battings antics with some quick bowling that tested the Letchworth top order in darkening conditions. At 45-3, Hatfield were on top and looking as though they could be the side to sneak a win provided the weather held. Letchworth sensed that the only way to win the game would be to put bat to ball with some vigour as the rain started. Hatfield claimed another wicket at 97-4 with Golder once again striking. Conditions worsened and the rain came making cricket impossible to play safely. The home side closed on 122-4. Golder finished with 3-60 and almost performed a pirouette with his final ball on a sodden crease.

Hatfield 135 Houghton Town 136-7

Hatfield visited North Herts league leaders Houghton Town on Sunday. On a difficult wicket all Hatfield’s batsmen struggled to score runs and it took a last wicket partnership of 27 runs between Gareth Wynne (10) and Joe Bigley (15) to take Hatfield to 135. Wynne being bowled off the final delivery of the 40 overs. In reply Hatfield had a great start as opening bowlers Bill Bigley and Sean Edge saw the home side at 13-3 as Bigley took 2 wickets and Edge one. The home side recovered to 72-3 but skipper Tony Jakes then took 3 wickets and a run out left the game in balance at 113-7. Houghton’s Aktar Naveed then saw his side home to victory with 55 not out as the finished on 136-7 after 28 overs.

Hatfield 2ndXI 201 Hexton I 149-2

Hatfield's 2nd XI middle and late order batsmen came to the sides rescue recovering from 65-4 as Robert Grove scored 27 in a barrage of short bowling. First Kunal Shah with 35 supported by Mark Stephenson with 33 saw Hatfield to 158-7 them Tony Jakes with 19 and Alan Jakes with 17 got Hatfield to 201.
Hexton lost two early wickets but the constant five minute showers made bowling a slippery ball increasingly difficult. Eventually the rain became too heavy and with the wicket disappearing under water the match was abandoned as a draw with Hexton on 149-2.

Other Results:

Hatfield 3rd XI 126-8 (Luke Waterman 31)

Flamstead 2nd XI 130-7 (Justin Evans 3-26)

Cricket Week
Tuesday Alan Jakes is 2009 Champion golfer, Hatfield win T20 match against M.Ford XI

Wednesday Barry Phillips 78 not out & Andy Ashley-Smith 62 not out stop Steve Gale batting in 248-4 after 40 overs.
Pirton's Laskowski left on 91 not out when rain ends match with 88 runs required from five overs with 4 wickets in hand

Hatfield had to make do with 17 points from their drawn match against Stevenage 2nd XI despite dominating the game throughout. After over night rain at Ascots Lane, the conditions heavily favoured the side fielding first and Stevenage skipper Barrett Ganji was quick to insert Hatfield into bat. His opening bowlers however found their radars somewhat awry and Hatfield were able to get off to a flier. Heath Bond and Chris Reid took full advantage and runs were gathered at a feverish pace. The dynamic duo put on 96 for the first wicket at around 9 runs an over! Reid was the first wicket to fall however being caught for a fluent 44 and he was shortly followed by Suki Grewal for a duck. Bond continued to plunder the attack and received good support from Darshan Desai. The pair put on 63 runs before the later was dismissed for 36. It was the introduction of spin bowlers Ganji and Whitworth that saw Stevenage regain a semblance of control as Bond was bowled for a fine 81. Ganji claimed an excellent caught and bowled to remove Dave Hughes and Hatfield stuttered at 168-4. Having had such a buoyant start the run rate was never going to be a problem as Hatfield's later order battled against the turning ball. Keven Whitehead hit 24 as Hatfield picked up full batting points and looked to post a large score. Gangj finished with 4-32 and young Whitworth 4-39 as Hatfield's tail failed to really wag. The home side were eventually bowled out for 223; a good score on a difficult wicket.

Stevenage's opening batsmen played conspicuously against Hatfield's all spin attack of Darshan Desai and Richard Hazeldene. As the opening overs ticket by it was clear that Stevenage had decided the best result to hope for was a draw despite having 52 overs to chase the score. Hatfield failed to make a breakthrough with spin so skipper Hazeldene elected to us the new ball which paid immediate dividends. Sumit Saharan broke the first wicket partnership however it was veteran seamer Ian Golder who showed the way by taking three quick wickets to have Stevenage reeling at 59-4. Achieving some considerable swing, Golder took two wickets in two balls and was close to a hat-trick with the third. Hatfield were now very much on top as Stevenage were in disarray at 68-6. Golder having taken 4 of the wickets to fall. Salvation for Stevenage was found in the young hands of wicketkeeper Hayward however who showed some of his senior colleagues how to play on a drying wicket. With Carter (32), Hayward dug his side out of trouble and ensured bonus batting points were possible. Richard Hazeldene swopped his bowlers around but the score had reached 139 before Hatfield next broke through with the returning Golder claiming an LBW. The overs began to run out for Hatfield and Hayward remained undaunted to record 62 n.o. and see his side safely to a draw. Stevenage eventually ending on 186-7. Golder ending with fine figues of 5-21. Despite amassing 17 points, a draw was a disappointing result considering the home sides dominance.

Offley & Stopsley 185 Hatfield 186-3

Hatfields Sunday 1st XI continued their march up the North Herts Sunday league with a comfortable 7 wicket win over Offley & Stopsley. 3rd placed Offley made a good start putting on 74 for the first wicket before Hatfield switched tactics to slow bowling. Gareth Wynne (2-27) and Mark Collins (1-24) removed the first 3 batsmen to make it 106-3. Offley recovered to 145 when Tony Foster picked up a wicket & Beau Suffern snagged another to make it 151-5. Offley then hit back but were brought to a halt by the late introduction of skipper Tony Jakes who took 3-9 from 3.5 overs and with two run outs saw Offley all out for 185 from 38.5 overs. Hatfield's opener's Grewal and Reid put on a solid opening partnership of 51 before Suki Grewal was caught for 35. Chris Reid then accelerated the run rate showing what excellent form he is and dominated the bowling. Reid powering his way to an undefeated 113 as Hatfield scored the winning runs in 34.5 overs to finish victors on 186-3. Hatfield are now second in the table.

Hatfield 2ndXI 171-9 Watford II 186-7

Hatfields 2nd XI were comprehensively beaten by their Watford counterparts in Division Seven. Hatfield made 171-9 from 53 overs with Andy Foster hitting 32 n.o. and Ben Golder 30. League leaders Watford took full advantage of any loose deliveries and were in no mood to mess around and smashed their way to 172-2 and 30 points.

Other Result

Hatfield 3rd XI 213-3 (Anand Krishnan 85 n.o., Dan Hardy 58 n.o.)

St Margretsbury 178-7 (Joe Bigley 3-16)

Hatfield slipped to a 5 wicket defeat at the hands of lowly Eversholt on Saturday in their Herts League Division Seven match. Put into bat, opening batsmen Heath Bond and Chris Reid had to deal with a difficult damp surface with the ball keeping low. Both rode their luck but held their wicket intact to ensure Hatfield got off to a solid start. The pair applied themselves well and put on 64 before Bond was dismissed for 38. Reid continued his excellent form with Barry Phillips joining him at the crease. A fine second wicket stand evolved with the change bowlers not being nearly as effective as the openers. Both batsmen played handsome shots on one of the most picturesque grounds in the league as Hatfield built towards a large score. Reid was eventually run out for 60 as Hatfield reached 128-2. Darshan Desai plundered a quickfire 29 to maintain a healthy scoring rate and see Hatfield to 172-3. Barry Phillips went onto make 49 before being dismissed as skipper Richard Hazeldene declared on 206-5 from 51 overs. Eversholt, who are struggling towards the bottom of the Division, had to go for the win and made their intentions plain early on. Hatfield opened with spin but opening bat Litchfield took the bull by the horns and hit some big shots early on. Eversholt's score raced along to 50 without loss and Hazeldene decided to revert to the seam bowlers. Ian Golder was into his swing straight away and it was he that broke the opening partnership with the new ball. 15 year old Sean Edge, making his first team debut in the League, was brought onto bowl and made a real impression. It was he that took the second wicket and dismissed the dangerous Litchfield for 43. Eversholt were now 90-2 but were still batting with intent and chasing the win. Their middle order really came to the party and ensured the runs continued to flow with Andy Litchfield - brother of the opening bat - playing some fine shots. Golder continued to bowl accurately and claim 3-58 from a long 20 over spell however he received little support and Eversholt edged towards victory. Litchfield smashed 67 n.o. as the home side reached the required runs with 10 balls remaining finishing on 208-5.

Hatfield 2ndXI 133 Southgate Adelaide II 134-5

Hatfield's 2nd XI put in a disappointing batting performance against their Southgate Adelaide counterparts. After a slow start on a damp wicket, Hatfield were looking like posting a formidable total having reached 112-4 with 20 overs batting available with Kunal Shah who top scored with 31and Seelantha Kangaha going well. Then came a remarkable collapse as Hatfield were dismissed for just 133. In reply, Adelaide always held the upper hand and knocked off the runs required for the loss of 5 wickets.

Hatfield 3rdXI 158 Met Police Bushey III 91

Hatfield's 3rd XI fared better at against Met Police III as they won by 67 runs due mainly to a superb all round effort for 16 year old Luke Waterman. Hatfield hit 156 with Waterman contributing 41 and Clive 'Sergeant' Wilson 47. The Met Police never really got going and Waterman bowled a fantastic spell to take 5-24 and see Hatfield to success. Met Police being dismissed for 91.

Hatfield Route 66 XI 227-9 Hatfield 39ers XI III 205

Sunday saw an inter-club fixture take place celebrating the birthdays of a number of Hatfield players. Tony Foster and Norman Reid were both 70 years old this year and they put together a '39ers' XI to play against Andy Ashley-Smith 'Route 66' team. The game proved to a remarkable milestone for Suki Grewal who hit his first ever hundred for the club. His innings of 103 was the backbone of the 'Route 66' score with John McCarthy (34) and Darshan Desai (39) also making healthy contributions as Andy Ashley-Smith's team reached 227-9 from their 40 overs. In reply, Chris Reid and father Norman Reid put on 104 for the first wicket to see the '39ers' to a great start.
Chris Reid went onto score 102 before being caught by Alan Jakes and the innings sadly went awry from then. Darshan Desai weaved a magic spell to take 5-13 in 5 overs whilst Andy Ashley-Smith took 3-23; amoungst his victims was Herts starlet Steve Gale plumb LBW for just 7. The '39ers' were eventually bowled out for just 205. 'Route 66' gaining a 22 run success.

Hatfield secured their third win in the Herts Division Three with a comfortable 55 run win over Sawbridgeworth 2nd XI. This was despite the worst possible start in which both Heath Bond and Darshan Desai were dismissed in the very first over of the game without a single run on the board! Hatfield were 0-2 after the first four deliveries of the game and in desparate trouble particularly as these two players had been in such good touch with the bat. Chris Reid and Keven Whithead had to play cautiously to get the home side out of trouble and batted sensibly for the next 12 overs. The pair put on a good stand of 50 before Reid was dismissed for 28. Dave Hughes joined Whitehead at the crease as Hatfield fought their way back into the match. Whitehead had played with some assurance to get to 47 before he was unluckily dismissed off a full toss. Hughes played a gritty innings of 30 before being bowled but Hatfield were not in a position to post a score that was defendable. Ian Golder hit some meaty boundaries in his 28 however Steve Brame and Sumit Saharan were dismissed in consecutive deliveries to leave Hatfield wobbling at 148-8. Tailenders Billy Bigley (15 n.o.) and Richard Hazeldene supported Golder as Hatfield managed to get to 173-9 off of their 53 overs. The score was some achievement after the disasterous first over!
Sawbo's opening batsmen faced an all spin attack to start with skipper Hazeldene and Desai starting the bowling. A breakthrough was not made however and it was the introduction of Sumit Sarahan that got Hatfield going. He took the first wicket and Ian Golder followed up shortly afterwards with a second, thanks to a smart catch in the gully by Andy Ashley-Smith. Sawbridgeworth plainly had a plan to settle for a draw fairly early on as their batsmen struggled against the Hatfield seamers. Billy Bigley was introduced into the attack and snapped up two wickets as he took advantage of the wind at his back. Sawbo reached 65-4 as the clouds started to gather and impending rain. Hazeldene brought himself back into the attack and slowly began to chip away at the Sawbridgeworth later order. He claimed 3 wickets in a tidy spell and Hatfield were now well on top as the rain started to fall. Sawbo passed the century mark with 8 wickets down when Desai was brought back into the attack with the ball difficult to grip. The left armer then produced two excellent balls to take the last two wickets and seal an excellent win for Hatfield. With the rain now steadily falling it was a timely success with a few overs remaining. Hazeldene was the pick of the bowling claiming 4-28 whilst Bigley took 2-31.

Hatfield 209-9 Holwell II 208-6

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI had an amazing 1 run win over Holwell in the North Herts Sunday League. With one ball remaining in the match Holwell needed a single to tie the game or two to win it. Young Sean Edge remained calm 'at the death' and beat the batsmen who attempted to scramble a single only for keeper Keven Whitehead to get to the stumps first and claim a run out. Hatfield had earlier posted a total of 209-9 with Steve Gale hitting a classy 59, Andy Ashley-Smith (42) and young Kunil Shah a brutal 56 not out. It was Shah's first half century of the season and he guided to lower order to a sizeable score. Howell's innings was once again dominated by the prolific Adam Parkin who hit 109 and appeared to have put his team in a winning position. However once he was dismissed by Shah, Hatfield realised they had an outside chance of winning the game. This proved to be the case as the overs ran out and the run rate slowed. Sean Edge bowled two batsmen towards the end and with 9 runs required off the last over an exciting finish ensued. Edge kept his nerve and Hatfield scrapped home off the very last ball and a win of the tightest margins.

Hatfield 2ndXI 135 Eversholt II 120

Hatfield's 2nd XI secured a good 15 run win over their Eversholt counterparts in the Herts League Division Seven. Batting on something of a minefield, Hatfield were indebted to Ben Golders 33 whilst his uncle Mark played well for 25. No other batsmen really contributed on 'difficult' wicket. Alan Jakes led the way with the bowling to take 3-26 early on to give Hatfield a chance whilst veteran Mark Golder bowled accurately to claim 3-14. It was Gareth Wynne however who mopped up the the tail to see Hatfield to success by taking 4-37.

Other Result:

Hatfield 3rd XI 141 (Clive Wilson 33, John Edge 23)
Preson 3rd XI 144-3

Sunday 2ndXI 188
Players & Jesters 191-3

It proved to be another run fest at Ascots Lane last weekend as Hatfield notched up a win and a high scoring draw in the two fixtures at home base. On Saturday, Hatfield elected to bat against St Albans 2nd XI and took the opportunity to rid themselves of last weeks disappointing batting performance against County Hall. From ball one Hatfield asserted themselves on the St Albans team with Heath Bond once again leading the way. He and Chris Reid were in top form on a wicket that was made for runs. The pair quickly put on 50 and played some glorious shots in the wilting heat. The duo passed the century partnership with a minimum of fuss with Bond the first to pass his half century. St Albans varied their attack to no avail as Hatfield's opening batsmen were as merciless against the slower bowlers as they were the quicker ones. Reid reached his own half century in good time and was on 62 when he was finally dismissed with Hatfield on 163-1 and a huge total likely. Darshan Desai is never one to stand by on ceremony and continued the assault on the St Albans bowlers. Bond reached a glorious century with another powerful drive and Hatfield's score raced along. Desai smashed a quick fire 50 before being run out with the score on 247-2 as Hatfield claimed the full batting points. Stand-in skipper Ian Golder decided that 261-2 was going to be enough and declared the innings early giving Hatfield extra overs to bowl out the opposition.

St Albans took an instant liking to the Ascots Lane track as Golder elected to open with Hatfield's slower bowlers. Hatfield were going to have to work hard for their wickets with Beau Suffern & Darshan Desai finding little turn available to them. It was the introduction of Sumit Saharan, perhaps Hatfield's most consistent performer so far this summer, who took the first wicket. He stuck with the total on 74 and bowled a tidy spell to keep the run rate in check. Skipper Golder brought himself into the attack and bowled a good line to take the second wicket with the score on 103-2. At this point, St Albans were someway behind the run rate despite appearing to be in little trouble. Curtis batted well for his 67 before being dismissed on 146-3 as it seemed St Albans were settling for a draw and the 200 to hit full batting points. As they reached 202-4 this had been achieved however the later order decided it was time to made a charge at the Hatfield score and threw caution to the wind. This proved almost fatal as Andy Foster collected 2-31 and Golder 3-31 and suddenly Hatfield found themselves in a position to win the game. St Albans slumped to 223-8 as the overs began to run out. Desai claimed 2-39 with McKinley finally falling for 53. With one over to go St Albans were hanging on at 231-9 and managed to see out the final six balls and get the draw. The third time this season Hatfield have had a team with 9 wickets down and unable to seal a win. Hatfield still collected 19 points from the draw.

Hatfield 248-2 Crawley Green Nomads 242-7

Hatfields Sunday 1st XI picked up an important 6 run win over Crawley Green Nomads to make up for a humiliating defeat earlier in the season. Hatfields batsmen led from the front with Chris Reid 114

Suki Grewal (30) playing well in support of the unflappable Chris Reid. The later picked up from where he left off on Saturday with some excellent batting against the swing bowling of Crawley Green. He had good support from Keven Whitehead as Hatfield marched on to another huge total at Ascots Lane. Reid capped a fine performance by notching his first ever century for Hatfield and was finally run out for a superb 114. Whitehead hit a belligerent 84 n.o. as the duo hit a fantastic 180 runs partnership to set up a match winning total. Hatfield closed on 248-2 from their 40 overs.
In reply Crawley Green made a noble attempt to chase the runs required but it was always going to be a tough ask. Billy Bigley (2-50) bowled well to take early wickets and Tony Jakes made an important contribution with 2-31. Crawley Green needed 14 runs off the last over but could only manage 8 against young Sean Edge. Hatfield securing a 6 run success.

Hatfield 2ndXI 160 Harpenden IV 136

Hatfields 2nd XI posted a fine 24 runs success against Harpenden IVths with Mark Golder (40) and Suki Grewal (38) being the main contributors in their total of 160. The home side struggled against the metronomic Alan Jakes (2-14) and were never really able to establish a significant partnership. It was Sam Kangaha who finished off the innings taking 3-12 in just 8 balls as Hatfield claimed a vital 30 points.

Other Result:

Hemel Hempstead Vths 192 (Sean Edge 4-40, Graham Causton 3-33)
Hatfield 3rd XI 193-2 (Luke Waterman 43 n.o., Ben Golder 49)

Hatfield turned in their worst performance of the season in a 10 wicket mauling at the hands of County Hall on Saturday in their Herts League Division Three match. On a warm afternoon at Ascorts Lane, Hatfield were put into bat and got off to a good start despite the loss of Keven Whitehead early on. Chris Reid and Heath Bond hit a flurry of boundaries against the County Hall opening bowlers and a large score looked likely. Reid was dismissed with the score on 61-2 but Darshan Desai (24) picked up the mantle as the run rate rattled along. Bond passed his half century with another cracking boundary but his dismissal for 65 was the turning point of the match. Having reached 108-2, Hatfield pressed the panic button and a collapse of major proportion took place with wickets tumbling in all directions. Opening bowler Hibbert who had toiled away in the searing heat, proved to be the beneficiary and claimed 5 wickets as Richard Hazeledene's men stumbled to 124 all out. The last eight wickets falling for just 16 runs. In reply, County Hall new they had 60 overs to get the runs regarded and took their time early to give themselves a solid start. As the clouds began to gather however and an imminent storm approached, Hale (55 n.o.) and Bartlett (71 n.o.) decided to attack the change bowlers. Runs flowed freely and Hatfield couldnt come up with an answer. County Hall reaching the required runs without losing a single wicket.

Ickleford 197-9 Hatfield 200-6

Hatfields Sunday 1st XI put in a far better show against Ickleford in their North Herts League match to win by 4 wickets. Ickleford had hit a total of 197-9 from their allotted 40 overs with youngsters Billy Bigley (2-17) and Sean Edge (2-17) being the pick of the bowling. Skipper Tony Jakes took 2-25 in a challenging total. Hatfields innings was based on an excellent opening stand between Suki Grewal (42) and Chris Reid (58) who played some superb shots in their 81 run partnership. Andy Ashley-Smith chipped in with 20 but the momentum to win the match was carried by Billy Bigley (41 n.o.) and Amit Shah (20 n.o.) whose 7th wicket stand was full of bludgeoning shots and intelligent cricket. Hatfield reached the score required with just less than 3 overs to go.

Cheshunt 1stXI 206-8 Hatfield 2nd XI 72

Hatfields 2nd XI were comprehensively beaten against Cheshunt in their Division Seven fixture. The home side rattled up 206-8 from their overs with Andy Foster taking 3-59 and Alan Jakes 3-32. Hatfield never got going in any shape or form and were bowled out for just 72.

Hatfield 3rdXI 219-8 Old Owens II 153

Hatfields 3rd XI picked a fine win over their Old Owens counterparts. Clive Wilson was the star of the show hitting 82 runs in Hatfield's score of 219-8 with Ben Golder contributing with 41. Old Owens were bowled out for 153 with Alan Dudman taking 3-24.

Hatfield collected their second win of the season against lowly Clifton with the game going to the very last over. Darshan Desai trapped the final batsman LBW with just 3 balls to go as Hatfield secured an important 35 run success. Hatfield had been put into bat on a slow damp track at Clifton and found run scoring a difficult proposition with three wickets Keven Whitehead 65

falling early on leaving them 32-3. Heath Bond (20) was the only top order batsman to hit double figures. A fourth wicket pairing of Keven Whitehead and Chris Reid proved to be Hatfield's saviour as the duo dug deep to put Hatfield back in the game. Taking advantage of some loose bowling, Reid in particular, prospered and Hatfield reached 100 without further loss. Reid completed his first half century of the season in fine style but was unfortunately stumped shortly afterwards for 52. Whitehead continued to play his shots and keep the score ticking over but wickets started to tumble. He remained at the crease until the final overs before being bowled for a vigilant 65. Hatfields later order didnt really come to the party but Richard Hazeldene's men still reached 189 all out. Brooks taking 4-45 for the home side.

Clifton struggled against Hatfield's opening bowlers Steve Brame and Sumit Saharan both using the conditions to their advantage. Saharan struck twice early on to have the home side wobbling at 12-2. Hatfield's bowlers remained on top as Clifton found batting a difficult proposition and it was clear that the home side were never going to get near the Hatfield score. Runs were drying up and skipper Hazeldene brought on Tony Jakes to tempt the batsmen into playing some scoring shots. This proved worthwhile as the opposition skipper holed to leave Clifton on 80-5. Clifton's later order showed that perhaps there were more adept with the bat than those who went into bat before them and started to play a few bold shots. However, Hatfield chipped away as the overs ran out and with one over left had Clifton on 154-9. Spinner Desai came to the fore to get the final batsman out and ensure Hatfield claimed the full 30 points. Steve Brame ended with 3-27 and Saharan 2-27.

Titanic 62 Hatfield 65-0

Sunday saw Hatfield travel to North Enfield to take on Titanic in the North Herts Sunday cricket league.

Titanic elected to bat and soon ran into stormy waters after struggling to score runs against opening bowlers Bill Bigley and Alan Jakes. Sean Edge was the first bowler do do damage to Titanic's batting taking 2-12 from 4 overs, then Alex Digby took 2-12 from 3 overs. Skipper Tony Jakes then introduced young Joe Bigley who sank Titanic's batting taking 4 wickets for just 1 run in 4 overs. Chintan Naik came on to bowl and needed just three balls to take the final two wickets to leave Titanic all out for just 62.

Openers Sukhi Grewal and Chris Reid were in no mood to waste time in chasing this target taking just 10 overs to score the winning runs, Reid 33 not out & Grewal 29 not out for a ten wicket win.

Hatfield 2nd XI 242-9 Old Cholmeleians 233-9

Hatfield's 2nd XI were denied a win as they batted first on another cricking batting track at Ascots Lane but still collected 19 points themselves. Hatfield made a storming start as openers Robert Grove and John McCarthy smashed the ball to the boundary. Grove made the first mistake and was bowled for 20 out of the 30 runs on the board. This brought Seelantha Kangaha to the wicket and he kept up the onslaught on the visitors batting as Hatfield passed the 100 mark in the 18th over. McCarthy was bowled for 35 with the score on 122 and Kangaha was caught for 71 with the score on 150. The visitors then enjoyed some success with the ball as Hatfield stumbled to 184-7 but Mark Stephenson supported by Mick Debenham(13) stopped the fall of wickets, Stephenson finishing 41 not out as Hatfield set a total of 242-9.
Old Cholmeleian's batsmen equally enjoyed the wicket putting on 80 runs for the opening wicket and with 20 overs remaining they had reached 142-2. Mark Golder (4--66) supported by slow bowlers Mark Stephenson (2-36) and Andy Foster (3-45) applied pressure to the visitors batsmen and with the fielders taking good catches Hatfield wrestled the advantage away from Old Cholmeleians but the ninth wick fell of the 2nd last ball to Mark Golder and the number 11 blocked out a yorker to leave the match a draw 19 points to both sides.

Hatfield 3rd XI 152 (Graham Causton 71, Luke Waterman 46)
Stevenage 4th XI 156-8 (Graham Causton 3-35, Tony Foster 2-17)

Hatfield's groundstaff unearthed something of a batting paradise over the weekend when they conjured up a track that yielded more than a 1000 runs, over the weekend. Hatfield were involved in amazing game against Chipperfield Clarendon that ended in a draw, with both teams having hit 285 runs! In their Herts Division Three fixture, Hatfield decided to bat first on a wicket that has not been used in over a year. Heath Bond and Barry Phillips took immediate advantage of the ball coming onto the bat and giving very little assitance to the Chipperfield bowlers. Bond was particularly severe on anything wayward and played some handsome shots on a balmy afternoon at Ascots Lane. The pair looked in total control and dominated from the beginning with Phillips supporting the aggressive Bond. The later made a fine 83 runs before getting out with the score on 136! Such was the dominance of bat over ball, Clarendon gave opportunity to a number of their team to bowl but without any success. Darshan Desai took up the mantle on Bond's dismissal and quickly found the track to his liking. He and Phillips were remorseless and the 200 came up in just 40 overs. Phillips, as ever, looked in total control but left most of the shot-making to the effervesent Desai who looked a class act. Desai by-passed his partner to hit an amazing 100 not out with Phillips playing the anchor on 91 n.o. Hatfield declared on a mammoth 285-1 from 50 overs! With 50 overs now in their pocket, Hatfield had an opportunity to bowl Chipperfield however the wicket would hold sway come what may. Chipperfield's openers struck whilst the iron was hot and immediate got on with the task in chasing a huge total. Runs flowed aplenty with Darshan Desai suffering the most as little turn was found for the spinner. The opening Chipperfield pair put on 112 before Sumit Saharan made a breakthrough with his medium pace. Richard Hazeldene's bowlers pretty much suffered the same fate as the Chipperfield bowling attack as bat domitnated ball. At 158-4, Hatfield smelt a chance of victory with Saharan proving to be the best option in taking 3 wickets. However Moore (50) and Grant (57) were taking full advantage and the match was wide open. McNichol (72) looked like a potential match-winner for Chipperfield as he peppered the boundaries but the returning Ian Golder took his wicket to keep the game in the balance. Saharan ended with 4-74 from a fine spell but the game went to the final over and Ian Golder once again made an important breakthrough. With one ball remaining, Chipperfield needed two runs to win with one wicket left. The final pair scampered a single but that made the scores level and not a tie as Chipperfield were not dismissed. This meant Hatfield collected 19 points and Chipperfield 11.

Letchworth 280-8 Hatfield 245-8

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI were beaten by Letchworth in another high scoring game at Ascots Lane in their North Herts Sunday League fixture. Letchworth's batsmen made full use of the previous days wicket and rattled up 280 from just 40 overs! Hatfield made a brave attempt to make the runs with Chris Reid (54), Keven Whitehead (52) and Suki Grewal (49) all contributing however it was always going to be a tough ask and Hatfield ended on 245-8.

Hatfield 2nd XI 206-7 Northwood Town 184-9

Hatfields 2nd XI were denied a win at Northwood Town but still collected 19 points themselves. Batting first on a wet wicket they were indebted to Chris Reid (35) and John McCarthy (33) to give them a solid start. A minor collapse saw Alan Jake's men struggle however Tony Jakes with a furious 24 and Mick Debenham a more circumspect 30 not out saw them to full batting points and 206-7. Northwood started brightly in reply but were always up against it. Andy Foster (3-41), Mark Golder (3-37) and Tony Jakes (2-24) all claimed wickets in the home sides chase for points however Hatfield couldnt force a win with the last pair at the crease. Northwood ending on 184-9.

Other Result:

Hatfield 3rd XI 113 (Percival 28)

Luton IVths 111 (Seelantha Kangaha 3-9)

Hatfield's 2nd XI match with St Albans 3rd XI proved to be a soporific encounter with the game meandering to a draw. On a wet track, Hatfield got off to a decent start with Rob Grove (28) hitting some early boundaries. The runs dried up however, as did the wicket and the innings stumbled somewhat. Andy Foster took advantage of some rather uninspired change bowling and hit a well deserved 50 runs to see Hatfield to a commendable total. Mark Stephenson (24) proved to be a perfect ally as the pair put on an excellent stand. In a rain restricted innings, Hatfield ended on 170-8 from 49 overs. Foster top scoring with 50. In reply, St Albans lost a wicket in the first over to Justin Evans and were struggling at 8-2 when Evans took a fine caught and bowled. It was at this point that St Albans decided to go for a draw! Evans bowled 8 overs for just 3 runs whilst Mark Stephenson barely co Bruce Percival 58

nceded at the other end. Alan Jakes brought on Gareth Wynne who returned excellent figures of 2-7 but Hatfield were unable to take the important wicket of Ferguson who was dropped twice in the slips. Hatfield skipper Jakes, brought himself on and took to late wickets however the overs ran out and St Albans ended on 93-6 from 43 overs. Ferguson batting the whole 43 overs to score 34 n.o.

Hatfield picked up 20 points from their drawn match with Rickmansworth in their Herts Divsion Three clash but skipper Richard Hazeldene will be disappointed not to have secured the full 30 with a win. Hatfield ended 5 runs short of the Rickmansworth total when the overs ran out on a day when bat dominated the ball. Rickmansworth won the toss and elected to bat on a blossoming wicket at Ascots Lane and made a decent with Navaz looking in good touch. Despite losing a wicket with the score on 27, Ricky's top order dominated the Hatfield bowling and the score had reached 92 before the home side struck again. With Darshan Desai arriving late Hatfield did not help themselves and the ball was eased around the outfield in the gaps that appeared. Navaz hit some mighty blows before falling for 93 as Hatfield attempted to claw there way back into the game with Rickmansworth on 164-4. Sumit Saharan proved to be the most effective bowler of the day when he started to find some success against the Rickmansworth lower order. He picked up 4 wickets in a fine spell as Hatfield began to fight back with Ricky at 192-7. A large total was always on the cards however with such a good start and Rickmansworth were eventually bowled out for 223 with Steve Brame (2-26) claiming a couple of vital scalps towards the end. Saharan ended with excellent figures of 4-44 on a pitch favouring the batsmen whilst Hazeldene took 2-57 from a long spell. Like their Rickmansworth counterparts, Hatfield's openers got off to a flyer with Heath Bond particularly severe on anything loose. With Barry Phillips playing a supporting role, Bond took advantage of the new ball coming onto the bat and made hay while the sun shined. The duo put on 66 before Phillips was given out LBW for 10. Bond followed with the total on 88 but Darshan Desai had taken up the mantle and was starting to find the boundaries. Dave Hughes was dismissed with the score on 125-3 but Hatfield had a strong batting line up and the total was not beyond them. The turning point was the dismissal of Desai however who was rather unlucky to have been adjudged LBW for 38. Hatfield lost there way somewhat after his wicket and wickets started to tumble. Only Keven Whitehead (22) was able to contribute to the run chase as Hatfield's later order fell to Mazar (4-26). The home side looked in real trouble at 188-9 and staring defeat very much in the face. A final wicket partnership between Ian Golder and Saharan proved that the wicket was still perfect for batting, as they not only held there own but took the total past 200 to secure full batting points. Ricky desperately tried to break the final pair but Hatfield chipped away at the runs required only falling 5 short as the overs ran out. Hatfield picking up an amazing 20 points for a draw.

Hatfield 2ndXI 191 Shenley Village 2ndXI 188

Hatfield's 2nd XI collected their second win of the season in Division Seven with an exciting 3 run success over Shenley Village. The match was actually played at the Old Camdenians ground due to fixture congestion and Hatfield were asked to bat first. A total of 191 was a creditable score on an unpredictable wicket with all of the top order contributing. John McCarthy (36) and Robert Grove (34) put together an important opening stand and took advantage of the small boundaries. Chris Reid (26) and Andy Ashley-Smith (22) consolidated the position whilst Mark Golder (43 n.o.) provided the necessary fireworks to ensure Hatfield reached a sizeable score. In reply, Shenley got off to a poor start at 8-2 with Alan Jakes and Gareth Wynne taking early wickets. The home side fought back well however with skipper Steve Scott hitting some fine shots. It was the introduction of Andy Foster that really turned the game Hatfield's way. He bowled a mesmerising spell that chipped away at the Shenley batting despite runs still coming with such short boundaries. Shenley had plenty of overs left in their locker but lost wickets at vital times and Foster ran through the lower order. He bowled the last batsmen when only 4 runs were required for a Shenley victory to claim superb figures of 6-49.

Houghton Town 218 Hatfield 211-9

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI fell short in their run chase against Houghton Town in the North Herts Sunday League. Houghton racked up 220 from their 40 overs with Ahmet Shah (3-34) the pick of the Hatfield attack. In reply, Keven Whitehead hit a fine 60 runs but received little support and Hatfield, despite some late wagging from the tail, fell short by 10 runs.

Other Results:

Old Albanians 183 (Graham Causton 4-37)

Hatfield 3rd XI 143-8 (Bruce Percival 53, Alexander Digby 21)

Hatfield recorded their first win in the Herts League Division Three with a 19 run success over Totteridge Millhillians at Ascots Lane. After three successive defeats, the victory is a much needed boost for Richard Hazeldene's team who have competed well in all matches but failed to force a win. Batting first, Hatfield lost opener Heath Bond early on but Keven Whitehead and the recalled Barry Phillips made steady progress against the Totteridge seamers. Both players looked in good form and put on 50 runs for the second wicket. Whitehead was caught and bowled for 25 with Darshan Desai following quickly after as Hatfield stumbled to 67-3. Phillips and Andy Ashley-Smith played sensibly and took the score to 100 before the later was adjudged LBW. Phillips was then joined by Brad Hewitt who played a delightful cameo hitting 26 runs to give the Hatfield innings real impetus. The pair put on 53 runs in good time before Hewitt was bowled at 154-4. Hatfields later order supported Phillips as the overs began to run out as they chased maximum batting points with Andy Foster hitting a quick 18. With one ball remaining the home side needed two runs to score 200 and Phillips a well deserved hundred. Unfortunately, neither the came to pass as Hatfield ended on 199-7 and Phillips stranded on 99 n.o.!

Totteridge Millhillians opening batsmen were looking to get off to a flyer but were denied by some tidy bowling from Ian Golder and Desai. The openers did put on 36 runs for the first wicket when Billy Bigley broke the deadlock with a superb slower ball. Bigley claimed a second victim during a quick spell from the 16 year old, as Totteridge reached 58-2. Hazeldene brought on his change bowlers and Chintan Patel made a real impression with some real pacey deliveries despite conceding a few boundaries. At 65-4, Totteridge were struggling and only Soomro looked capable of seeing out the Hatfield attack. The ever increasing run rate meant that runs needed to be scored quickly otherwise and Hazeldene decided to bring on his slower bowlers to tempt the batsmen. Whilst runs started to flow, Andy Foster took a couple of important wickets with his off-breaks as Totteridge reached 119-6. Soomro continued his lone vigil and started to put bat-to-ball as Totteridge fought there way back into the match. He was particularly severe on the returning Bigley and began to really turn the tide. At 177-7 and overs running out the game could of gone either direction however Darshan Desai took two wickets in two balls to give Hatfield the upper hand. Ian Golder re-entered the attack to have Soomro caught for 81 and Hatfield secure victory by 19 runs with two overs remaining. Andy Foster ended with 3-34 & Desai 2-26.

Offley & Stosley 117 Hatfield 118-5

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI picked up their second win in the North Herts League with a comfortable win over Offley & Stopsley. Alan Jakes was the pick of the early Hatfield bowling having the home side in real trouble on a slow low wicket. He took 3-14 in an opening burst against some variable batting. Offley never really recovered from the poor start and Hatfield chipped away with all the bowlers taking wickets on a balmy afternoon. Skipper Tony Jakes took 2-22 as Offley were bowled out for 117. Hatfields innings didnt get off to the best of starts when Robert Grove missed a straight one early on. Keven Whitehead dug in on a difficult wicket as Hatfield struggled to 45-4. Whitehead and Andy Ashley-Smith then began to express themselves against the home side change bowlers and made full use of a fast outfield. The pair put on 50 runs as Hatfield eased to victory with Whitehead being bowled for 37 whilst Ashley-Smith ended 31 not out. Skipper Jakes hitting the winning runs as Hatfield reached 118 for the loss of 5 wickets.

Hatfield 2ndXI 144 Boxmoor 1stXI 145-3

It was another disappointing Saturday for Hatfield's 2nd XI as the batsmen had a poor day at Boxmoor when they were bowled out for just 144 in 42 overs, Mark Golder scoring 41 and Bob Grove 33. In the field Hatfield made little impression and suffered a slow defeat as Boxmoor took 40 overs to reach the required runs for the loss of 23 wickets.

Ware II 203-3 Hatfield 3rdXI 163

Hatfield's 3rd XI slipped to defeat by 40 runs at Ware despite 76 runs from Clive Wilson.

Despite putting in a tame batting performance, Hatfield put up a tremendous fielding display against league leaders Hemel Hempstead to lose by two wickets in their Herts Division Three game. For the second week running, Hatfield were involved in a tense finish and the game go down to the final over of the match. Put into bat on a green track, Hatfields openers struggled against a lively Hemel opening attack and the score had reached 17 when Chris Reid was given out LBW. Heath Bond (19) and Andy Ashley-Smith attempted some reconcilliation but both went with the score on 38 to leave Hatfield struggling. Darshan Desai hit a flurry of boundaries to score 20 but he was also adjudged LBW with Hatfield on 58-4. Ian Golder (24) and the in-form Dave Hughes played sensibly against the Hemel change bowlers but Hatfield could not forge a real substantial partnership. They passed the 100 for the loss of seven wickets when skipper Richard Hazeldene marched to the crease. He produced a sparkling cameo of an innings hitting a couple of mighty sixes. With support from the tailenders, Hazeldene ensured his team were able to post a total that the bowlers could try to defend. The skippers fine little innings ended when he was bowled for 34, leaving Hatfield all out for 143.

Hatfields opening bowlers didnt manage to find the life in the wicket that their counterparts could and the home side got off to a good start. Indeed, the opening pair put on 48 runs for the first wicket, a partnership that would not be bettered in the whole day. It was Darshan Desai who made the first breakthrough with his left arm spin at Hemel reached 48-1. Hemel remained in control however and merrily made there way to 70 before Hazeldene turned to seam bowler Sumit Sarahan. His impact was immediate claiming three wickets in as many overs as the home side slumped to 77-4. A galvanised team began to believe that a victory was possible despite a partnership of 30 runs from the Hemel middle order. At 108-5 the match could have gone either way. Ian Golder returned to the fold to take an important wicket however runs were still being eeked out by the later Hemel order. Andy Ashley-Smith took a fine catch off the bowling of Desai and the game was finely balanced at 133-8. The overs were now running out and all three results were possible. The penultimate over saw a crucial 4 byes being conceded and suddenly Hemel needed only 1 run in the final over. This they scored to notch a two wicket win and a full 30 points. Hatfields best bowlers were Saharan 3-18 & Golder 3-26 as they collected 10 points in defeat.

Dunstable III 207-8 Hatfield 2ndXI 210-5

Hatfields 2nd XI collected their first win of the season in the home game against Dunstable 3rd XI. Their 5 wicket success was due to some excellent batting as Alan Jake's men chased down a sizeable 207-8 score. Gareth Wynne was Hatfields most successful bowler showing taking 5-43 in another teasing spell. In reply, John McCarthy set the tone for the innings with some sparkling stroke play. He received great support in the form of Barry Phillips who hit 42 runs. McCarthy went onto score an excellent 87 runs and provide the catalyst for Hatfields success. Andy Foster hit three sixes in his 40 n.o. to see the home side to victory.

Hatfield were involved in an exciting finish with Ickleford on Saturday in their Herts Division Three match only to finish losing the game with just one ball remaining. Needing only one wicket to win the game, Hatfield could easily have snapped up victory but Ickleford managed to score the 4 runs needed off the last over to achieve a one wicket success. Hatfield elected to bat first and made a solid start with Heath Bond and Chris Reid taking full advantage of some wayward early bowling. It wasnt until Heatley started to find his line that Hatfield struggled with Bond falling for 20. Hatfield fell to 55-2 when Reid played on for 23. Ickleford's bowlers started to put the pressure on the home side batting and the runs were to difficult to find. Darshan Desai was caught for 16 and Andy Ashley-Smith (15) adjudged LBW. Dave Hughes however looked in good form from ball one and it was he that led the Hatfield recovery. Once the tiring Wheatley was removed from the attack, Hatfield began to prosper with Hughes hitting some fine shots. He continued his excellent form from last week and with support from the lower order, who all contributed double-figure scores, to ensure that Hatfield achieved the full 10 battting points as they closed on 203-7. Hughes ending on 72 n.o.

Icklefords opening batsmen found life difficult in the first few overs against the probing Ian Golder and Darshan Desai. It was Desai who made the first breakthrough claiming a wicket with the score on 25. Progress was slow there on in as Hatfields bowlers managed to exert some life from a slow wicket and their took the second Ickleford wicket with the total on 40. Ickleford reached 64-3 when new fast bowler Chintan Patel finally took his first wicket for the club. Mark Schumann was starting to pick off the bad ball and played some fine shots for Ickleford as they began to claw their way back into the match. With good support from Pursey (28), the total had moved to 125-5 and the game evenly balanced. The introduction of Sumit Saharan paid immediate dividends however when he Schumann LBW for 50. At 146-7, Hatfield appeared to be in the driving seat however the Ickleford lower order continued to put bat to ball and the runs were still coming. It was Robinson, batting at No.10 who really made the difference playing some quality shots at the death. With Wheatley (23) in support they took the match to an exciting finish with a flurry of boundaries. With the last over to be bowled, Hatfield required just one more wicket for victory and yet Ickleford needed just 4 runs. Robinson guided his team to the runs required off the penultimate ball and ended 33 n.o. Hatfield had put in a decent performance in this game and collected a worthy 19 points despite the defeat.

Holwell 140-7 Hatfield 1stXI 141-6

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI collected their first win in the North Herts Sunday league with a 4 wicket win over Holwell. Tony Jake's men restricting Holwell to just 140-7 from their allotted 40 overs with Richard Hazeldene taking 3-16. In reply, Suki Grewal (42) and Chintan Naik (31) both played extremely well to build a firm platform for success. Hatfield, despite a late collapse, scrambled home by 4 wickets.

Hatfield 2ndXI 80 Flamstead 1stXI 81-4

Hatfield's 2nd XI batsmen had a poor day at Flamstead when they were bowled out for just 80 in 32 overs. In the field Hatfield made a fight of it with Robert Grove taking 4-32 and Gareth Wynne bowling 11 overs for 21 runs but Flamstead were not to be denied victory as they passed Hatfield's poor total in the 25th over.

Botany Bay III 194-5 Hatfield 3rdXI 65

Hatfield's 3rd XI had an even worse day at Botany Bay who posted 194-5 as Graham Debenham was forced to leave the field injured in the sixth over. Hatfield 3rd XI could only score 65 in 35 overs to lose by 129 runs.

Hatfield were involved in something of a run fest against North Mymms in their first Herts League Division Three game of the season. Sadly for Richard Hazeldene's men, the outcome was defeat by 35 runs. In perfect batting conditions, Mymms elected to bat first and despite another pacy spell from Chintan Patel, got off to a good start. It was the veteran Ian Golder who made the first breakthrough with another teasing spell of swing bowling. He claimed the first two wickets of the day to put the brakes on the Mymms batting but skipper Nick Gilbert looked in control and received good support from Clement. At 63-3, the game was well balanced. Gilbert was joined at the crease by aussie Ben Langford and the pair immediately started to dominate the Hatfield change bowling. With a lightening fast outfield the ball raced to the boundary whenever it passed the in field and Hatfield did not help themselves by dropping a couple of half chances. Gilbert charged to his hundred and Langford followed shortly after as the pair put on a huge stand for the 4th wicket. Gilbert declared the innings on 262-3 with himself on 120 n.o. and Langford 100 n.o.

Hatfield got off to a solid start with Heath Bond and Keven Whitehead looking comfortable on what is likely to be the best wicket they will bat on this summer. Whitehead was run out when the score had reached 81. This was 98-2 when Andy Ashley-Smith was caught and bowled by Searle for just 8. Bond, however, was starting to motor and the boundaries were coming with a flurry. Mymms rotated their bowling but Bond looked in supreme touch and it was another classic boundary which brought him his first ton of the season. Dave Hughes proved to be his ideal foil and the pair took the score to 187-4 when Bond was caught for 104. The third century scored in the day! Hatfield's middle order failed to click and support Hughes and stumbled at 200-6 just when they were looking to push onto the Mymms total. Searle was now spinning a web and cleaned up the Hatfield innings with a mesmerising spell of 6-48. Hatfield were bowled out for 227, 35 runs short of the Mymms score. Hughes second top-scoring with a fine 44.

Old Finchleians II 158-9 Hatfield 2ndXI 116 Krunal Savani 9-44

Hatfield's 2nd XI were undone by a remarkable spell of bowling from Old Finchlieans seamer Krunal Savani in their Herts Division Seven game. He took a remarkable 9-44 to root out Hatfield for just 116. John McCarthy (34) and Mark Golder (29), Mark Stephenson (27) being the only batsmen contributing to the home sides total. Just to make the day complete Hardik Savani took the other wicket.
Earlier, Hatfield had bowled out the Old Boy's for 158 with slow bowlers Andy Foster (4-27) and Mark Stephenson (4-30) doing the damage after Jeffrey Kan (59) led Old Finchleians to a good start getting the better of Hatfield's medium pacers. In reply, Savani held sway as he tore through the Hatfield line-up as Alan Jakes' men succumbed to a 42 run defeat.

Parkfield & Headstone III 121 Hatfield 3rdXI 122-5

Hatfield's 3rd XI claimed their first win of the season against Parkfields 3rd XI by a comfortable 5 wickets. Alan Dudman (3-14) and Paul Ward (3-45) were the pick of the attack receiving some great support from young Rory Golder who also took 2 wickets. Parkfields score of 122 was never going to be enough and Dan Hardy (32) and Alex Digby (29) put willow on leather to ensure Hatfield reached the required runs in good time.

Crawley Green Nomads 291-5 Hatfield 1stXI 79

Sunday, early wickets prove false dawn as both Crawley Green's Jethwas each score 104 in 291-5 total. Demoralised Hatfield collapse to 79 all out with only two batsmen getting double figures.

A brilliant 80 n.o. from Darshan Desai saw Hatfield to a fine 7 wicket win over the Middlesex Tamils in their friendly match on Saturday. Desai brought his excellent form from 2008 into the new season and looked in great touch from the very first ball. The opposition had earlier won the toss and decided to take advantage of a pacy track at Ascots Lane. The Tamils opening pair set off at a tremendous rate hitting a flurry boundaries to take the score to 45 after just 6 overs. New Hatfield opening bowler Chintan Patel looked lively but suffered as the ball came nicely onto the bat. It was not until change bowlers Desai and Steve Brame (3-12) were introduced into the attack did Hatfield make a breakthrough. Both claimed wickets to slow down the run rate and put Hatfield back into the game. Brame bowled an excellent spell to claim three victims but the Tamils continued to put bat to ball and the runs flowed at fare rate. At 120-5, Andy Foster was brought onto bowl and claimed two wickets for just one run leaving Hatfield in charge of the game. The final pair put on a stand of 28 runs to take the Tamils score to 169 all out. Sean Edge taking the last wicket. Hatfields innings got off to a poor start when Andy Ashley-Smith played on in the second and Keven Whitehead was run out for a duck. The bowling was wayward to start and Hatfield had 10 runs on the board without a run off the bat! Barry Phillps and Desai repaired the early damage picking and choosing their runs carefully. Desai started to find the middle of the bat and took advantage whilst the field was in. The pair took the score to 65 before Phillips was caught behind for 18. Ian Golder joined Desai at the crease and began to take advantage of the Tamils second string bowling. The quality of the wicket began to show with both batsmen able to play their shots in a sparkling stand. Golder was particularly bruising on the seam bowlers and hit 40 runs before being caught. By this time the game was all but over and it was left to Steve Brame to hit the winning runs. Desai had dominated the Hatfield score and finished on 80 n.o.

Hatfield 201-7 Essendon 202-5

In an exciting match against Essendon on Sunday, Hatfield were beaten by 5 wickets off the very last ball of the match. In a 40 overs a side game, Hatfield batted first and suffered an early blow when Keven Whitehead fell for his second duck of the weekend. Andy Ashley-Smith an Kunal Gohil then put on a fine stand of 82 for the second wicket before Ashley-Smith was caught for 43. Gohil went on to score 41 before being smartly run out as Hatfield stumbled to 122-5. Dave Hughes, making his first appearance of the season, looked in good nick and took advantage of some tired bowling to crack 52 n.o. as Hatfield closed on 201-7 from their 40 overs. Essendon's reply was checked by some smart bowling from Robert Grove who bowled a pacy early spell. Gareth Wynne (3-23) took some early wickets to have Essendon struggling at 45-4. This early damage was repaired somewhat however at 113-5, the home side looked to have the advantage with the overs running out. There then began an excellent partnership between Venables and Carr who put bat to ball in agricultural fashion. Hatfields change bowlers failed to make the breakthrough required and the game went down to the very last over with just 5 runs required. With one ball remaining the scores were level and Venables snicked a delivery off Tony Jakes just past his stumps to seal a 5 wicket success. Venables finishing on 81 n.o.

Other Results:

Hatfield 2ndXI 159-5 North Mymms II 117

Hatfield 2nd XI 159-5 (J McCarthy 26, Alex Dixby 26, Graham Causton 27 n.o., Mick Debenham 29 n.o.)

North Mymms 2nd XI 117 (J McCarthy 2-1 Graham Causton 2-26)

Hatfield's Sunday 1st XI got their season off to a winning start with a 12 run win over Mayfield at Ascots Lane. Despite a damp track, skipper Tony Jakes had faith in his batsmen and elected to bat first in a 40 over a side friendly. Opening duo Andy Ashley-Smith and Keven Whitehead set a decent early tempo against some wayward Mayfield bowling and runs ticked along. The pair put on 79 for the first wicket before Ashley-Smith was caught off a full toss for 36. Whitehead settled in to be the backbone of the Hatfield score and saw partners come and go - his was the significant innings of the day finally being caught for a creditable 66. Lewis Wynne (20) and veteran Mick Debenham (17 n.o.) provided some fireworks towards the end of the innings as Hatfield closed on 175-6 from their 40 overs.
Mayfield lost an early wicket with the score on just 5 but some agricultural hitting from Victor saw them back on track and up with the required run rate. Only Alan Jakes looked threatening as Hatfield's change bowlers were put to the sword as the wicket dried. The breakthrough finally came with Gareth Wynne's slow left arm as two wickets fell with the score on 81-3 - Victor falling for a bruising 57. Mayfield maintained the required run rate whilst Hatfield took a couple more wickets and at 131-5, the game could of gone either way. The returning Jakes (3-30) finished his spell to claim two more wickets and Hatfield now held sway. Wynne finished with a creditable 3-23 and once again proved that many a good tune is played on an old fiddle. Mayfield were finally bowled out for 163 with young 16 year old Sean Edge claiming the last wicket to seal victory. Tony Jakes took three catches in the outfield and will be pleased to have notched his first success of the season.

Despite being relegated from the Saracens Herts Division Two in 2008, Hatfield's 1st XI can look forward to their 2009 with a great deal of optimism. The loss of key players last year inevitably had an effect on the team, particularly after having been promoted to a stronger Division the previous summer. This year the 1st XI will be led by Richard Hazeldene who, having skippered the 2nd XI last year, makes the step up by leading Hatfield in Division Three for 2009. Hazeldene has undertaken to run 3 marathons over the next 5 weeks - Paris, Rome & London - so is likely to be the fittest player in the club come the first game! The batting line up will be headed by Darshan Desai who had a superb season in 2008 ending with an average of 59.8; this saw him win the clubs batting prize by some distance. His average in the League was higher and he came third in overall Division Two batting averages. This shows how much the club relied on his efforts in 2008 and Hazeldene will be hoping that others in the team can step up to the mark for the new season. Its likely that Heath Bond and Keven Whitehead will once again be opening up for the 1st XI in 2009; they could face a challenge from young Ben Golder once the season gets going however, with a broken ankle its unlikely he will be fit until mid-season. University commitments will also mean Chris Reid will be unavailable until June, however Hazeldene will hope he can progress further as one of clubs main future batting talents. Barry Phillips, Dave Hughes, Kunal Shah and Andy Ashley-Smith are all set to feature in the middle order for 2009. The explosive batting styles of Ian Golder, Steve Brame and Hazeldene himself will also add their spice into the mix! There will be plenty of bowling options available to the skipper. Most interesting will be Chintan Patel who has shown in the pre-season nets that he could be the quickest bowler the club has had for many years. Young Billy Bigley generated some real pace in short bursts during the 2008 season and it is hoped he will continue to impress despite only just turning 16 years old. The pair could make a devastating duo of opening bowlers for the 1st XI. The experienced Ian Golder and Steve Brame look set to continue as the main seam bowlers for 2009, in addition to their batting exploits. The spin department looks well stocked with Darshan Desai, Dave Hughes and Hazeldene all able to take on the mantle whenever required. They will be joined mid-season by Aussie left-arm spinner Beau Suffern who will be over for a couple of months to play for Hatfield. The Sunday 1st XI will be captained by Tony Jakes who will lead Hatfield in Division One of the North Herts Sunday League. This particular side relied heavily on the youth of the Club last year and considering this, performed admirably.

With Richard Hazeldene now skippering the 1st XI, Alan Jakes takes over as the new captain of the League 2nd XI. Jakes was a particularly consistent performer with the ball last season and he will be leading from the front with his metronomic bowling in the Herts League Division Seven. Mark Golder had another good season with both bat & ball and rightly collected the 2nd XL Player of the Year for 2008. He will inevitably be starring again in the new season. Again, the bowling looks to be the strength with a returning Robert Grove, Justin Evans, Mrunal Desai and Sam Arachichi all vying for seam bowling slots. In addition to these, youngsters Paul Ward, Sean Edge and Luke Waterman all impressed for the 3rd XI last year and could well be in Jake's team for the start of the season. Waterman in particular showed how much he had developed by claiming the Young Player of the Year award. The evergreen Gareth Wynne, Graham Causton, Tony Jakes and Andy Foster look to be the obvious slow bowling options for 2009; all consistently took wickets at important times during a rather damp summer. The batting will line up will revolve around the likes of Foster, Grove, Golder and John McCarthy to post competitive totals. Lewis Wynne is another at University for the beginning of the season however he looks set to make significant contributions with both bat and ball in 2009 when available. Stalwart Mick Debenham, the Clubs leading all-time catcher, could be the man donning the gloves behind the stumps for Jakes' men.

Hatfield's 3rd XI will be skippered by Club Chairman, Alan Dudman. He will hope that the experienced Bruce Percival, Pravin Gohil, Dan Hardy, Graham Debenham and Anand Krishnan will all provide the runs in Division Twelve of the Herts League. The team was very competitive last year and secured some memorable victories. Youngsters such as Joe Bigley, Alex Digby, Rory Golder, Mark Collins and Jonty Mistry should all be looking to contribute to the team in 2009. The 3rd XI's main success story however was the enduring bowling of Tony Foster who pocketed the Club bowling prize with an excellent average of 12.94. Foster, who started his Hatfield playing career in the 1950's, will be rolling over that well-oiled left arm again in 2009.

Much of the Clubs success in recent years has been in bringing on the youth of the Club. Hatfield are always looking for young talent to join their thriving Colts section; if you are interested in playing for Hatfield at Under 10's to Under 15 level, please contact the Club by e-mailing sharongolder2004@yahoo.co.uk or honsec@hatfieldcc.co.uk

The Club will always welcome new Playing and Non-playing members, if you are interested in joining Hatfield Cricket Club for 2009, please contact the Club by e-mailing honsec@hatfieldcc.co.uk. Training sessions are already underway and we have the added use of a high tech Bowling machine for 2009.

If you are interested in Umpiring at any level (albeit 1st, 2nd or 3rd XI), then again please contact us at the address above.