Habs schoolboys show promise against Henley
An increasingly young Radlett team showed they could more than compete with the table-topping professionals of Henley - a great example of the club's policy of developing its own local talent and giving the youngsters a chance. At the other end of the club it is the 5th XI, winners again, who are, through youth and experience, looking good promotion candidates.
It was two Haberdashers Aske's schoolboys, Kushal Patel and Nish Selvakumar, who showed exciting potential in Radlett's draw against Home Counties Premier League leaders Henley at Cobden Hill on Saturday.
Though Middlesex batsman Kabir Toor excelled with 78 in pursuit of Henley's total of 241 for 4, Radlett finished on 204 for six in reply, Patel opening the innings with 36 and Selvakumar playing out the later overs for 41 not out after more senior batting had failed. Accurate bowling and the performance of young players in a depleted side provided the plus-marks in a generally disappointing day for the club.
Radlett 2nd XI slipped to fourth in the Herts League Division One after their nine-wicket defeat at Chorleywood 1st XI, and Radlett 3rd XI lost by four wickets at Chipperfield Clarendon 1st XI in Division Four, despite a good fifty from Andre Sharma.
Radlett 4th XI's hopes of moving up the Division Seven table ahead of promotion rivals Abbots Langley 2nd XI were shattered when Phil Simmons (groin), Hemang Majeethia (dislocated shoulder) and skipper Richard Hardy (torn hamstring) were all injured in the field, and Radlett went on to lose by an embarrassing 134 runs.
Only Radlett 5th XI managed to win, trimming bottom side Hemel Hempstead 5th XI by 79 runs to maintain their Division 11 promotion challenge. Arif Rahman (66) and Mike Dexter (67 not out) came to the rescue after the score had stood at 19 for four. Rahman caught the final Hemel batsman at slip with only 10 balls remaining.
Fielden & Barr flourish as Burger's boys bomb
Nick Fielden and John Barr's unbeaten 255 run partnership on Saturday was the highest ever in Radlett 2nd XI cricket. Amongst the spectators were 1st XI players who had returned mid afternoon from High Wycombe having posted the club's lowest every total in Home Counties cricket.
Radlett were involved in another astonishing Home Counties Premier League game, this time at the wrong end when they were dismissed for 63 at High Wycombe and were defeated by six wickets. Everything seemed to go wrong as Radlett lost seven quick wickets and only managed to stagger past the record lowest league total of 56 made in 1978. The end came in the 21st over, five players falling lbw, leaving Wycombe with the easy task of collecting their first win of the season. Radlett had inflicted similar embarrassment on Banbury two weeks previously, but this match was over by 2.15pm.
Centuries by Nick Fielden and John Barr took Radlett 2nd XI to an unexpectedly convincing nine-wicket win over St Margaretsbury 1st XI at Cobden Hill in Herts League Division One. Radlett chased down a formidable total of 271 in only 43 overs to retain second place in the table. The second-wicket partnership between skipper Fielden (119 not out) and Barr (133 not out) produced 255 runs, the highest stand for all wickets in any second-team game and the third-highest for any team in all matches.
Radlett 3rd XI played out an exciting draw against Met Police Bushey 1st XI at Cobden Hill in Division Four, with the visitors finishing two runs short of victory with three wickets in hand.
A third win in four games took Radlett 4th XI up to sixth in Division Seven only 30 points off top place in this tight table. Radlett beat neighbouring London Colney 2nd XI by six wickets, with Chandana Meepagama taking 4-42 off 18.2 overs.
Radlett 5th XI had the better of a tense draw at Hatfield Crusaders 2nd XI in Division 11 to keep their promotion hopes alive. Riki Shah, 16, hit 37 and took three wickets against the fourth-placed home side.
Radlett come close in 'run-fest'
Kabir Toor scored a magnificent 139-ball 133, but his century could not quite force victory over Oxford at Cobden Hill.
Radlett slipped one place to fifth in the Home Counties Premier League with this exciting draw that could have gone either way after second-placed Oxford had made a challenging 316 for five. Toor ended a lean spell with the bat, supported by James Lewis, Shane Burger and Tom Jenkins as Radlett maintained the required tempo, but a tail-end collapse left the last pair batting out for a draw at 295 for nine.
The run-out of Jenkins, after a mix-up looking for a second run, turned the game when a home victory looked the most likely result. Nick Ferraby hit 150 not out for Oxford, the second-highest individual score by an opponent on this ground, and he followed up with five wickets.
Radlett 2nd XI, after an unbeaten first half in Herts League Division One, surrendered pole position when they lost at Old Finchleians 1st XI by three wickets after Fraser Crawford had added 95 to last week's century.
Radlett 3rd XI were held to a draw in a disappointing stalemate at Dunstable 2nd XI in Division Four. Fast bowler Hemang Majeethia snapped up 6-26 as Radlett 4th XI destroyed Waltham Cross Rosedale 2nd XI by 108 runs and moved up to eighth in a tight Division Seven table.
Lee Greenland hit an undefeated 79, his highest score, before Radlett 5th XI cruised to a 135-run victory at Flamstead 2nd XI. Having been 17 for three, Radlett recovered well to 239 for nine, the last two wickets adding 75, and they moved up to ninth in Division 11.
Radlett crush Banbury
Radlett were involved in another sensational game when they had Banbury 36 for seven on their own ground after a full morning session and waltzed to victory by seven wickets.
Skipper Shane Burger went into lunch with figures of 12-10-2-3 and finished with 4-17 off 15 overs as Banbury 'recovered' to 103 all out. This target was easily achieved, and Radlett secured their third Home Counties Premier League win in four games to move up to fourth place.
Apparently Banbury over-watered their strip the previous day and left themselves victims to an accurate seam attack when they lost the toss to Burger. The ball nibbled about on the pitch and swung, but Banbury's batsmen seemed to freeze into a defensive shell at the crease. Matt Corran and Heath Paynter supported Burger well, and James Lewis led the reply with 43 not out as Radlett knocked off the runs in a mere 16.1 overs.
An innings of 100 by Fraser Crawford, his first century for the club, set Radlett 2nd XI up for a 100-run win over Berkamsted 1st XI at Cobden Hill, extending their lead to 11 points at the top of Herts League Division One.
Radlett 3rd XI had to be content with a featureless draw against Sawbridgeworth 2nd XI in Division Three. Club chairman Tony Johnson, having already suffered two facial injuries this season, had to withdraw on Saturday morning with a cracked rib.
Hardain Nandra hit 54 for Radlett 4th XI in a 13-run defeat by Ickleford 2nd XI at Hitchin in Division Seven, and a below-strength Radlett 5th XI crashed to a 120-run defeat by Sawbridgeworth 4th XI at Queens School, Bushey, in Division 11.
Kabs quality topples leaders WGC
Radlett's Middlesex all-rounder Kabir Toor took eight wickets with his leg-spin to send Home Counties Premier League leaders Welwyn Garden City crashing to a 29-run defeat in a gripping contest at Cobden Hill.
Radlett owed their total of 243 against their Herts rivals largely to Jim Lewis's 56 in the morning. This target looked well within reach of probably the league's best batting side, but Toor produced an inspired 8-98 on a dry pitch, snapping up the first six wickets to tilt the balance. Radlett's third win eased them up a rung to sixth place while WGC had their lead cut to 16 points after this first defeat.
On Sunday the team safely negotiated a potentially tricky encounter at Preston in the Herts Cup. Despite losing two batsmen without scoring, an unbeaten partnership between Shane Burger and John Barr saw the team home by 8 wickets. Radlett now face a quarter final home tie on Sunday 25 July against North Mymms who beat Hertford by one wicket on the last ball of their match.
A century by Matt Soffair helped Radlett 2nd XI to 278 against Hoddesdon 1st XI, but they went very close to defeat in this leaders versus second encounter. The home side, only three wickets down, finished one run short of the total, and Radlett, still unbeaten, retained a narrow advantage at the top of Herts League Division One.
Neel Malde hit an elegant 145 for Radlett 3rd XI against Clifton 1st XI in Division Four at Cobden Hill. This is the club's highest score at third-team level, though the bowlers could not take the final wicket to round off a much-needed win.
Hemal Malde, Neel's cousin, excelled for Radlett 4th XI in a nail-biting three-run victory at Hatfield 2nd XI, taking his third wicket by clean bowling the last man. Radlett owed their total of 165 to Dominic Ingram's 61 and moved up to eighth in Division Seven.
There was no doubt who was man of the match in Radlett 5th XI's five-wicket win at Letchworth 5th XI. Rob Millard followed up his 4-40 with an innings of 84, his highest for the club, to take Radlett up to equal seventh in Division 11 with a third consecutive win.
On Sunday, Radlett Women entertained league leaders Hastings on the top pitch. Against very strong opposition, the team managed to post a respectable score in 33 overs and then take some notable scalps as the visitors finally tiptoed nervously to victory. Gerry Davies top scored with 37 to which she also added two wickets.
Radlett don't go Dutch
Gwilym Jones hit 62 on his Home Counties Premier League debut for Radlett, but he could not prevent Shane Burger's side from slipping to an eight-wicket defeat at Tring Park.
Radlett, struggling for form this summer, lost five wickets before lunch and they needed Jones's skill at No 6 to post a total of 209. This defeat extended a poor record against their Hertfordshire rivals, a side inspired by former Somerset and Middlesex all-rounder Keith Dutch who anchored them to victory with 93*. Though still above the relegation slots after High Wycombe's continuing failure to locate their first win, Radlett face a formidable contest against runaway leaders Welwyn Garden City at Cobden Hill next Saturday.
Radlett 2nd XI remained at the top of Herts League Division One after an exciting draw against Hertford 1st XI at Cobden Hill, but Radlett 3rd XI had the worst of a draw over the hedge against Division Four leaders Wheathampstead 1st XI.
Giles Mitchell top-scored with 68 for Radlett 4th XI at Wheathampstead 2nd XI, though the result was a high-scoring three-wicket defeat in Division Seven. Radlett 5th XI were the only side to win when they trimmed Hertford 4th XI by seven wickets in their Division 11 match at Queens' School Bushey. Jim Clarke hit an excellent 58.
Shane leaves it oh so late!
Shane Burger produced one of the most sensational finishes in Radlett's history when he took three wickets in the final over to snatch victory over Aston Rowant in the Home Counties Premier League at Cobden Hill.
The fast bowler, after producing a wicked inswinger first ball of his over, knocked over the last two wickets from the day's last two deliveries -- two yorkers, one bowled and another leg before wicket. The captain's analysis of 4-12 followed up his 79 as Radlett moved away from the relegation zone with a much-needed 43-run win over the bottom club.
Radlett 2nd XI stretched their lead at the top of Herts league Division One to 16 points with a 40-run win at second-placed Totteridge Millhillians in a low-scoring game.
Radlett 3rd XI secured a hard-fought 36-run win at Old Owens 1st XI in Division Four, while Radlett 4th XI found the top side in Division Seven, neighbours Shenley Village 2nd XI, a little too hot at Cobden Hill, though Meeps Meepagama ensured a draw with 64 not out, his highest score for the club.
Johnny Armitage, 16, smashed an impressive 83 for Radlett 5th XI against Waltham Cross Rosedale 3rd XI at Cheshunt, his maiden fifty setting set up a convincing 41-run victory in Division 11.
Captains' Day at Radlett
Shane Burger with 115* for the 1st XI at Harpenden and Nick Fielden with 102* at home against Leverstock Green created a unique piece of Radlett history - captains of the 1sts and 2nds scoring unbeaten centuries batting first on the same afternoon.
Whilst Nick led his side on to victory and to the top of Herts Division One, Shane could only sit and watch the rain come down with Harpenden reeling on 128-5 still 147 behind Radlett.