Radlett Stumpies reach the Indoor Cup final for the second year running. Emphatically beating Hemel Hempstead in the semi final, Radlett Stumpies face tough opposition when they meet last year's unbeaten League winners Letchworth on 11th December at Choice Indoor Cricket Cnentre in Redbourn at 6.15. Supporters very welcome

The Indoor League for women and girls starts on 5th October with regular Sunday fixtures until 14th December. Games are 1 hour long, 12 overs and great fun. Radlett Willows and Stumpies have been successful in winning the league and the cup in previous years - players enjoy this form of the game to keep their cricketing skills going over the winter season. New players always welcome.
A practice session has been arranged for Sat 4th Oct at 11.30, all welcome, please call Michele on 07785 326 569

Weather washed away Radlett's last slender chance of the title on a rain affected wicket at Oxford. The league title finally going to High Wycombe.

The 2nds, still with the slenderest chance of promotion, gambled everything on an improbable win where they had not only to take maximum but also prevent Chorleywood from taking points. The loss of the toss, a damp wicket and the need to confine the opposition to a single point eventually lead to Radlett's downfall.

The 3rds squeezed past Botany Bay by a single wicket, Ross Carpenter taking 6-23 and Hardain Nandhra 4-30. Colin Warne, departing to warmer climes, weighed in with 39.

Half centuries from Oliver Jackson and Hemal Malde and three wickets a piece from opening pair John Mansell and Vikram Rajput looked like seeing the 5ths to their seventh win in ten matches. However, Pirton resisted and held out with two wickets remaining.


HCPCL Division One
Radlett 94-10 (30.1)
Oxford 17-0 (5.1)
Rain

Herts Division Two
Radlett II 92-6 (37.2)
*Chorleywood 93-2 (20.4)

Division Four
*Botany Bay 142-10 (43.0)
Radlett III 144-9 (49.1)

Division Six
Broxbourne II 0-0 (0.0)
Radlett IV 0-0 (0.0)
Cancelled

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 163-6 (46.0)
Pirton 135-8 (44.0)

Despite initial Falkland resistance, Radlett's seamers took control with Heath Paynter leading the way taking 6 for 10. Radlett made short work of the 102 target as Felix Walker (43*) and Tom Jenkins (44*) saw the home side to victory in just 17.5 overs.

The 1st XI, despite three defeats leading up to victory over Falkland, still have an outside chance of the title if they are convincing winners at Oxford next weekend. This win over Falkland has taken Radlett to its highest points total in HCPCL division one, beating the 245 points achieved in 2003 when finishing fifth.

The 2nd XI continued their fine season, on the unusual territory of the bottom pitch. A solid batting performance from the top order set a target of 224. Stuart Browne kept it tight and Sheilen Patel came good at the end with 5 for 60 so seal a 23 run victory.

The 3rd XI had to wait for the breakthrough against Wormley. Prabhu Arumugam took the first three, finishing with 5 for 33 whilst Ross Carpenter picked up 4. The 115 target was achieved thanks largely to Shamit Nathwani (43) and Zahur Gitay (27).

Once Jamie Wells (42) departed, the 4th XI had Kailash Morjaria (68) and the lower order to thank for being able to post a reasonable target. However, Hertford III never came close as Neil Lederman bowled superbly to take 5 for just 16 in 14 overs.

The 5th XI fell to a, what is now rare, defeat. Despite having a number of potentially match-winning batters in the side, they slumped to 120 all out and although Daniel Cohen weighed in with 3 wickets, WGC IV were comfortable winners by 5 wickets.


HCPCL Division One
Falkland 102-10 (35.0)
Radlett 105-1 (17.5)

Division Two
*Radlett II 223-8 (50.0)
Flitwick 200-10 (47.0)

Division Four
*Wormley 113-10 (37.2)
Radlett III 116-5 (26.0)

Division Six
Radlett IV 169-10 (51.0)
*Hertford III 100-10 (35.0)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 120-10 (38.4)
*Welwyn Garden City IV 124-5 (36.0)

The 1st XI, despite three defeats leading up to victory over Falkland, still have an outside chance of the title if they are convincing winners at Oxford next weekend.

This win over Falkland has taken Radlett to its highest points total in HCPCL division one, beating the 245 points achieved in 2003 when finishing fifth, P18 W5 D7.

In a must win match at Tring Park, Radlett, despite their lack-lustred performance in the field, looked the favourites at the beginning of the final session. Felix Walker was going well and there were plenty of wickets in hand. Walker fell and the innings crumbled as Radlett ended up 23 runs short.

After John Barr had ripped through the Knebworth Park II top order, the 2nds came up against a strong middle order and found themselves chasing 253 for victory. With the top four all getting runs, Jim Chaudry (68), Lloyd Paternott (48), John Barr (47), Richard Cameron (64*), a win was always on and duly arrived, the margin being 6 wickets. The 3rd XI had a dismal outing against Clarendon.

The 4th XI cut it fine again. Letchworth III were confined to 120 with Shameel Ahmed taking 5 for 35 and Richard Hardy 3 for 14. The reply started well, collapsed in the middle and then had the lower order to thank for seeing them home by 1 wicket.

Asked to bat by Sawbridgeworth IVs, the 5ths did their hosts no favours as they rattled up 202 for 5. With no points at tea, the Sawbo task had become all or nothing and they ended up with nothing as Radlett bowled them out for 126, Vikram Rajput taking 4 wickets and Mayur Hindocha clearing up at the end with 3 for 4.

HCPCL Division One
Tring Park 262-2 (66.0)
Radlett 239-10 (52.5)

Herts Division Two
*Knebworth Park II 252-6 (53.0)
Radlett II 254-4 (45.0)

Division Four
*Radlett III
138-9 (53.0)
Clarendon 140-4 (26.3)

Division Six
*Letchworth III 120-10 (45.5)
Radlett IV 123-9 (36.4)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 202-5 (47.0)
*Sawbridgeworth IV 126-10 (42.0)

Paul Barker suffered a broken finger and without his bowling, the Ist XI slid to a 4 wicket defeat against Henley. Tom Jenkins top scored with 41. Heath Paynter took 3 wickets. Barker's second ball was driven back at him by the former Middlesex bowler Chad Keegan, smashing the little finger of his left hand, which required an operation at Barnet General Hospital.

The 2nd XI were two-wicket winners against Preston. Chasing 147, Radlett squeezing home to keep alive their slim promotion hopes. Jim Chaudry anchored the innings with 51, supported by Dave Robinson (27) and Mike Crocker (21*).

The 3rds all but beat Watton-on-Stone. Simon Gray (85) anchored the innings with support coming from Zahur Gitay (42). Radlett were unable to capture the final wicket, Prabhu Arumugam and Hasit Mehta taking 3 wickets each. The 4th XI were well beaten by Hatch End.

The 5th XI cruised to victory over Southgate Adelaide III by 132 runs. Charlie Randall declared after just 40 overs with the score on 248-2, Shabbir Foyez (76), Andy Griffiths 70*), Mayur Hindocha (59). Only Riaz provided any resistance as spinners Randall and Matt Barrett wrapped up the innings.

On Sunday, the women's 1st XI made it two wins in as many weeks with victory over Mote II. Lower order resistance, Laura Lambert (12*), Viv Clark (35), Emily Grist (36) enabled Radlett to reach 149-7. A good all round bowling performance, Michele Verroken and Helen Clifford taking 3 wickets each, enabled Radlett to run out winners by 14 runs.

HCPCL Division One
Radlett 209-10 (62.1)
Henley 210-6 (50.5)

Herts Division Two
Preston 147-10 (40.2)
*Radlett II 148-8 (56.1)

Division Four
Radlett III 216-8 (53.0)
*Watton-at-Stone 202-9 (47.0)

Division Six
Hatch End 232-8 (53.0)
*Radlett IV 120-10 (39.1)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 248-2 (44.0)
*Southgate Adelaide III 116-10 (33.3)

The 1st XI were the only team to see any cricket on Saturday, managing 30 overs at WGC before the weather closed in.

On Sunday, the women's 1st XI returned to winning ways over local rivals East Herts. Hayley Arrol fell four short of a century and with Catherine McNeill (53*) they reached 197-5. In reply, East Herts reached 134-7, wickets going to Viv Clark (3), Arrol (2) and Helen Gifford (1).

Banbury gain revenge at Radlett

The first XI failed to complete the double over Banbury, going down by 4 wickets. The total of 162 (Graham Dill 37) never looked to be enough and although Radlett made the batsmen fight for every run it was not to be Radlett's day as the slipped to second in the league.

The weather put paid to both the 2nd and 3rd XI fixtures. As a result, any lingering hopes the 2nds had of promotion are probably now gone. The loss of three games to the weather has put them at a distinct disadvantage. They might well have been in a promotion slot having only lost one league match this season.

The 4th XI confined Southgate Compton to just 133. Meeps was back but it was Toby Sutherland (4-33) and debutant Asad Hussain (3-26) who took the spoils. The Radlett top order batting came and went, with the except of Richard Hardy who towered above the rest with 71 not out, in the end, supported by Sutherland and Meeps, seeing Radlett to victory by 3 wickets.

The 5th XI again showed how strong they are, frightening another of the promotion challengers. Although the match ended in a draw, the fact that Radlett took 18 points to Met Police's zero indicated the inequality in the teams. Two sparking innings, a maiden league fifty from Hemal Malde who went on to make 93 not out and a vintage 55 from Andy Griffiths, both innings at better than a run a ball, must have made the Met captain wish he had not asked Radlett to bat. Set 243 to win, the Met crawled to 137 for 8, Charlie Randall taking 4-39. Unfortunately, Radlett were unable to force home the advantage and claim the additional 12 points.

HCPL Division One
Radlett 162-10 (54.1)
Banbury 163-6 (48.5)

Hets League
Division Two
Leverstock Green 0-0 (0.0)
Radlett II 0-0 (0.0)
Cancelled

Division Four
Potton Town 0-0 (0.0)
Radlett III 0-0 (0.0)
Cancelled

Division Six
Southgate Compton 133-10 (49.3)
*Radlett IV 134-7 (34.2)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 242-5 (47.0)
*Met Police Bushey II 137-8 (43.0)

There are three new faces and one old one in the Ireland A team to face MCC in a three-day game starting next Tuesday.

As it clashes with both the last day of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers and the start of the Inter-Continental Cup game against Scotland, as well as the Under 19 European Championships in Glasgow, Simmons and his fellow selectors had to dig deep.

The new faces are the two Kiwi-born Civil Service North all rounders, Nigel Jones, who qualifies to play for Ireland tomorrow and Regan West, who is about to qualify for selection and Instonians’s wicket-keeper batsman Rory McCann.

The “old face” is still, arguably, the NCU’s best batsman, David Kennedy, now playing his cricket in Section Two with his home team, Ballymena, but was the leading run-scorer last season with Premier League champions North Down.

Kennedy’s former team-mate, Ryan Haire, is named as captain and there are also places for Andrew Riddles and Neil Gill who missed out, through no fault of their own, when they were last called up for representative honours.

Haire, who returned to the senior team after an absence of eight years, and made a half century against Scotland this month, Kennedy, who made his only Ireland appearance in 2002 and Gavin McKenna, who made his debut, against Norway, last Friday, are the only players with full caps.

McCann gets his chance because Gary Wilson is, now, not available for the I-C Cup team because of his commitments with Surrey and Fintan McAllister has been promoted to the senior team.

Mark Hutchinson was another player who was in line for a call-up to this team but the Bangor captain has said he does not want to play anymore representative cricket and Waringstown’s James Hall is on holiday next week.

Ireland A: R Haire (capt), C Dougherty, D Rankin (both Bready), A Riddles (Limavady), N Jones (Civil Service North), D Kennedy (North Down), R McCann (Instonians), R West (CSN), G McKenna (North Down), N Gill (Muckamore), A Coulter (CSN).

HCPL Division One

Reading 281-8 (66.0)
Radlett 284-9 (52.3)

Division Two

*Northwood 181-10 (51.3)
Radlett II 183-4 (33.0)

Division Four

*Radlett III 202-10 (46.5)
Hertford II 186-10 (52.2)

Division Six

Boxmoor
186-10 (46.3)
*Radlett IV 181-10 (49.0)

Division Eleven

*Radlett V 216-9 (46.4)
Reed III 159-10 (33.5)

Victory at Reading took Radlett to the top of the Home Counties Premier League for the first time in over 5 years. Coming from behind, the win was achieved thanks almost in total to a maiden club century from Paul Barker. The Herts spinner who has been starring with the ball this season, proved his all round value, reaching 110 not out and snatching victory from under the noses of the hosts.

The 2nd XI restricted Northwood's first team to 181 and had little trouble in passing that total in just 33 overs.

The 3rd XI returned to winning ways as Hertford's second string fell 16 runs short chasing 203 to win. Dom Ingram (55) and Matt Soffair (26) gave Radlett a good start and Zahur Gitay (40) upped the tempo but 202 looked not enough. However, superb bowling from Prabhu Arumugam and Hasit Mehta (4 wickets each) supported by the 'keeping of Colin Warne and excellent all round fielding gave Iain Edwards' men another victory.

The 4ths fell just short at Boxmoor. Contained by some excellent bowling, especially Neil Lederman (6-52), the hosts looked to have posted an achievable target. Again, though, the batting collapsed, 62-7 at one stage, until Lloyd Paternott weighed in with a spectacular 108 to bring the 4s so close.

The 5ths had probably their best win of the season at promotion seeking Reed III. An opening half-century partnership by Mike Dexter and Shabbir Foyez set the scene for a sparking 76 from Andy Griffiths. The 217 target gave Charlie Randall the opportunity to attack. John Mansell put Reed on the back foot with a wicket from his first delivery and returned later to administer the coup de grâce. Matt Barrett also took 3 wickets to go with his 24 runs.

HCPCL Division One
Radlett 227-5 (51.0)
Slough 173-6 (42.0)

Division Two
Luton Town & Indians 222-3 (52.0)
*Radlett II 186-7 (46.0)

Division Four
*Radlett III 147-9 (53.0)
County Hall 149-3 (45.1)

Division Six
Totteridge Millhillians III 213-7 (49.0)
*Radlett IV 214-9 (50.4)

Division Eleven
Frogmore 224-3 (47.0)
*Radlett V 141-10 (35.0)

Simon Randall was the Radlett hero with the bat on Saturday, hitting a fine century. With fellow opener Kabir Toor posting 77, Radlett made 227-5 from 51 overs in a rain affected match. In reply, Slough finished on 173-6, with Stuart Browne taking 5-32.

Randall's ton was the first by a player on Radlett 1st XI league debut since Ian Hutchinson in 1992, the season after he was released by Middlesex. Saturday was the third successive league game in which Simon was on the field for every ball having opened and batted through the innings. Also, it was for a different team on each occasion being promoted in quick succession from the 3rds to the 2nds and then to the first team.

The 2nd XI came away from Luton Town and Indians with a draw having failed to make any inroads into the opposition batting.

The 3rd XI suffered at the hands of a strong County Hall side. Unable to keep the scoreboard moving their total of 147 was never realistically going to be enough.

The 4ths proved again to be probably the most exciting team this season with yet another nail-biting victory, by 1 wicket, this time at home to Totteridge Millhillians III. Neil Lederman and Richard Hardy shared 6 wickets as the opposition reached 213-7. Tony Johnson (41) and Ben Charles (37) lead the reply, Lederman hitting the winning run with just 2 balls to go.

The 5ths met a strong Frogmore team reinforced by university students. Although they confined the opposition initially, lack of wickets saw Frogmore post 224-3. Despite 51 from Shabbir Foyez, Radlett were never in the hunt and fell well short.

U14's have won their league and so have a home tie against Broxbourne this week.

As runners up U9's play away on Monday night at Knebworth.

U12's are runners up after a tense few days. Having decisively beaten Kings Langley on Thursday with a makeshift team they had to wait for the outcome of Friday nights game . The rain helped us through as Redbourne had to abandon the game 4 overs from the end so only getting 10points. The quarters is away at Letchwork on Wednesday pm.

Good luck to all the players involved

HCPCL Division One
High Wycombe 238-7 (50.0)
Radlett 166-7 (30.0)

Division Two
Radlett II 0-0 (0.0)
Hatfield 0-0 (0.0)
Cancelled

Division Four
Radlett III 153-10 (53.0)
*Hertingfordbury 101-10 (40.4)


Division Six
Hemel Hempstead III 134-7 (51.0)
*Radlett IV 111-10 (40.0)

Division Eleven
*St Margaretsbury III 119-8 (47.0)
Radlett V 120-3 (25.3)

On a weekend when the 1sts and 2nds suffered weather intervention, it was the 3rd XI and the 5th XI who showed how their seasons are turning around.

The 1st visit to High Wycombe saw Atul Sachdeva again weigh in with an excellent bowling performance (5-81). Chasing 239 to win, the Radlett innings ended up reduced to 30 overs - another fine opening innings from Kabir Toor (62) and a half century from Graham Dill after a few weeks away. The 2nds game at Cobden Hill was cancelled.

The 3rd XI made it 4 wins in a row and they are now unbeaten since 17 May. Amjad Khan (34) held the innings together after a steady start from Dominic Ingram and Shamit Nathwani. Josh Rose added a lightning 26 at the end. The 154 target set was arguably not enough but spirited bowling, excellent teamwork and the guiding influence of Iain Edwards saw Hertingfordbury reduced to 101 all out - Hasit Mehta taking 4-36.

The 4ths shot themselves in the foot - lacking the experience needed to focus and achieve the small target of 135 for victory. Having done the hard work, Neil Lederman taking 4-35, they fell 24 runs short as only Lloyd Paternott (44) made any real impression with the bat.

Finally, the 5ths achieved their third consecutive victory, this time by 7 wickets at St Margaretsbury. Tight bowling saw the hosts confined to just 119-8 in 47 overs, two wickets each for John Mansell, Pete Wharton and Matt Barrett. Victory came in the 26th over with runs from Shabbir Foyez (24), Mayur Hindocha (32) and Jeremy Elliott (30).

HCPCL Division One
Oxford 240-9 (66.0)
Radlett 242-4 (42.0)

Herts Division Two
*Welwyn Garden City II 231-5 (53.0)
Radlett II 232-2 (46.4)

Division Four
*Radlett III 200-7 (53.0)
Ampthill Town II 167-10 (44.3)

Division Six
*Radlett IV 174-10 (43.5)
Hitchin II 178-9 (53.5)

Division Eleven
Old Albanian III 179-5 (47.0)
*Radlett V 180-8 (39.4)

Radlett maintained pressure on the leaders with an important six-wicket win over current champions Oxford. Shane Burger's five wickets with excellent support from Heath Paynter ensured Radlett had an achievable target (Headline courtesy of the Oxford Mail).

Kabir Toor (84) and Anish Patel (44) provided an excellent base with a 121 run opening partnership. Gareth Berg (83*) then upped the tempo to see Radlett home with 12 overs to spare. This was Radlett's first win over Oxford in the HCPCL. Berg took his run total for the three competitive innings (2 of them not out) over the last two weekends to 395.

The 2nds, courtesy of John Barr (127*), left WGC II wondering what had hit them. Having set Radlett a competitive 232 to win and with two Radlett wickets down for 37 then must have thought it was to be their weekend. Simon Randall (68*) was still there and proved an excellent foil for Barr's onslaught, a century in 82 balls. Barr then performed the coup de grace with 14 needed in the final 11 balls, he finished the game in just three.

The 3rds made it three wins in a row with a home victory against Richard Haxell's Ampthill IIs. Radlett's total of 200-7 (Amjad Khan 58) proved too much as Ross Carpenter, Hasit Mehta and Josh Rose grabbed 3 wickets a piece.

The 4ths can count themselves unlucky in going down by just 1 wicket against Hitchin II. Neil Lederman's 17 overs were rewarded by 4 wickets. The 5ths added another win to last week's victory thanks to a good all-round performance with bat and ball. Reece Egerton top scored with 34 in this 2 wicket victory at Old Albanians III.

Gareth Berg completed a unique double in the Evening Standard Challenge Trophy match at home to BWIA Cavaliers - two innings of 150+ in a weekend. He added 153 not out to his 159 at Falkland on Saturday.

It is believed two centuries have not previously been scored in competitive games over a weekend by a Radlett player - but this was two 150s! This may well be unique in English club cricket.

Having been set a very challenging target of 278 in 50 overs by a strong and entertaining opposition, it was going to require something special to take Radlett into the last 16 of the competition. Berg did not disappoint. And in the words of David Holden, Chair of Cricket at Radlett, "I have to say that yesterday's knock by Gareth against BWIA was one of the very best I have ever seen at Radlett. Chanceless, professional, talented and timed to perfection are all fitting tributes - as would be "massively entertaining". Well done Bergy- an absolute pleasure to watch!"

HCPCL
Division One
Radlett 332-6 (65.0)
*Falkland 172-10 (45.5)

Herts League
Division Two
Northchurch 225-8 (53.0)
*Radlett II 137-10 (43.5)

Division Four
*Radlett III 236-2 (53.0)
Southgate Adelaide 169-10 (35.4)

Division Six
*Radlett IV 211-7 (53.0)
Welwyn Garden City III 215-1 (45.1)

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 227-2 (41.0)
Hertingfordbury II 207-10 (47.0)

28 Jun: Gareth Berg lead the way as the 1st XI broke three of the club's HCPCL records. Berg, with 159, broke Nick Hampton's record individual score which stood since 2003. In doing so, he and Felix Walker (52) set a new record 5th wicket partnership of 143 and at the end of the innings, the team score of 332-6 topped the previous best set against Slough in 2003.

There was also a half century for Steve Lowe and 5-44 from Atul Sachdeva in this 160 run victory over Falkland.

The 2nds were brought back to earth with a rare defeat. Having contained Northchurch to 225-8, the top five Radlett batsmen made little impression and despite 45 from Jim Chaudry, Radlett could not hold out and slid to an 88 run defeat.

The 3rds was the tale of two Simons and a Rose. Simon Randall batted through the innings for 136*, an innings of elegant strokeplay, contrasting the less circumspect approach of Simon Gray who was undefeated just 8 runs short of a century at the close of the innings. Southgate Adelaide set off at a cracking rate in reply and were almost halfway before the first wicket fell. Then came the pace and guile of Josh Rose. In just 10.4 overs he took 8-43 as the visitors crashed to 169 all out.

Probably the less said about the 4ths at WGC the better. 71 from Tony Johnson was his best club score since 2004 but the bowlers could not make a breakthrough and the defeat was heavy.

The 5ths went to Hertingfordbury and came away with their second win of the season. Andy Griffiths (81), playing again after 12 years off, and Sahil Shah (77*) with his maiden senior half century, enabled Radlett to declare early on 227-2. Chances were dropped but the 5ths finally managed to scrape home by 20 runs.

Professionally led by new captain Hayley Arrol, Radlett Women batted solidly for over 38 overs in strong winds, to make 82 runs against a talented Portsmouth side including several county players. Notable batting stands by Michele Verroken(22overs) and Laura Lambert(10), with Arrol scoring 35 runs demonstrated the commitment of the whole team.

Radlett worked hard in the field, Louise VJ a positive driving force behind the wicket, taking an excellent catch off Piya Haria's bowling to begin a steady fall of wickets until outstanding bowling by Piya took the last four wickets in four balls (all bowled) to conclude Portsmouth's innings for 64 runs in 18 overs.

Piya Haria 7 wickets for 13 runs, off 7 overs with 3 maidens must be a new club record!

HCPL Division One
Tring Park 124-10 (0.0) Radlett 87-10 (0.0)

Division Two
Old Finchleians 239-8 (53.0) *Radlett II 188-6 (47.0)

Division Four
*Radlett III 172-10 (53.0) Redbourn 136-10 (45.0)

Division Six
*Radlett IV 233-6 (51.0) Abbots Langley II 148-9 (49.0)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 106-10 (34.4) *Codicote 110-0 (15.5)

21 Jun: At the end of the Tring Park innings, Radlett were probably expecting to chalk up a second win over this opponent in the space of a week - how wrong they were! With a total failure of the batting line-up, the simple ask of 125 runs turned into a devastating defeat by 37.

Felix Walker (pictured) had just mown down the Tring batting with a superb display of swing bowling, taking 7-49 in 18 overs. In reply, Radlett lost three early wickets but at 63-3 were still well in the hunt. But not for long as the final 7 wickets could only add 24 runs.

The 2nd XI dropped from top spot having been held by Old Finchleians, or perhaps more accurately, by the Depala twins. Heath Paynter was on top form again taking 5-48. In reply, 240 proved too big a target and bonus points became the target. John Barr was unbeaten at the end on 55.

The 3rds, visiting league leaders Redbourn, came up with a great team performance to win by 36 runs. A disciplined and mature 55 from Simon Gray enabled Radlett to set a target of 173 and once again, Lee Fortis with, in the words of the opposition, "some quite beautifully intimidating bowling" dominated.

The 4ths couldn't quite squeeze out the last Abbots Langley II batsman as the visitors hung on for a draw. Matt Bell, Zahur Gitay and Giles Mitchell enabled Radlett to set a target of 234. The wiley Richard Hardy set about the Abbots batsmen taking 5-44 and with Neil Lederman chipping in with 3 wickets Radlett were tantalizingly close to victory.

The toss did for the 5ths as they were skittled out for 106 by a strong Codicote team, Shabbir Foyez (34), Vikram Rajput (28*). The Codicote openers took immediate control and cruised effortlessly to victory.

HCPCL Division One
Henley 255-10 (65.5) drew with Radlett 170-9 (54.0)

Division Two
*Potters Bar II 177-10 (50.3) lost to Radlett II 179-3 (41.0)

Division Four
*Radlett III 243-6 (50.5) drew with Chipperfield 203-5 (49.0)

Division Six
*Radlett IV 180-10 (51.3) beat Hatfield Crusaders 165-10 (38.2)

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 128-10 (46.1) lost to Hertford IV 129-4 (38.0)

14 Jun: Nick Fielden's team took centre stage on Saturday as they moved to the top of Division 2. Stuart Browne, Heath Paynter and Haydn Smith shared the wickets as Potters Bar II were restricted to 177. David Robinson (42*) and John Barr (67*) saw Radlett safely past their target in just 41 overs.

The 1st XI found themselves fighting for points at Henley. After Atul Sachdeva’s (pictured) five for 63 had helped dismiss the home side for 255, the cause seemed lost as the top order mustered less than 30 and the score was 44 for six.

However, wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Jenkins (50) and spinner Paul Barker (56) had other ideas and compiled an 85-run seventh-wicket stand to lift Radlett out of the mire. Even so, they still needed the last-wicket pairing of Sachdeva and Robbie Crocker to stand firm to secure the draw.

On Sunday it was a different story as Radlett progressed to the next round of the Evening Standard Challenge Trophy following a 171-run mauling of Tring. James Lewis hit 67 and Tring were dismissed for just 85. The next round sees a visit to BWIA Cavaliers in Muswell Hill.

A much improved performance saw the 3rd XI draw at home to Chipperfield. Dom Ingram was the mainstay with a gritty 50 working well in tandem with the stylish Sheilen Patel. It was then an aggressive innings from Lee Fortis (82*) that allowed a 51st over declaration. Radlett were unable to break down the visitors batting as they refused to take up the challenge.

The 4ths returned to winning ways with a 15 run victory over Hatfield Crusaders. Zahur Gitay (50) and Toby Sutherland ensured a defendable target and some excellent fielding and the bowling of Chandana Meepagama and Gitay saw Radlett home. The 5ths lost their third in a row as Charlie Randall (56) and Keerthi Sirimanne (28) found little support. 128 was too small a target to give the bowlers any real chance.

The 2008 cricket season is now well underway with all our teams still in positions to either win or be runners up in their leagues.

U15A have won all their games convincingly the best by 102 runs. The notable success has been Paras Shah who got 7 wickets in one game and Hardain who has scored well all season with his 50 coming in the last game.

U15b have played 2 fixtures, both won fairly comfortably. In the games played Harry Benjamin and Hershil Lakhani have led the batting, In Bowling Jon Armitage has taken 6 wickets including a hat trick! Tome Blazevski has also bowled very consistently and now started playing senior cricket. The fielding has been very good.

U14 are 4th but have been hard hit by the weather.Rikin Shah and Ollie Arrol have both contributed 50’s.

U13 are top with one game remaining. The leading batsmen have been James Lawrence, Jay Lakhani and Maanal Akhaney. Best bowling figures have come from Rahul Doegar and Simeon Cohen and Simeon, Ben Lederman and Angus Gillams have each taken 4 wickets.

U12 have to win all their remaining fixtures if they are to qualify for the quarter finals. The team has struggled to find the great form of last season and frustratingly,has gifted over a century of extras and lost 2 games. Highlights have been great fielding from Jack Dearlove, Ayush Oza for his 3 for 6 against Frogmore, and Joe Lewis who has yet to be out and is batting magnificently.

U11 are 4th and have not been helped by the weather playing only 3 out of 7 games.

U10 Have won all but 2 of the games losing both fixtures against Shenley Village! All boys have contributed well with notable batting performances from Hamish Gillams and George Dearlove.

U9’s have had a fantastic start crushing all opposition , bar one, out of sight., best winning margin being 158 runs. Not bad in 16 overs!. Our bowling has been superb and batting gradually getting more attacking. There has been some superb fielding notably from Ben Scott with two stunning catches and a great direct run out by Freddie Wright. Accurate bowling by Aneesh Oza and solid captaincy by George Lawrence have all contributed to the teams success. Currently second in the table we have an excellent chance of making the quarter finals.

Well done to ALL the boys and girls who have taken part in any games.

HCPL Division One
Radlett 223-10 (65.5) Welwyn Garden City 202-7 (54.0)

Division Two
*Northwood Town 57-10 (29.0) Radlett II 58-6 (25.0)

Division Four
North Mymms II 212-6 (52.0) *Radlett III 182-10 (46.5)

Division Six
Old Camdenians 254-6 (48.0) *Radlett IV 169-10 (50.4)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 182-7 (47.0) *Old Camdenians III 187-1 (26.2)

31 May: 3 in 3 moves the 1st XI up to Second

Finally, the long trip to Banbury has yielded success. For the first time since the formation of the premier league, Radlett have won at White Post Road. It took a half century rescue act by Felix Walker (pictured) and Mike Crocker to enable Radlett to reach 149. Shane Burger (5-16) and Gareth Berg then tore through the Banbury batting to create a memorable 49 run victory.

Abbots Langley were unlucky to come up against probably the strongest 2nd XI Radlett has ever fielded. Choosing to bat, Abbots could only reach 128, tied down initially by the partnership of Richard Cameron and Stuart Browne. It was Cameron again who weighed in with 64 to seal a comfortable victory and with it a move up to 3rd in the table.

A lost toss proved to be the difference between a draw and victory for the 3rds. A mediocre total of 149 was turned into a potential match-winning score by excellent work in the field by Josh Rose and Simon Gray in support of some impressive bowling, especially Lee Fortis.

The 4ths came within one nudge of beating a Met Police side, unbeated in some 4 seasons. The resulting tie in a low scoring match seemed unlikely with one third of the runs still needed and the last pair at the wicket. Chandana Meepegama must have kicked himself all the way home - an amazing 6-7 to reduce Met Police and then top scoring with 28, it was the loss of his wicket to a catch off a steepling bouncer that created a tie that could so easily have been victory. The 5ths came second by 1 wicket in a nail-biter at Knebworth. Irresponsible batting saw Radlett sink for just 61 in only 26.3 overs, Tony Peck being the only bright light as he notched up more than the rest of the team put together. However, amends were made in the field, fashioned around a so-nearly match-winning performance of 5-5 from Charlie Randall.

HCPL Division One
Radlett 149-10(54.3) - Banbury 100-10(51.5)

Herts League
Division Two
*Abbots Langley 128-10(42.3) - Radlett II 130-3(22.1)

Division Four
Radlett III 149-10(52.0) - *West Herts II 142-7(48.0)

Division Six
Met Police Bushey 91-10(39.0) *Radlett IV 91-10(32.0)

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 63-10(28.6) - Knebworth Park V 64-9(30.0)

24 May: Club record - all 5 league teams win

For the first time, since we entered a 5th XI in the Herts league in 2002, all 5 teams won. Whilst the most emphatic victory was that of the 1st XI at home to Reading, the best individual achievement came in the 5ths where sexagenerian Mike Dexter again rolled back the years with a vintage 90*.

The 1st XI saw the return of Middlesex's Gareth Berg to join Burger in a formidable opening attack. However, it was spinner Barker who took 4 wickets as Reading slumped to 129. Radlett only needed 20.2 overs to complete the rout - Steve Lowe returning to form with 82*.

The 2nd XI produced a great all-round performance to see off the Cockfosters 1st string, half centuries at either end of the age range from John Barr and David Robinson.

The 3rds openers Jackson and Fortis bowled themselves into a good position, only to see the batters floundering at 96-5 until Ingram, Arumugam and Fortis rescued the day. The 4ths also won by 4 wickets against the Watford 2nd XI, Meeps taking 4 wickets and Bell hitting 69. And then came the 5ths who crushed Hatfield Crusaders II, Barrett (78) and Dexter (90*) in a 138 run partnership and 4 wickets for Rajput.

HCPL Division One
Reading 129-10(50.2) - Radlett 135-2(20.2)

Herts League
Division Two
*Cockfosters 219-6(53.0) - Radlett II 223-6(46.1)

Division Four
Bushey 223-8(53.0) - *Radlett III 224-6(45.2)

Division Six
Watford Town II 194-10(50.0) - *Radlett IV 198-6(45.0)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 212-3(45.0) - *Hatfield Crusaders II 115-10(36.2)

w/e 23 May: In the home U15A fixture against Chipperfield, Paras Shah took YP records to a new high with his 7 wickets for 13 runs in just 4 overs.

U15A v. Chipperfield (Home) Won by 102 runs - Hardain Nandhra was the pick of the batting with 46 but it was Paras Shah who stole the show as in just 4 overs he totally destroyed both the Radlett YPs record books and the Chipperfield team taking 7 wickets for just 13 runs. The other 3 wickets fell to James Mills for just 1 run.
U15B v. Hertford (Home) Won by 33 runs - Hershil Lakhani top-scored with 28 and an all round performance by Jonathan Armitage (13 and 3-9), coupled by good performances in the field, ensured a comfortable win.
U14 v. Frogmore (Home) Won by 62 runs - half centuries from Rikin Shah and Oliver Arrol took Radlett to 175. Our strike bowlers were not needed and all other players had an opportunity to bowl with Arrol taking 3, Naveen Nandakumar 2 and Louis Hallett 1 wicket.
U13 v. West Herts (Away) Won by 77 runs - James Lawrence (31*), Maanal Akhaney (27*) & Jay Lakhani (30*) took Radlett to 133-2 and Simeon Cohen proved too good taking 4-4.
U12 v. Abbots Langley (Home) Won by 5 wickets - Harry Copley took 2 wickets and then William Wright (30*) and Joe Lewis (32*) lead the successful run chase
U12 v. Frogmore (Home) Won by 116 runs - William Wright (30*), Jaimin Patel (22), Joe Lewis (31*) and Harry Copley (30*) put the match way beyond Frogmore's reach.
U11 v. Chorleywood (Away) Lost by 4 runs - Aman Hindocha & Bhanuj Gautam took 2 wickets each but Radlett ended 4 runs short of the target of 58.
U10 v. Abbots Langley (Away) Won by 70 runs - Adam Spooner and Bhanuj Gautam top scored, Gautam taking 3 wickets, William Withyman and Hamish Gillams 2 each.
U9 v. Potten End (Away) Won by 156 runs - Aneesh Oza (13) and Ben Scott (4 wickets) lead a splendid all round performance.
U9 v. Old Albanians (Away) Won by 59 runs - Charlie Griffiths (15), Elliott Park (16), Max Lavelle (2 wickets).

A message from his family

Chris's funeral will be at 12 noon on Friday 23rd May at Christ Church. After the service there will be a wake at Radlett Cricket Club. We are asking people not to buy flowers, but instead to make donations to the Chris Griffiths Memorial Fund c/o Nethercotts Funeral Directors, 20 Aldenham Road, Radlett, WD7 8AX which will go towards paying for student's match fees at Radlett Cricket Club. Any donations can be made to CMD Griffiths - Chris Griffiths Memorial Fund.

We want the funeral to be a tribute to the lively Chris that we all knew and loved and so we would like people not to feel that they have to wear black. Although the funeral will be a sad event, hopefully the wake will be a bit more cheerful as we're sure everyone has a fair few stories to tell about Chris, and won't mind having a few drinks in honour of him!

We really appreciate all the support everyone has shown and hope to see you all there, all our love, the Griffiths family.

17/18 May: Radlett bounce back at Slough

A magnificent win at Slough saw Radlett put their season back on track. On a very overcast and damp day Shane Burger's men put together a team performance that will not easily be forgotten. This was their first every HCPCL Division 1 victory at Slough, the 2007 runners-up, 2005 and 2006 winners.

Paul Barker accounted for 5 wickets and Tom Jenkins mesmerised the batsmen from behind the timbers - 4 stumpings and 2 catches. The reply was built around an unbeaten 85 from Kabir Toor and his stand of 83 with Shane Burger (48).

The 2nd XI suffered at the hands of the weather - Stuart Browne getting his first lengthy stint of the season as he tied down Old Albanians - unfortunately, runs were flowing at the other end. A solid unbeaten opening partnership of 59 from Fielden and John promised much, until the weather intervened. The 3rds and 4ths lost whilst the 5ths drew a rain interrupted match.

On Sunday, the 1st XI were extremely understrength and succumbed to Stanmore in the National - Ashley Tillett top scored with 68.

HCPL Division One
Slough 235-10 (62.4) - Radlett 236-5 (44.0)

Division Two
*Old Albanian 251-6 (45.0) - Radlett II 59-0 (16.0) Rain

Division Four
Radlett III 101-10 (28.4) - *Hatfield Hyde 102-2 (18.3)

Division Six
*Radlett IV 181-6 (53.0) - Potters Bar III 182-5 (40.0)

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 155-8 (41.0) - Southgate Compton II 63-1 (27.0)

10/11 May: A Stuttering Start

The 1st XI were caught cold on Saturday - barely made it out of the blocks and saw 9 wickets fall to catches. After the opening trio fell cheaply, there was an element of stabilisation from Shane Burger and Kabir Toor but 92 gave the bowlers nothing with which to work. Young Rob Watson picked up 2 wickets.

The 2nd XI were our only league winners, skittling out the Rickmansworth 1st string for 106, Richard Cameron taking 6-50. Graham Dill fell just short of a half century as Radlett completed a 5 wicket victory. The 3rds lost at Harpenden, the 4ths almost made it thanks to 61* from Toby Sutherland and the 5ths lost to Hatfield Hyde II.

On Sunday, the 1st XI returned to winning ways as they just managed to squeeze past Shenfield in the Evening Standard Trophy. Kabir Toor (74 & 4-62), Simon Jackson (5-29) and Arjun Luthra behind the stumps were the pick of the players.

HCPL Division One
Radlett 92-10 (27.3) - High Wycombe 96-3 (21.0)

Division Two
Rickmansworth 106-10 (29.4) - *Radlett II 107-5 (27.1)

Division Four
*Radlett III 163-9 (53.0) - Harpenden III 167-7 (44.0)

Division Six
Ware 186-8 (51.0) - *Radlett IV 176-10 (48.3)

Division Eleven
*Radlett V 113-10 (44.0) - Hatfield Hyde II 114-2 (25.3)

SUNDAY

Evening Standard Rd 1: Shenfield 221 (50 overs) Radlett 224-9 (41 overs) - at Cobden Hill

In the final warm-up before the league season starts next Saturday, James Lewis helped himself to his best score for a couple of seasons as he batted through Radlett's reply to see off the Minor Counties XI by 7 wickets.

Fielding first, Shane Burger handed the new ball to his South African colleagues Richard Cameron and John Barr giving them and five other bowlers some top level practice. The Herts total of 261-6 looked competitive until James Lewis settled in. Ably supported by Rob Smith and Kabir Toor he went on to amass 133 not out as Radlett passed the Herts total for the loss of just 3 wickets.

3 May: Radlett IIs entertained the Watford Town first string in the opening fixture at Cobden Hill. Put in by Watford, Nick Fielden (96) and David Robinson (64*) enabled Radlett to reach 247-5 in 50 overs. Despite using 8 bowlers, Radlett could not break through and the match ended in a draw with Watford on 200-4.

Richard Hardy hit the club's first league century of the season as he steered the 4ths to victory over Preston II. Matt Bell had set the tempo early on with 30 off 16 but it took a partnership of 52 between Hardy and Chandana Meepagama for the 8th wicket to see Radlett home. Hardy (101*) hit the winning runs, a six, with nine balls to spare.

The 3rds had an unhappy trip to Northampton Exiles - in a low scoring match, they were beaten by 5 wickets. The 5ths match at home to Waltham Cross Rosedale IIIs was a victim of the weather with the Queens pitch being still waterlogged.

Division Two
Radlett II 247-5 (50.0) - *Watford Town 200-4 (50.0)

Division Four
*Radlett III 134-10 (52.0) - Northampton Exiles 135-5 (42.1)

Division Six
Preston II 182-6 (53.0) - *Radlett IV 187-7 (45.3)

Division Eleven
Radlett V 0-0 (0.0) - Waltham X Rosedale III 0-0 (0.0) Cancelled

19 April: Radlett had some useful practice at the weekend with two victories over Farnham Royal on Saturday and a win at home to a Wanstead XI on Sunday.

Tom Jenkins lead the 1st XI from the front on Saturday with 61*, with Atul Sachdeva (5-15) having earlier reduced the opposition to 133 all out. Nick Fielden took his 2nd XI to Farnham Royal where 3 wickets and 46 runs for Robbie Crocker together with a maiden half century for Richard Cameron on his debut saw Radlett home comfortably.

On Saturday 5th April, Mayor of Hertsmere Councillor Martin Saunders presented a Civic Award to Radlett Cricket Club at the Civic Awards ceremony in Bushey.

Radlett Cricket Club was rewarded for its schemes which see around 250 children join in training sessions every Sunday.

Club president Philip Marsh said: "To get this sort of recognition is tremendous. We do a lot of work with schools in Hertsmere. "We have 16 primary schools and two secondaries that we work with. We offer our coaches to them for training and our groundstaff help them prepare wickets. We have nine sides from all ages up to under-17 and are now Hertfordshire's top club. We had no idea about the award. It was the last award given out and it came rather out of the blue. It was a shock and quite moving."

March 15: Gauteng 130 for 4 (Vilas 54*) beat Northerns 132 (Phangiso 68, Burger 3-16, Cameron 3-23) by six wickets by D/L method

An all-round effort saw Gauteng emerge the champions of the South African Provincial One-Day Challenge with a six-wicket win over Northerns in a rain-interrupted final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Radlett's captain and director of coaching, Shane Burger, won the all important toss and lead from the front. Having been reduced to 26-5, Northerns achieved partial respectibility in reaching 132, but Gauteng, led by the opener Dane Vilas' unbeaten 54, cruised to victory with more than a quarter of their overs to spare.

Shane Burger and Yunus Keiller shared the first 16 overs removing the Northerns top five. Burger took two wickets in two balls in his first two overs and from that, Northerns never recovered. Northerns were in trouble at 11 for 3 in the seventh over before the first rain interruption, during which four overs were lost. The resumption did nothing to reverse Northerns' fortunes as Burger removed T Dikgale. Captain Aaron Phangiso showed some resistance with a half-century. Richard Cameron, Radlett's latest acquisition, who will be playing in Herts Division Two next season, took three lower-order wickets.

Gauteng progressed briskly towards the target with the openers, Vilas and Jean Symes adding 75 in less than 13 overs. They lost 3 wickets for 14 runs but Vilas steadied the ship.

Speaking after the match, the Gauteng coach Lawrence Mahatlane said, "I am quite happy for the boys for exerting pressure on Northerns. They played according to plan and now the sky is the limit for them. I hope some of them will be in the Highveld Lions side for the forthcoming Standard Bank Pro20 competition."

Radlett's Lucy Holden (Bowling) and Sasha Ferguson (Most Improved Player) have taken two of the three U11 county awards.

Their county citations are as follows:

"Lucy led the team as captain and opened the bowling. She took the wickets of some very accomplished batters to give us the opportunity to get into the middle order early by bowling fast and straight. A great prospect."

"Sasha worked really hard throughout the year on all aspects of her game. As a result the improvement has been tremendous. She bats straight, fields and throws much better than at the beginning of the season and her bowling has become more and more accurate."