Scorecard

Sawbridgeworth v Radlett CC 1st XI on Sat 11 Jun 2005 at 11:30
Match was Drawn

Match report Second place Sawbridgeworth played host to Radlett on Saturday, with both sides hoping for victory that would push them nearer the summit of the division.

The toss was to prove crucial as Radlett lost it for the 5th time in five games played and were asked to bat. Skipper Haydn Smith had made his only mistake of the day. From then on he was a man inspired, with a savage 83 not out, the last 30 coming off 9 balls, three wickets in a spell of artful spin bowling and a display of thoughtful captaincy.

Graham Dill and Nick Fielden opened up for Radlett against Bridger, a fiery new ball bowler. Bridger was to claim Fielden for 10 and then Rob Smith for a first ball duck. Steve Lowe stepped in and played a calm and sensible rebuilding innings while Dill from the other end continued his good form to race past 50. Lowe was run out when looking set for a big innings for 28 after a direct hit and lunch was taken with Radlett 123-3. This soon became 4 wickets when Brendan Hutchings was removed bringing captain Smith to the wicket. Dill reached 84 before a lapse in shot selection saw him removed after a solid innings, which included many fine shots all round the wicket.

At 152-5 Radlett had let slip another promising start. Smith stepped up and played a crucial innings. Together with Shane Burger (32) he steadied the ship before unleashing a brutal array of shots. The large crowd enjoyed a feast of hitting with every ball seeming to be hit harder and harder. Vitally for the team, the score raced to 262-6, with Smith granted a huge and deserved ovation for his innings of 83 not out.

The home side were deflated but to their credit rallied with a 2nd wicket hundred partnership between Hull and Marsh. Both batted well and took the game to Radlett with good strokes and aerial shots. Stuart Browne in particular was unlucky that chances did not go to hand. Hull made a mistake and was caught at slip by Dill off Browne and Radlett were back in the game. Three more wickets fell to skipper Smith and one more to Browne. Despite this, the runs were still mounting and Sawbridgeworth had agenuine chance of victory. The overs were whizzing by and with an hour left ‘Sawbo’ needed a mere 100 runs with six wickets left on a small ground. A classic was approaching. It was indeed a surprise that they stopped their chase for victory four wickets down and even more surprising after they had won the toss. Radlett bowled 56 overs, 6 more than they needed to, yet the second placed team denied themselves a chance of staying in touch with the leaders by deciding to ‘stick not twist’ when the odds were surely in their favour.

It was a strange end to good game, both teams have good players and it was a shame for the large crowd not to see more drama in what could have been a more positive finish. Both sides will rue missed chances but Radlett gained more points on the day.

Radlett CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 6 wickets
0
262
(0.0 overs)		    
Nick Fielden Bowled  10
Graham Dill Bowled  84 2
Rob Smith Bowled  0
Steve Lowe Run out  28 1
Brenden Hutchings Caught  10
Haydn Smith Not Out  83
Shane Burger Caught  32 1
Nick Hampton Not Out  1
Ian 'Oz' Edwards  
David Hegarty  
Stuart Browne  

Sawbridgeworth Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Sawbridgeworth Batting
Player name Runs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
230 (0.0 overs)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Radlett CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Stuart Browne23.0281240.503.52
David Hegarty5.03800.001.60
Haydn Smith17.0171323.674.18
Shane Burger4.002600.006.50
Graham Dill1.00700.007.00
Ian 'Oz' Edwards6.002700.004.50

  • Umpire :
  • Scorer :
    Doreen Browne