Scorecard

Hatfield Crusaders ll v Radlett CC 5th XI on Sat 17 Jul 2010 at 1.00
Match was Drawn

Match report Radlett V announced themselves as credible Division 11 promotion candidates when they emerged as the stronger side in a tense draw at fourth-placed Hatfield Crusaders II.

The game stayed on a knife-edge almost throughout after Radlett had been inserted by confident opponents. A see-saw innings opened with two early wickets, a recovery by Riki Shah and Andy Griffiths, a hiccup to 127 for seven and another recovery led by Luca Guerrini, which lifted the total to 194 for nine.

This total was formidable, and Crusaders were never quite up with the required rate. With three wickets down, they had to score at better than a run a ball for the last 20 overs, and this rate rose when wickets started to fall to the irrepressible Shah, the seventh bowler used.

The pitch was dry and well grassed, with springy uneven bounce, forcing batsmen to work hard for their runs, despite a fast outfield. Conditions probably eased as the afternoon progressed, so this was an excellent Radlett performance.

The new ball's extra bounce accounted for the loss of two early Radlett wickets, and the score would have been 10 for three if an easy chance off Shah's leading edge to mid-on had been accepted. Shah, 16, made the most of his 'life' and learnt quickly by cutting out his midwicket shots. Some glorious straight-driven fours helped add 79 in 17 overs with his experienced partner Griffiths, back in form with eight boundaries in his 44.

Shah later confirmed himself as a considerable all-rounder when he was called up by Charlie Randall as the seventh bowler, his brisk out-swingers making an immediate impact with three wickets. Crusaders collapsed from 130 for three to 164 for eight, forcing them to scramble for the last bonus point with victory out of the question.

Radlett's innings wilted after Shah was dismissed, confused by a bouncer that he hooked at too early. Griffiths holed out at mid-off, and Radlett were in trouble until Guerrini, back from university in Brighton, marshalled a great recovery assisted by Harry Will and Randall. The ninth wicket put on a crucial 43 runs.

Crusaders found their task too much, especially after Arif Rahman had yorked the dangerous Madduri. After Will had to retire from the attack with a sore knee, Pete Wharton struck in his first over. A turning point came when the Shafi, aiming to bat through the innings, swiped a full toss to short midwicket where Rahman held an instinctive catch while the rest of his colleagues were looking towards the distant boundary. The wicket was Wharton's 21st of the summer.

As the Crusaders innings this season had been built around their two openers, Radlett posed problems. Robert Millard bowled 10 overs very accurately, clamping down on the scoring rate, and it was Shah who started a tumble of wickets.

Radlett still have four of the bottom five teams to play in their remaining seven games, having moved up to eighth, 29 points behind fourth place. Nothing is fought on paper and last year they suffered shock defeats against weaker sides, but Radlett have a great chance to gain promotion this time.

Radlett CC 5th XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
194
(0.0 overs)		    
Robert Millard Caught  6
Arif Rahman Caught  2 1
Rikin Shah Caught  37
Andrew Griffiths Caught  44
Tom Clare Bowled  5 1
Lee Greenland Caught  6 1
John Armitage Bowled  16
Luca Guerrini Not Out  31
Harry Will Caught  21
Charles Randall Caught  14
Pete Wharton  

Hatfield Crusaders ll Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Hatfield Crusaders ll Batting
Player name Runs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 8 wickets
0
171 (0.0 overs)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Radlett CC 5th XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Harry Will4.002000.005.00
Arif Rahman11.0241220.503.73
Pete Wharton7.0120210.002.86
Robert Millard10.022900.002.90
Charles Randall4.002100.005.25
John Armitage2.001100.005.50
Rikin Shah 5.002337.674.60