Scorecard

North Mymms v Radlett CC 1st XI on Sat 12 Aug 2006 at 11:30
Radlett CC Won 4 wickets

Match report A tight and tense affair at Home Farm saw visitors Radlett consolidate their position at the top of the HCPL Division 2 East with a hard fought 4 wicket win with 2 overs to spare. Going into this game North Mymms were one of the form teams of the division, having moved out of relegation trouble to a season high 5th place in the past month, and if Radlett were expecting a tough test in their title chase, they certainly got one as they were made to battle all the way to the line.

Under overcast skies and with rain a looming threat, Radlett captain Dan Chippeck won the toss and invited North Mymms to bat first, expecting his seamers to make use of ideal conditions for medium-fast bowling and no doubt with thoughts of Mymms' collapse to 114 all out in the reverse fixture in June to the fore. With the wind behind him, Shane Burger worked up a decent head of steam and served up a fiery opening spell but it was his trusty accomplice Stuart Browne who made the early break through, trapping John Mather plumb lbw for a duck in the third over of proceedings. Neil Bamford joined Kyle Claxton at the crease and they were both quick to punish anything short with some powerful back foot strokes on both sides of the wicket, before Bamford looked to play Browne to leg on the back foot when he should have been forward and was trapped plumb in front for 22. Simon Jackson, on his recall to the side, took over from Burger downwind, and immediately found a good line and length, but without luck as he saw Claxton dropped twice in the gully. However, persistence paid off for the rugged northern seamer as he nipped one in off the seam to trap Claxton lbw for 18 to make the score 55-3. Browne meanwhile was toiling manfully into the wind, and was combining effectively with Jackson to build extreme pressure on Mark Saxby and Duncan Elder, the middle order stalwarts in the Mymms line-up. Browne himself picked up the vital wicket of Saxby as in attempting to break the shackles, he skied a catch into the onside where Graham Dill made good ground to take a magnficent swirling catch. After a brief delay for rain, lunch was taken with the score on 94-4 off 32 overs.

After the interval, Browne reasserted his vice like grip on the Mymms middle order, as a couple of maidens were followed by the wicket of Mymms skipper Chris Stead who edged a perfect leg cutter to Rob Smith at slip, and when Cartwright nicked a similar delivery to be well taken by keepr Steven Lowe, Mymms were in trouble at 118-6. However, Elder was holding the fort whilst wickets fell, riding his luck to compile a nuggety 35 before he also edged behind off Browne. When Hassell fell to the left arm spin of David Hegarty, Mymms were 146-8, but some lusty hitting from West Indian Wendell Roberts managed to take the score to 182-9 in the alloted 58 overs, as he smeared 2 huge sixes in a run a ball 45 not out. Browne was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed 6-79 off 29 unchanged overs, Burger claimed 1-40 off 14 overs, whilst Jackson impressed with 8 accurate overs to take 1-20. The pitch had shown some signs of uneven bounce and turn, and with the rain delays allowing Radlett just 47 overs in reply the target was always going to be a stiff one.

As if to prove Radlett were not going to cruise this chase, Burger fell for a duck in the opening over as Mymms elected to take the old ball and open with the spin of Danny Duggan and Mark Saxby, Duggan's slow left arm accounting for the South African as he edged behind. Graham Dill and Rob Smith took the score to 50 and looked well set before Dill (26) holed out to mid wicket off Duggan just before tea. Rob Smith was playing like a man in form and he cruised to 30, but after the break the drove head high and hard to Saxby at extra cover to give Duggan his third victim. Mymms then introduced the pace of Wendell Roberts who, with new ball in hand and wind behind, bowled a hostile spell at good pace, peppering Steve Lowe and Brenden Hutchings with a surfeit of short pitched bowling. Just when Roberts' fire had appeared to be doused, Lowe presented the tall West Indian with a simple caught and bowled, 99-4. Simon Gray joined Hutchings, who, having ridden his luck early was now playing with aplomb off front and back foot, taking the fight to the spinners and battling his way through against Roberts. With the run rate required nudging up towards 6 an over, Gray (21) played a gem of a cameo to get momentum into the chase. He struck Duggan for a glorious straight six and two more driven boundaries before he was unfortunately adjudged caught by keeper Cartwright off Roberts as he aimed a hook shot and the ball appeared to hit him flush on the helmet. When Radlett skipper Dan Chippeck drilled his third ball straight to Bamford off Saxby in the following over, the scoreboard read 139-6 with just over 6 overs left. Hutchings was still playing in determined fashion, and he was joined by Haydn Smith to produce a sensational match winning partnership. Following Roberts next over 42 were still required off 5 overs but Saxbys off spin was struck for 24 in the next over, both batsmen hitting sixes, and Smith finding the boundary on two other occasions. Hutchings then struck Roberts superbly over square leg for another boundary to leave 14 to win, and Smith completed the job in the following over as the returning Duggan was driven for another maximum over long off, and pulled for consecutive boundaries to mid wicket, Smith finishing on 30 not out off just 12 balls, and Hutchings a superb 65 not out seeing their team home in thrilling fashion with 13 balls to spare.

Radlett captain Dan Chippeck said:" We expected a really tough game here and we were not disappointed. It was a real battle, especially against Wendell Roberts who bowled as quick a spell as I can recall seeing in this league for a number of years. Simon Gray and Haydn Smith both played superb innings in the circumstances, and Brenden Hutchings did a superb job anchoring the whole chase and seeing us home to victory, playing his finest innings for the club to date, whilst Stuart Browne's unchanged spell into the wind for 6 wickets was simply magnificent."

With the second versus third clash between Welwyn and Stevenage ending in a closely fought draw, Radlett have extended their lead at the top of the HCPL Division 2 (East) to 28 points with 4 games remaining and they will seek to take a step closer to the title when Hertford visit Cobden Hill this Saturday. The same venue hosts the Becker Cup semi final on Sunday when Hemel Hempstead will be the visitors.

Radlett CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 6 wickets
0
183
(0.0 overs)		    
Shane Burger Caught  0
Graham Dill Caught  26 1
Rob Smith Caught  30 1
Brenden Hutchings Not Out  65
Steve Lowe Caught  8 3
Simon Gray Caught  21
Dan Chippeck Caught  0
Haydn Smith Not Out  30
Simon Jackson  
David Hegarty  
Stuart Browne  

North Mymms Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

North Mymms Batting
Player name Runs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
182 (0.0 overs)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Radlett CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Shane Burger14.0342142.003.00
Stuart Browne29.0779613.172.72
Simon Jackson8.0320120.002.50
Haydn Smith3.001200.004.00
David Hegarty4.0120120.005.00

  • Umpire :
    A English & M Leigh
  • Scorer :
    Doreen Browne