Diary of the Season 2022

The weather always gets a mention in these annual reports but the 2022 season was extraordinary. Was it global warming or a seasonal freak that resulted in a season with only 21 weather-related cancellations in a league programme of nearly 2,500 fixtures. Many outfields resembled deserts, for weeks, and record temperatures regularly made the headlines in our newspapers. A host of teams played every match in their fixture cards and were grateful for that opportunity.

Player availability was perhaps more of a problem than in previous years, with a couple of clubs struggling to raise even one team, on occasions. 133 conceded matches is a worrying figure, even though the great majority were in divisions 11 & 12, as you would expect. The executive committee is continually driving for solutions and greater regionalisation in the lower divisions is one proposal. Initiatives to pair teams left without a fixture at short notice, have also provided a remedy, of sorts.

those teams with limited bowling attacks to struggle all summer? Let’s see, week by week, as the season unfolded.

Week 1, 7 May

The season in numbers:

• 29 Divisions, 102 Clubs, 273 teams,

• 2484 Fixtures, 3 void results; 10 tied 22 cancelled, 133 conceded matches

• 813,065 runs scored

• 36,142 wickets taken

A relatively quiet start to the league season, unless you were at Hoddesdon, where Totteridge Millhillians were the visitors, in the Premier. In fact, if you decided to have a quick lunch before watching the afternoon’s cricket, you would have missed it. Hoddy were dismissed for just 21 in 14.2 overs; comfortably the lowest ever total in the elite division. Destroyer-in-chief was Joe Wray, 7.2 overs, 7 for 11 (and that included 5 wides). Jordan Bethel rubbed salt into the wound in the Totteridge reply, hitting 23 off 13 balls and the players headed for the bar (breakfast bar?) after victory in two and a half overs!

As the season developed, some divisional tables suffered as a result of these conceded matches and then the withdrawal of some teams. The situation was made worse, from 9 July, by the removal of the three Bushey teams playing in divisions 2A, 6A, & 9B, after the club’s facilities were deemed inadequate.

So would the dry pitches and fast outfields create a paradise for batters and condemn

Plenty of hints elsewhere in the Premier of a competitive season to come. Defeats for champions Harpenden and play-off winners Hertford. Victory for newly promoted Stortford and a ten-wicket victory for Radlett, chasing Welwyn’s 155.

Bowlers took charge in the Championship, with all five teams who batted second getting bowled out, mostly well short of their targets. Batters balanced the scales in division one, with Leverstock Green putting down a marker with a ten wicket win over Old Albanians, chasing 172.

Another batter to hit early form was Ahmed

Khan of Old Camdenians, with 156* out of his side’s imposing total of 359-5, against Broxbourne II in 5A. Even better was Kasey Harris, who was a run machine in 2021 and picked up where he left off, scoring 184*, which was more than 70% of Botany Bay’s runs against Rickmansworth II, in 6B.

Redressing the balance for the bowlers and giving their teams a winning start, were Harry Cobb, taking 7 for 11 for Mymms 2nds against N’ton Exiles in 5A and Andrew Dongworth, 7 for 19 for Sawbo 2nds, who bowled Flamstead out for just 40, in 5B.

For close games, Bovingdon’s 1 run defeat of Luton 3rds, in 6B stood out. Chasing 149, Luton’s tail lifted them from 101-7, only to fall short. In 12 South, the one wicket victory for Kings Langley 3rds, with one ball to spare, was equally tense. Langley’s successful pursuit of Northwood 5ths’ 190, owed much to the lower order, especially no. 8 Matthew Owens (64), and no. 10 Hadi Rizvi (30*).

Week 2, 14 May

The first question was how would the talented Hoddesdon side respond to the previous week’s shocker? They did so in style, with a six wickets victory over Mymms, albeit with only four balls to spare. Jayden Broodryk led the way with 118*.

Over 500 runs were scored in that match, quite rare in a 50 over match, but today it was one of four to achieve that feat, all in our top three divisions. In the Championship, Preston defended 294-9 as Dunstable couldn’t recover from 56-6 and finished on 222 with overs in hand. In the same division, Shenley (285-7; Will Thomson 110) against Broxbourne (253-9) was slightly closer but the result was rarely in doubt. The fourth came in division one, where Redbourn’s 293-7 was 28 too many for Sawbridgeworth, in spite of a Robert Sanders century (108 off 90 balls).

There was another 500-run match, which was unarguably the best of the lot, as it came in 11 South where they play 40 over matches! Chipperfield 3rds piled up 251-7, only for West Herts 5ths to overhaul their total off the last ball of the match. It was a great effort after being 129-7, before no. 7 Ciaran Osborne blitzed 82* off 55 balls. Another West Herts team was also involved a tight finish today. Their 2nds, in 3A, defended 154 and held off Knebworth to win by 2 runs (Dhruv Mehta 5 for 21 including key wicket of opener Josh Roseberry who scored exactly half of Knebworth’s runs). The tightest game of all saw a tie at Cheshunt, where visitors Watford scored 237 but Cheshunt could only equal that total, off the last ball, with 8 wickets down.

Individual achievement of the day was Syed Nasir Ali Shah’s 152* for Markyate v Letchworth IV in 10 North. Final words are reserved for veterans/legends. Flitwick IV’s innings against Hitchin V, in 11 North, featured an unbeaten opening partnership of 281 involving the club’s all-time leading run scorer Andrew Summerfield (top). Today he stroked his way to 121*, accompanied throughout by John Trussell (115*) (right). Among the bowling legends, Tim Smith, (right) approaching his 70th year, took 7 for 29 for Stortford II in 4A, to bowl out Tewin for 82. Stuart Browne (below) is equally a legend at his own club, Radlett, and against Letchworth III, in 6A, finished with 5 for 4! Those figures were matched in 9A by the son of a legend, Nick Hodgins’ boy, Jacob, taking Hemel 4ths to a 123-run win over Hertford 4ths.

Week 3, 21 May

As we looked for clues for which team might lift the Premier title, Radlett had seemed to be showing their strength with an unbeaten start but that record went in one of the games of the day. Mymms had set a modest target of 179, with Nesan Jeyaratnam (82) the only batter to pass 25. At 149-3, Radlett were strolling to victory, before Hamza Qayyum (5 for 36) and Chanaka Ruwansiri (4 for 32) applied the pressure. The 41st over started well for Radlett, with 7 runs taking them within one of the Mymms total, only for their last two wickets to go within three balls, handing the 25 points to Mymms. but set a reasonable final target of 186 in the 50th over. Lutonian were strolling at 123-2 but subsided to 146-8. The last pair added 22 only for the last wicket to go down with the scores level, at the end of the 49th over.

Potters Bar were the other Premier team to show their class today, with a demolition of West Herts. A partnership of 203 between James Seward (107) and Steve Gale (105) set the benchmark, before Lee Tyrrell (5 for 6 in 4.3 overs) and Jigar Mehta (4-38) wrapped things up within 20 overs, for victory by 215 runs.

Leading batter today was Watton’s Ben Connolly in 6A. His 151* out of Watton’s total of 323-4, set up victory over Knebworth II by 171 runs. For good measure, Ben also opened the bowling and took a couple of wickets! He just pipped Mohsin Sageer, whose 150 meant Markyate had two batters scoring 150+ in consecutive weeks. Mike Samuels of Hemel 4ths wasn’t far behind, scoring 137 in a total of 328-4, ahead of a 277-run victory over Baldock in 9A. Perhaps the most remarkable century came from Basil Letts, for Aldenham, in 8A. His team were chasing Hitchin III’s total of 179-6, which they achieved comfortably, for the loss of four wickets, but Basil hit 135* of those runs! No other batter reached double figures.

Among the bowlers, Marcus Hill starred with remarkable figures of 5 for 1 in 2.4 overs, for Tewin II, who bowled out Stevenage V for just 33, in 10 North.

Week 4, 28 May

One tied match today, plus thrillers in the Championship and 5A took the headlines. In 2B, Northwood were struggling at 85-6

The Championship’s nailbiter saw Shenley overhaul Preston’s total of 228 with just one ball to spare, having recovered from 88-5. Meanwhile, Bentley Heath’s total of 300, in 5A, was anchored by Hassan Zeb (110) but they came to regret having 13 balls still unused when the last wicket fell. In reply, Frogmore had their own centurion in Jack Massey (104) who put on 189 for the first wicket with Ian Hurst (74), until both were dismissed in the 28th over. Progress continued, until 272-4 became 285-8, before 13 off the 49th over settled the nerves only for a run out on 299, which left two runs required off the last three balls. No problem for Felipe Lima de Melo who hit his first ball for 4! (You can read more about Felipe, from Brazil, on page 14)

Frogmore’s big partnership was one of several this weekend. Dan Bradley of Harpenden III, (158*), and teammate Joshua Sambrook (141*) were way out in front, amassing 308 for the 3rd wicket at Stevenage in 4B. Similarly impressive was the opening stand of 228 by Kieran Jones (130) & David Brandon (72), in 10 South, putting North Enfield II on the road to victory over Parkfield. Prakash Murugesan (106*) and Dillon Mahawatte (70*) can be proud of their opening stand of 190 in 23 overs, as it earned West Herts V a ten-wicket victory over Leverstock Green IV in 11 South. Then in a Sunday match in 12 East, Pratik Vyas (132*) and Ramesh Pant (104*) put on over 200 for Southgate

Compton II against Broxbourne

Solo innings to catch the eye included 155 (12x4, 8x6) by Datchworth’s Kieran Atkinson, against Potton in 3A, and Abhishek Nasa, with 150 for Mymms 3rds in 12 East, against St Margaretsbury 4ths.

Carrying the flag for the bowlers today was James Downes (top picture) with the excellent return of 9.5-3-19-8. Playing for Leverstock 2nds in 5A and coming on as first change, he helped to dismiss Mymms 2nds for 96. leading to victory by 136 runs.

Just one team performance caught the eye in the Premier today, where Hoddesdon returned to their bad old ways. Although a total of 144 may not seem too gross, it owed everything to Jayden Broodryk’s 81* as the other 10 batters managed only 41 between them, leaving West Herts the victors by 75 runs.

Week 5, 4 June

A long weekend, in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which inevitably meant rain but luckily not enough to affect the outcome of many matches or hinder some marvellous individual efforts. With the benefit of postseason hindsight, we can report that the season’s top bowling and batting performances both occurred this day.

Let’s start with the successful bowler, Sandridge’s Pete Jordan (2nd picture). Coming on as first change, when his team-mate pulled up mid-over with an injury, he maintained a perfect line and length, taking the first nine wickets, aided and abetted by excellent fielding. Pete even saw a difficult chance go down in the last of his allotted ten overs - so close to all ten but ultimately Pete had to settle for 9-45, a haul that would not be bettered all season, anywhere.

Double centuries are quite rare but today we had two! Top scorer for the day (and, so it turned out, for the season) was Neil Bamford (3rd picture), who opened for Mymms 2nds, in 5A. He took the Broxbourne II attack apart, with 219 off 155 balls (29x4, 2x6), to set up victory by 143 runs. Close behind on the honours board came Kazim Bacchus (4th picture), whose unbeaten 210 came off only 126 balls, with 17x4 and 15x6. He helped Edmonton to reach 316-1 in 11 East - where innings are limited to only 40 overs! In the 38th over, Kazim needed 18 to get his double 100 and, worried he might miss out, immediately smashed three sixes over cow corner into the adjacent field! The final victory margin, over Old Owens III, was 165 runs.

Kieran Jones & David Brandon were mentioned last week, with their opening stand of 228 for North Enfield 2nds and they carried that form into this week’s match against Parkfield II, in 10 South. They couldn’t be parted, as they pursued Letchmore’s total of 203-8 (bottom picture), with Kieran’s 100* his 2nd century in successive weeks. Among the best of the rest, Matt Howeson’s 168* for St Albans 2nds against Stevenage 2nds, stood out.

We had a tied match today, in 7A, where St Margaretsbury 2nds set a challenging total of 249-4, off their 40 overs. Old Cholmeleians duly took up the challenge, Sam Khalique leading the way with 134 off 94 balls, only for his team to finish on parity, eight down. Almost as close was Bushey

III’s visit to Flamstead (2nds) where the home side reached 226-7. Bushey levelled the scores, four wickets down, with one ball left, which was hit for six, to make sure of victory.

No outstanding events in the Premier today, the last week of limited overs matches until August, although Hertford (last season’s play-off winners) did achieve a first win of the season against Harpenden (last season’s league champions). The top match, by any measure, was the two-runs victory by Potters Bar over Totteridge, both in the top 4 of the table. Bar owed much of their 297-3 total to a stand of 132 between Rishi Patel (136; 11x4, 8x6) and Steve Gale (58*). Patel’s innings included 30 off the 40th over, one dot ball and five maximums! The Totteridge reply stuttered when 61-0 became 65-4, before Ravi Madushan (102) and Simon Webster (63) began the rebuild but a clatter of wickets meant 23 were still required off the last four overs, with the last pair at the crease. This was reduced to 12 needed off the last over and with 9 off the first three balls, it was game on, but, next ball, Maheshram took the last of his three wickets and Bar were home.

Our footnote for this week is the selection of possibly the oldest player ever, for a 1st XI in the top three divisions of a Herts League game. Mike Dobner (left), aged 72, got the call-up by Langleybury and what makes his appearance stand out is the fact he was chosen to keep wicket! Availability and injury issues meant he had to don the gloves but there were no doubts about his fitness or abilities, as team-mates in the Herts Seniors (which he chairs) will testify. For the record, Mike let through only 7 byes out of 37 extras in Sawbridgeworth’s winning total of 304.

Week 6, 11 June

It was the first round of timed matches for our premier divisions and a few of the batters obviously relished the longer format. Leading the way was Simon Webster, whose 167 off 106 balls (16x4, 11x6), batting at no. 7, enabled Totteridge to declare on 341-6, after just 52 overs. Welwyn still hung on for the draw, finishing on at 182-9, after 63 overs.

A run fest at Hertford where four players celebrated centuries. After Hugh Cavener had been run out without facing, Fayaz Homyoon (114) and Bailey Eustance (115*) put on 191, allowing the home side to finish on 286-4 after 60 overs, before Stortford replied with interest. After being 32-3, Joe Burslem (120*) and Joe Hawkins (141* off 110 balls) put on 256 and saw their team home in the 51st over.

Division 1, still playing the 50 overs format, had a big centurion in Sol Tomlinson, 166 out of 349-6, which was 162 too many for St Margaretsbury. Yet that wasn’t the day’s top score.

Down in 7B

Sam GreenArmytage (right) monopolised the Southgate Adelaide IIs innings and out of the team total of 291-4, against Cockfosters II, Sam scored 208 in 137 balls (23x4; 8x6). And that was all in 40 overs.

Another pair of batters to make hay were Adam Pitt (131) and Kaz Ahmed (101), who put on 230 for the first wicket for Hitchin 4ths, against Harpenden 5ths in 10 North. The final accolade goes to North Enfield’s Kieran Jones, who was mentioned last week. And the week before. A man obviously in form, today he notched his third successive century. He more than helped NE 2nds to their 40 over total of 248-2, which proved to be 50 too many for Botany Bay 2nds, in the all-Middlesex clash in 10S

Week 7, 18 June

On the preceding Thursday, the country recorded its 2nd hottest June day on record. As sure as night follows day, the weather would break and the first serious rain this summer arrived just in time to have an impact on our league programme. None more than in the Premier, where Radlett lost their status as league leaders, when their result against Harpenden couldn’t even be saved by Duckworth Lewis Stern. Potters Bar had no problems in beating Hertford and stepped into the top spot. Most batters weren’t distracted by the weather, jusdgig by the centuries and high team scores. Lutonian rattled up 326-3 off 47 overs against Hertford II, with Ammad Saeed (139) and Zahid Khan (101*) putting on 174 for the 3rd wicket. Also in 2B, Nirrushan Raveenthiraraja (112*) scored most of Northwood’s 166 runs to beat Potters Bar II by10 wickets.

Dinesh Johnson mammoth 154* (22x4; 6x6) for Mill Hill Village 2nds, against Dunstable 3rds, was the best of the rest. Ben Newton’s 137*, led the way in Harpenden III’s imposing total of 375-5 in 45 overs, against Langleybury II, in 4B.

Paddy Boylan wasn’t far behind, with 135 for Datchworth 4ths, out of 239-2 in just 25.2 overs and an eight-wicket victory over Hitchin VI, in 12 North. Awais Paul’s 128 was the main contribution to Bamville’s 360-5 off just 40 overs, against Baldock II in 9A.

Wheathampstead III moved into 4th place in the list of all-time highest margins of victory, with victory by 350 runs over Letchworth 5ths in 12 North. The victors had two centurions, Nick Lloyd & Quentin Vaile but their efforts were more memorable for their application of the spirit of cricket at that level, with both batters retiring when they reached three figures, to give teammates time at the crease.

For the game of the day we turn to a top v bottom encounter in 5A. Batting first against Frogmore, leaders Old Camdenians scored 72, with fielders dropping 10 catches in the innings, only one of them difficult (by Frogmore’s own admission!). After a rain delay Frogmore’s revised victory target was 234 which came within reach through

Jack Massey, who scored 130 off 86 balls – having been dropped second ball of the innings! Wickets fell regularly, the 9th going down on 229 with 7 balls remaining. Last ball, and with only one run required, Brazilian Felipe played a late cut - which went to 3rd slip. Match tied. Except… it transpired that both sides and the umpires had calculated incorrectly and Camdenians had actually won by one run!

Week 8, 25 June

Some high quality batting towards the top end of the league was the stand-out feature on a day of high scores and, thankfully, only a little interfering rain.

Highest scorers in the Premier, with 351-2, were Radlett, and their 54-run victory over Stortford was enough to send them back to the top of the table, as Potters Bar drew. An unbeaten 4th wicket stand of 189 was the main feature of the Radlett innings, with Nathan Smith bludgeoning his way to 119* off 63 balls (10x4; 8x6), accompanied by David Burnell (106*). A five-wicket haul for Kabir Toor ensured the victory.

Rhys Wynne and Chanaka Ruwansiri were both out in the nervous 90s but did enough to ensure Mymms could overtake the Totteridge 60 over total of 260-6, for whom Jack Keeping scored 105*. Mymms leapt into 3rd place as a result.

Arguably the game of the day was the drawn encounter between West Herts and Harpenden, which went to the last ball. Alastair Lewis, with 107, was the main contributor to the West Herts total of 2778. In reply, Harpenden were stuttering at

110-5, including the wicket of Aussie Hilton Cartwright (2 Tests & 2 ODIs) for just 2, in his only appearance of the summer.

Half centuries for Nick Lamb and Ashley Sivarajah turned things around and Ashley was still there at the end, to face the last ball with two required for victory but a swing and a miss meant both teams finished the day in the bottom half of the table.

The other reportable tight finish came in 8B, where Redbourn 3rds stayed top after defending 233 then turning things round after Kings Langely II’s openers put on 164, eventually squeezing home by two runs.

Runs a-plenty at Flitwick the Championship, where the home side’s triple Nelson score, for the loss of only three wickets, was largely thanks to Apoorv Wankhade (127) and George Thurstance (104*), before 2nd-place Shenley were dismissed for 230 in 42 overs. The division also had one of the day’s top scorers, in George Davies, with 143 for bottom club Broxbourne.

Division One saw the bowling performance of the day, with St Margaretsbury dismissing Old Albanians for 98 and Joe O'Gorman taking a remarkable seven wickets for six runs in 8.4 overs.

A little further down the structure, Neil Morgan’s 143 for Hemel 2nds was the stand-out innings, ahead of victory by 223 runs over Reed II.

In contrast to these notable individual performances, the day effectively marked the end of the season for Bushey. Their 1st team’s home match against Berkhamsted was called off early in the first innings, when the umpires deemed the pitch too dangerous to continue. The 2nd XI were unable to play there the following week and the League committee felt that, with no early prospect of an improvement in the facilities, their season should be ended and points earned by their opponents should not count. With the prospect of so many high quality players being available for their 3rd XI, that team was also withdrawn from the League and its matches to date regarded as void.