Even contest, even points

The 1st XI visited the charming and pleasantly appointed Hertingfordbury CC's village ground for a mid-season and mid-table clash. After several unsuccessful attempts to insert and chase, captain David Overton elected on this occasion to bat first on this rare warm sunny day. A shaky start ensued with the top 3 all dismissed with just 29 runs on the board. Jay Nandha (83) and Majid Asif (43) settled the ship with a hundred run stand, scoring consistently at 4 runs per over. The opening bowlers both swung the ball and looked dangerous but the support bowlers were a lot less threatening. The opposition captain reverted to defensive fields very early and scoring was relatively straightforward, albeit largely in singles rather than boundaries with the deep set field in place.

After a run out mix up that saw Majid dismissed and Felix follow shortly afterwards the score was 135-5 after 32 overs and the game was very much in the balance. David Overton joined Jay to try and push home the batting side advantage and the pair added 40 together, to take the Village ahead of the game. 175-5 in the 44th over was a decent launch pad but the away side failed to use the platform created. Overton was bowled for 28, the tiring Jay Nandha ended an excellent knock under early pressure, holing out on the long on boundary. The lower order chipped in with a few but fell away too rapidly and in the end, the Village were dismissed for 210 in the 52nd over.

Hertingfordbury needed 211 in 49 overs, which seemed like about a par total and everyone was anticipating a close finish. At 61-0 and then 90-1 after 26 overs, the batting side looked like favourites. And yet, there seemed a real lack of confidence in their ability to get over the line. A succession of batsman played fearfully rather than positively and the run rate continued to rise. Once the top 3 were dismissed, the remaining batsman were unable to score at a rate that kept the chase in reach and there was a danger of the match petering out into a bore draw.

In order to keep the chase as an option for the home side, a couple of bonus overs were provided by Phil Smith for the batsman to feast upon. 20 runs were gifted to the hosts. It worked to a certain extent and persuaded the middle order to keep attacking. This enabled the Village to pick up a few wickets as the overs remaining started to dwindle. David Overton 3-43 in 15 overs and Naz Asif 3-9 in just 3 overs were the leading wicket takers. Although Saahil Mehra who has found his porridge quite distasteful recently, made a welcome return and bowled sharply. The late loss of wickets swiftly put Hertingfordbury back into survival mode and the chase was abandoned with a couple of overs to go. In the end, they mustered 191-8 in the 49 overs available. 18 points was a reasonable return for both sides in a contest that was well balanced for long periods but slightly disappointing given that the longer the match went on, the more dominant the Village bowling became.

With all the bottom sides beating all the top sides, the Division, particularly the middle section has become very congested. Only three points separate Hertingfordbury in 5th place from Mill Hill Village in 8th place. 10 penalty points lost as result of umpire shortages have made the table look a lot less attractive. 2 or 3 more wins would guarantee safety. A run of victories would put a mid-table side back in the hunt for promotion. With only 1 win in the last 7 games, a run of victories from the Village looks like a long shot at the moment.