RESULT - Stevenage Won by 113 runs
Stevenage's first eleven brought the curtain down on their league season in some style with a comprehensive 113 run defeat of Potters Bar at Ditchmore Lane on Saturday.
Skipper Barry Turner chose to bat first on a wicket that had the look of a flat belter and despite the early loss of two wickets it's looks did not prove to be deceiving. Ashley Bayes joined Naseer Ahmed
with the score at 29 for 2 and the pair shared a substantial 3rd wicket partnership with the teenage Bayes in his first season of first eleven cricket keeping pace with the scoring rate of Ahmed, a batsman
with years of first class cricket behind him. In fact it was Ahmed (40) who was first to be dismissed falling to Jeyaratnam who along with McGee (5 for 80) was the pick of the Bar attack. Gareth Berg was
the next man in and he shared in the second sizeable partnership of the day involving Bayes. During this partnership Bayes reached his maiden first eleven fifty in good style showing maturity in his shot
selection and plenty of ability in their execution.
The Stevenage innings progressed at pace after the lunch interval with Berg dominating the strike and Bayes assuredly adding to his total such that two centurions was becoming a distinct possibility.
Berg's innings was rich with attacking shots of all descriptions and each one timed to apparent perfection, however, after racing past his fifty a misjudgement led to his dismissal, LBW, for 67. A
very similar error by Bayes saw his innings end with 80 on the board but by then they had assured a large total,which allowed the lower order to bat with freedom. Faisal Yasin's 14 and Syed Ali Kazmi 19
were the main quick fire contributors and the innings closed on 255. Following their early season bore draw with Potters Bar, the Stevenage players were desperate to make sure that however the Bar
batted a Stevenage victory would result and this positive, attacking attitude with the ball and field placing yielded a big early payout. Azhar Ali and Gareth Berg ripped out six of the Bar's top order
batsmen with only 50 runs on the board and a very early finish was on the cards. Ali finished with another 6 wickets and Berg, not for the first time this season found himself on a hat-trick before finishing with 2 wickets for 45.
An entertaining rearguard action from Breeze and Martin restored some pride to the Bar innings although both batsmen were dismissed by some high quality left arm spin. Martin was well held at slip by Berg of Ali Kazmi, who drifted
one into the right-hander before it spun sharply in the opposite direction to take the edge of the bat. Breeze was similarly bamboozled, but this time Ali, whose control of flight and spin dragged the batsmen out of his crease allowing
Carr to complete a routine stumping. The last few Bar wickets fell with little resistance, with the part-time spin of Ahmed responsible for the dismissal that gave Stevenage victory with time to spare.
The victory leaves Stevenage in 4th place at the end of a season, just a couple of points behind 3rd placed Radlett but someway behind the runaway league champions West Herts.
MoM-Ashley Bayes
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 8 wickets
Stevenage slipped to a disappointing defeat at relegation threatened St Margaretsbury, a club that is fast becoming the 1st XI's bogey team, having inflicted defeats on
Stevenage at St Margaretsbury in each of the previous two seasons.
This time round Stevenage were asked to bat first on a wet wicket and were quickly in trouble with Mushty Ur Rehman dismissed for a duck by a delivery that in taking a divot from the wicket leapt
from a good length and ballooned off his gloves to gully. Syed Ali Kazmi followed soon after caught at point this time a victim of a delivery that held up on the wicket and when David Carr was
trapped LBW for 11 the Stevenage innings was in trouble at 12 for 3. A brief recovery was staged by Gareth Berg (12) and Nas Ahmed, which was unfortunately ended with Berg being adjudged caught behind.
A succession of quick wickets followed, with only Graeme Duff reaching double figures until Faisal Yasin arrived at the crease at number 9. Yasin and Ahmed took the innings to 84 for 7 at lunch but
immediately on the restart Ahmed fell for 37. That left Yasin to squeeze as many runs out of the last 2 wickets as possible, which he managed to a degree in making a potentially valuable 42 and boosting the total to 117 all out.
Stevenage's defence of what was undoubtedly a paltry total on a rapidly drying batting surface got off to an excellent start. Yasin bowled Anstead with his first delivery and Azhar Ali removed the number 3 for just 1 run to leave
the innings on 12 for 2 from 11 overs. However, an unbroken century stand between Wilson and Wallis guided St Margaretsbury to a comfortable win, albeit one that may be too late to save them from relegation. The defeat for Stevenage
leaves them in 4th, just a couple of points off 3rd place but out of reach of Sawbridgeworth who are second behind the league champions West Herts.
Stevenage's last league game of the season is a home fixture starting at 11am against Potters Bar.
MoM - Faisal Yasin
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - STEVENAGE WON BY 7 WICEKTS
Stevenage 1st XI arrived at Knebworth Park expecting a tough game anticipating Park to be keen to exact revenge for their massive 190 run defeat when the sides met at Stevenage earlier in the season.
This expectation was certainly met during the pre-lunch session of the game with Knebworth electing to bat first on a good batting track and making steady progress to 100 for 1 wicket from 36 overs.
The Park openers survived an early examination from the seam attack of Gareth Berg and Faisal Yasin. Yasin (13/2/32/1) proved more suited to the slow wicket and was the only bowler on the day to extract regular seam movement
from the right line and length and it was he who bowled Park skipper Ryan Skeggs (21) with the score on 57. The wicket brought Park's main batsman (Aussie, Anthony Pratt) to the crease and he was in a belligerent mood from the
start, playing shots against Yasin and the two spinners Azhar Ali and Syed Ali Kazmi.
After the lunch break, though, Stevenage picked up wickets regularly and gradually exerted a stranglehold on the Park innings. The first over after the break provided the first wicket, that of Lewis LBW Ali for a painstaking 37.
From that dismissal onwards the Park innings declined thanks to Stevenage's spinners selecting a method of attack that suited the nature of the pitch and skipper Barry Turner positioning his fielders in the right places.
The most important wicket of the innings was claimed by Ali Kazmi, he had Pratt well caught by Turner at long off for 61 and he followed that up with two further wickets to end with 17/2/51/3. At the other end Ali plied his trade
to good effect completing 24 overs for 83 runs and 4 wickets, leaving the Park innings stranded someway short of a par score on 186 for 9.
The importance of a good start to Stevenage's reply was obvious to all spectators with Park keen to wrest back the initiative lost in the second half of their innings. However, David Carr and Mushty Ur Rehman blunted a short
sharp spell by Pratt and showed appropriate patience against Slade who maintained a steady line and length. The Stevenage opening partnership prospered to 69 with both Carr and Ur Rehman (37) scoring fluently until a sensational
diving stop and direct hit run out by Junior D'Abreu at square leg accounted for Ur Rehman.
Unfortunately for Park, this brought Ali Kazmi to the crease who arriving off the back of his 132 not out the previous week was in no mood to hang around. His first scoring shot was a flashing cover drive off Graham Fisher
that left the bowler and his fielders scratching their heads in bewilderment. Kazmi's strokeplay continued unhindered taking particularly heavy toll on McCrow and Hemmingway, the latter eventually rewarded for a decent
spell by tempting Kazmi to hole out at long on for 47 shortly after tea. By then the Stevenage innings was well placed on 127 for 2 with Carr compiling his third fifty of the season in comfort while enjoying a first hand view
of Kazmi's batting fireworks. Naseer Ahmed (38no) who shared a 59 run partnership with Carr for the third wicket hit the winning runs in grand style launching a huge six into the grounds to Knebworth House in the 40th over of the innings.
The victory maintains Stevenage's bid for second place by moving them into third at the expense of Radlett.
MoM - David Carr
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - Match Abandoned
Stevenage's game with Langlebury, sponsored by Junior Club Member Jason Chapman, was one dominated by runs and rain.
The match got underway in bright sunshine on an excellent batting track and Stevenage having won the toss proceeded to take the Langlebury bowling attack apart. Led by Syed Ali Kazmi, who timed the ball beautifully from the start,
Stevenage racked up a huge total in double quick time and with the weather deteriorating and becoming ever duller the batting in direct contrast just got better and better, with Kazmi lighting up the day with an array of breathtaking
cover drives and crunching back foot shots.
Kazmi raced to his century before lunch with boundary after boundary and dominated what developed into a record 2nd wicket partnership at Stevenage of 184 with Mushty Ur Rehman who made a supportive 52. Kazmi's progress after
lunch was equally serene and was only interrupted by the first of several rain breaks. On return to the crease, though, it was as if he hadn't been away with runs flowing from his bat at the same rate until the innings was declared
on 255 for 2 from 36 overs, with Kazmi 132 not out and Nas Ahmed 41 not out.
It was always likely that the game would be ruined by the weather but the speed of Stevenage's progress with bat in hand meant that the Langlebury innings had at least started before the rain returned to end a day that will be a
long time remembered by all of the spectators for the batting of Syed Ali Kazmi.
MoM - Syed Ali Kazmi
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - Stevenage won by 5 wickets
Stevenage completed the double over Hemel Hempstead with a ruthless display of positive cricket sealed by a Gareth Berg hat-trick.
Stevenage's captain, Barry Turner, sponsored by Garrards Builders, won another important toss and inserted their hosts on a very green looking wicket, which due to ground
machinery problems had been under-prepared. Although the surface was relatively slow there was considerable seam movement and bounce from a good length throughout the day,
but it was the Stevenage attack that utilised it the best. From the first overs bowled by Gareth Berg and Faisal Yasin it was clear that the Hemel batsmen were in for a rough ride.
Berg in particular inflicted a number of nasty blows to Murphy's body before forcing him to fend a delivery to Graeme Duff at short leg who conjured up a good catch. Yasin had been
less hostile but no less dangerous and was rewarded in the very next over with a thin outside edge held by the keeper David Carr who had his hands full throughout the day dealing with
both Berg and the vagaries in pace and bounce. A third breakthrough followed quickly with Yasin finding a thicker outside edge that carried to Berg at second slip and Hemel were
struggling at 47 for 3. A short experiment with spin before the lunch break allowed Hemel to consolidate as Azhar Ali and Syed Ali Kazmi determined the best line of attack on
the surface provided. Ali was rewarded just before the break with the vital wicket of Horton to leave the match in the balance at 77 for 4.
After lunch the prelude to the real entertainment of the day was a stunning slip catch by Nas Ahmed to provide Ali with his second wicket of the innings and reduce Hemel to 88 for 4.
However, what followed was an object lesson in quick seam bowling by Berg, who destroyed Hemel's middle and lower order in the space of 10 runs. His first two wickets of the spell were
clean bowled, both good length deliveries that clipped the off stumps of first the right handed Fowler and then the left handed Berry. The wicket of Berry proved to be the
first of Berg's hatrick, because his next delivery was a brutal unplayable ball that rose from short of a good length and crashed into the gloves of Nawaz and looped to Ali Kazmi
at gully for an easy catch. The hat-trick ball was another excellent delivery, this time an in-swinging yorker, which was too quick and too well direct for Davies to prevent from
upending his middle stump. The final blow to Hemel's innings was also dealt by Berg (15.3/7/25/6) who produced another fast yorker, this one into the middle stump of the number 11,
leaving Hemel bowled out for a paltry 98 in just 44 overs. Losing their last 5 wickets for just 2 runs in 25 balls.
The response by Stevenage's batsmen to the small target on what remained a difficult wicket was a positive and aggressive one in keeping with the bowling that had put them in such a
good position. Everyone of the top six batsmen took the attack to Hemel and although five perished to attacking shots the run rate was always greater than 4 runs per over and victory
was achieved inside the 24th over with a further 42 overs left unused. The most successful of the batsmen was Ali Kazmi who made a brisk 37 full of cover drives and powerful back foot
forcing shots (including seven fours) through both on and off-sides. Fittingly though it was Berg (11no) who hit the winning runs, sweeping a four to seal victory.
Stevenage, who hosts Langlebury next Saturday, remains in fourth despite this resounding victory because of wins for each of the teams above them.
MoM - Gareth Berg
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - Match Drawn
Stevenage battled hard to earn the best of an enthralling draw against league leaders West Herts on Saturday in a vital match sponsored by Alan Browne an Honorary Vice President of the Club. From the
outset it was clear that the game was going to be a real scrap, with every run scored and wicket taken achieved with maximum effort as the two sides traded blows throughout the day.
West Herts landed the first meaningful punch by winning the toss and reducing Stevenage to 7 for 2 from the first 8 overs with Sanders (10/5/16/1) bowling away swing with good control and pace and Easterbrook (16/7/26/2) nipping
the ball around off the seam. However, the middle order pair of Nas Ahmed and Gareth Berg weathered the onslaught and after establishing themselves in the middle took advantage of the West Herts change bowlers. Berg's 39 was
particularly fluent and with Ahmed's 41 a vital 70 run stand took the total over 100 and levelled up the contest. The introduction of the spinners proved a successful change of tactics for West Herts as it caused the loss of 4 wickets
for 10 runs and seemingly left Stevenage's lower order with no option but hang on for the end of the 60 overs. Initially Faisal Yasin (13) and Ian Gane (10) were successful in preventing West Herts landing what would have been the knock
blow and this set the stage for an astonishing counter attack from Azhar Ali. While the rest of the lower order was content to survive, Ali came out swinging and landed four telling blows in the space of 10 balls. First launching Hodges
for a 6 and then Smith for three 6s in the last over of the innings to boost the total to 164 for 9 and take his score to 27 not out.
West Herts began their run chase with gusto and took full toll of every loose ball in reaching 77 for 3 before a rain break of 40 minutes gave Stevenage time to compose themselves and gave West Herts eleven overs fewer to score the
remaining 88 runs. Although Yasin had earlier taken the vital wicket of West Herts' overseas batsmen, Stevenage captain Barry Turner threw the ball to Syed Ali Kazmi and Berg after the rain and the pair worked well in unison.
Kazmi boxed clever with good variation of flight, pace and turn, while Berg used raw pace and aggression forcing the remaining batsmen to duck and defend his accurate attacks. Kazmi claimed four wickets for 40 from his 15 overs and
Berg four for 43 from 14 overs as the wickets tumbled and West Herts staggered from 92 for 3 to 122 for 9. With West Herts on the ropes Stevenage fought hard to land the telling blow but at the close of play at 7pm, West Herts were
still standing, bloodied but unbowed, at the top of the league.
Stevenage picked up 14 points to West Herts 8, which consolidates their position in 4th and keeps them in touch with those above.
MoM - Gareth Berg
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 47 runs
Stevenage's title challenge took a turn for the worse at Sawbridgeworth in a contest that was fought out under a stormy sky and oppressive atmosphere.
Sawbridgeworth won the toss and elected to bat first as what remained of the morning's drizzle faded away. With Gareth Berg absent Stevenage looked to Azhar Ali to open the bowling, which he did, not with his spinners,
but with 5 overs of swing bowling. His new ball partner Faisal Yasin continued his largely frustrating season, taking no wickets in a spell of 12 overs that conceded only 29 runs despite maintaining McGrath like control
of line and length and beating the bat regularly. By lunch Sawbridgeworth had reached 100 for the loss of 1 wicket, which fell to a run out expertly completed by Mushtafeeq Ur Rehman. After lunch the Stevenage side
raised its game and Sawbridgeworth's middle order crumbled to Syed Ali Kazmi (18/2/49/4) and Ali (30/4/87/3) ending their 60 overs on 178 for 9.
Stevenage set about the chase with confidence and made a brisk start with early boundaries off the combination of spin and seam opening bowlers, but suffered an early set back with the loss of David Carr,
the first of a series of disappointing dismissals to befall Stevenage's batsmen. Naseer Ahmed and Rehman took the total into the 30s, but with Ahmed and Ali Kazmi bowled in quick succession, followed by Albert Sodhi
adjudged LBW the innings collapsed to 44 for 4. Yasin and Ashley Bayes were also removed within the space of several overs and the innings was in apparent dissary. However, Rehman had other ideas and found a willing
ally in Graeme Duff who struck the ball cleanly throughout an impressive innings. A 50 run partnership between these two put a Stevenage victory back in the picture, but it was cruelly ended with the loss of Rehman
for 42. Duff maintained the required run rate almost by himself because none of the subsequent batsmen were allowed to stay at the crease long. Despite a couple of late blows from number 11 John Mould (6no),
Stevenage's innings ended on 131 with Duff being caught attempting the 3rd six of his innings of 47.
Stevenage remain 4th in the league and will certainly be requiring a change of fortune and form when they meet league leaders West Herts at Ditchmore Lane next Saturday.
MoM - Graeme Duff
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
RESULT - STEVENAGE WON BY 65 RUNS
Stevenage's first eleven completed a satisfying victory over 3rd placed Radlett in the Lincolns Tyre Service sponsored fixture on Saturday.
Radlett's reply suffered an early set back with Ali clean bowling Fielden for only 4 runs, but the second wicket partnership was an impressive and bold one. Hampton made 62 and former Letchworth star Robbie Smith, 44,
scored at a good rate despite both taking nasty blows from Berg bouncers, particularly Hampton who was hit in the throat. Their 100 run partnership was ended just in time by Ali Kazmi who removed both batsmen in quick
succession leaving the rest of the Radlett batting at the mercy of Azhar Ali. Ali finished with 7 wickets from his 12.3 overs for 53 runs and was responsible for the decline, to ultimate defeat by 65 runs, of the Radlett
innings from 136 for 3 to 180 all out.
MoM - David Carr
RESULT - MATCH DRAWN
Stevenage 1st XI made the short journey to Welwyn Garden City with every intention of forcing a victory that would keep them in touch with the current league leaders, West Herts.
The Stevenage skipper, Barry Turner, had planned to bowl first, but arrived to find the ground's outfield saturated and so on winning the toss chose to bat first, ensuring his spinners would be able to bowl with a dry ball.
Early indications suggested that the decision was a good one as the now settled opening pair of Mushty Ur Rehman and David Carr got the team off to a solid start.
Ur Rehman was the first to be dismissed, for 25, playing on to Tucker who was the pick of the Welwyn seam bowlers. Carr was eventually trapped LBW for 33 following a 50 run stand with Syed Ali Kazmi, who continued his fine
form with a second consecutive half century. The powerhouse duo of Stevenage's middle order, Naseer Ahmed and Gareth Berg, both scored freely and raced to 35 and 37 respectively taking the total to 200, before Ashley Bayes
made another valuable contribution with the bat, this week finishing unbeaten on 21. Set a total of 222 for victory on a good wicket, under what had become clear skies and surrounded by a recently dried and quickening outfield,
the experienced and much heralded Welwyn batting line up had every opportunity for glory. Unfortunately for all involved, most especially the spectators, the reality never lived up to the promise.
Berg and Azhar Ali had a short opening spell with the old ball, but with only slow spin and little movement for Berg the new ball was taken with Faisal Yasin joining Berg in the attack. A twelve over spell split between the two seamers
yielded Stevenage's first wicket, as a late away swinger from Berg saw thick edge fly to Ahmed at second slip, who took a superb catch as the ball rose to shoulder height. Yasin, while having no success continuously beat the bat to return
figures of 6/4/11/0. By this stage the score had crept to 20 for 1 at less than 1.5 runs a over and with four close catchers stationed throughout the game this was, at least in part, testament to the quality of Stevenage's bowling attack.
After a short spell from Gary Brown, Ali returned to the attack and succeeded in making a double breakthrough immediately before tea, leaving Welwyn someway off the pace at 52 for 3.
After tea, despite gallant efforts from James (37) and Frazer (24), who both fell to good outfield catches off the bowling of Ali, Welwyn discovered that they had batted themselves into a rather uncomfortable corner at 89 for 5 from almost 40 overs.
Ali eventually finished with the impressive figures of 19/9/29/4 continuing to prove his status as the best spin bowler in the league. Only one further wicket fell, this one to Ali Kazmi (6/3/9/1), as the experienced Welwyn pair of Everett and Driver
shut up shop for the best part of the last forty-five minutes of the game.
With the game meandering to a disappointing draw Stevenage mixed and matched the bowling in a desperate attempt to, if not take wickets, at least provide some light entertainment. Ahmed bowled three overs of a mixture of flighted leg and off-spin and
Stevenage's own "Shaun Pollock", John Mould (2/1/2/0), raced through his first overs in first team league cricket. However, the two stand out moments, in ascending order, were wicket keeper David Carr taking a bouncer from Berg while stood up to the
wickets and an over of off-spin bowled by Barry Turner that was played out for a maiden, one of the 32 maidens that were bowled by Stevenage in the 59 overs they delivered to Welwyn Garden City.
Stevenage took 12 points from the fixture, to Welwyn's 4, which leaves Stevenage in fourth place and facing the three teams directly above them in the next three weeks.
MoM - Azhar Ali
detailed scorecards available on Stevenage Play Cricket Site
St Margaretsbury 1sts v STEVENAGE 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - Faisal Yasin
Knebworth 1sts v STEVENAGE 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - Naseer Ahmed
STEVENAGE 1sts v Langlebury 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - David Carr
Hemel Hempstead 1sts vs STEVENAGE 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - Gareth Berg because of the glove incident
STEVENAGE 1sts vs West Herts 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - Ian Gane for being without a powerpoint presentation for the rain break medical lecture
Sawbridgeworth 1sts vs STEVENAGE 1sts
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit (to be held in abayence for 2 weeks)-Albert Sodhi
STEVENAGE 1sts vs Radlett 1sts
Having lost the toss Stevenage were pleasantly surprised to be put into bat on a decent wicket on a hot day as Radlett chose to place a lot of faith in their seam bowlers.
The bowling attack, led by South African Shane Burger of Highveld Warriors fame and supported by the experienced Simon Browne, got Radlett off to a good start. Berger removed Stevenage's two most consistent
batsmen of the season so far, Ur Rehman and Syed Ali Kazmi with only 36 runs on the board and with Naseer Ahmed joining David Carr at the wicket, the Stevenage innings was at a crucial juncture.
Realising this Carr and Ahmed set about constructing a long term partnership playing each ball on its merits, combining solid defence with well timed and placed attacking shots to punish each loose delivery.
The partnership prospered through to the lunch break by which time the pressure on the batsmen had been transferred to the fielding side. After lunch Stevenage upped the run-rate and the 100 run partnership was completed
with Radlett's spinners getting particularly harshly treated by both batsmen. Ahmed was eventually dismissed for 52 when Berger (5 for 82) returned to the attack, but Carr now in company with Gareth Berg ensured that Stevenage's progress did not falter.
With a century within touching distance Carr was bowled for 86 by Browne who came into his own, taking two further wickets, as the shots became more aggressive. Berg finished with 42 and in concert with Azhar Ali, who
hit two sixes late in the innings boosted the total to 242.
Stevenage travel to second placed Sawbridgeworth this Saturday before their clash with league leaders West Herts at Ditchmore Lane the following Saturday.
Small warm up t-shirt forfeit - Del Armitage (a man unafraid of making use of even the most obvious puns)
Welwyn Garden City 1sts vs STEVENAGE 1sts
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