RESULT - Stevenage Won By 25 runs
Stevenage 3rds, 143 - 10 in 41.1 overs beat Hatfield 2nds, 118 - 10 in 38 overs by 25 runs.
The third eleven made it 3 wins in a row with a fantastic team performance , Skipper Kev fisher won the toss and decided to bat (as the 3rds have batted first in their 3 previous victories this season), On a incostitant KG5 wicket
Stevenage managed to post a fighting total of 145 all out off 41 overs thanks mainly to a gritty 44 from Kev Fisher, other batsman chipped in with runs Tony Start 21 , Terry Ashby 17 and Jorri (the mad man) Neuhoff 19. By
bowling Stevenage all out Hatfield got their 5 points they needed to stay up and they seemed to think they would have no problem in knocking off the runs and getting all 30 points. However the young Stevenage side had other ideas,
John Mould opened the bowling and once again produced a fine spell with pace and accuracy. Hatfield where struggling at 16 for 2 but they regained control of the game by reaching 74 - 2 , At this point the game was going away from Stevenage
until Wonder kid Tom Palmer came on to bowl and took 2 wickets off the last 2 balls of his first over the Hatfield batsman could not handle toms awesome spell of swing bowling, he Finished with figures of 5-0-13-4.
Panic had set into the Hatfield team and a superb Piece of fielding by Terry Ashby run out Their best batsman and the win was on, John Mould came back on to finish them off and he took 2 fine wickets to leave Hatfield needing 41 runs to win with 1 wicket left.
however Stevenage found it hard to get that last wicket and had to turn to Kev Fisher to try and wrap things up and he did with a caught and bowled to dismiss Hatfield for 124.
RESULT - Stevenage Won By 28 runs
Stevenage 3rds 181 - 8 in 53 overs beat Botany Bay 2nds 153 - 10 in 44 overs
Laurie Brown (61), Mike Fisher (51) & 5 wickets plus John Mould 4 wickets and a run out were the significant contributors in 3rd X1 second consecutive win
Mike Fisher and John Mould are joint MOM - Mouldy for the best spell of bowling I have seen from any player in the entire division all season, taking 4 wickets and he got the run out as well.
Mike played a great innings for 53 and then was nearly taken out of the bowling attack on numerous occasions before nicking another wicket each time to end up with 5.
Lemon of the week is without question also Mike Fisher for wearing his cricket whites back to front for the entire match without realising!!
RESULT - Stevenage Won By 73 runs
Stevenage 3rds 211 - 10 in 52 overs beat Bayford & Hertford 2nds 138 - 10 in 35 overs
The highlight of the match was fifties in the Stevenage innings for two fifteen year olds
Laurie Brown and a maiden league fifty for Scot Reid
M O M - Scott Reid
RESULT - Match Abandoned
Redbourn 184 for 3 in 39.4 overs v Stevenage 3rds M O M -
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 6 wickets
Stevenage 3rds - 90 all out in 40 overs lost to Wormley 2nds 91 for 4 in 21.4 overs
Stevenage 3rd 's poor form continued when they visited Wormley, a side only two places above them in the league.
Skipper Ian Hamilton won the toss and elected to bat. However, early optimism soon evaporated
As no batsmen settled for long at the crease. A poor total materialised and the home side coasted to victory.
M O M -
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 8 wickets
Stevenage 83 - 10 in 33.1overs lost to Hatfield Crusaders 87 - 2 in 21.5 overs
Stevenage 2nds poor run continued when they came up against a strong Hatfield Crusaders side.
Only Phil Maguire (37) put up any real resistance as the home side ran out easy winners.
M O M - Phil Maguire
RESULT - Stevenage lost ??
Not for the first time this season, Stevenage cricket club was let down at the last minute by several players for various reasons, leaving skipper Leet with 10 men yet again for the away game to Dunstable 3rd XI.
Also not for the first time, the skipper on the day drove the wrong way to an away game, heading south to London instead of north to Luton-Dunstable. D'oh!
Back to cricket and with Stevenage winning the toss, Leet chose to bat first in the hope of picking up batting points, and his decision looked a good one to begin with as Phil Maguire and Laurie Brown looked comfortable. However, Maguire and
then Scott Reid were both dismissed to cracking catches by the opposition, and when Leet followed up with a duck things were not looking so good. Tony "Basher" Start wasn't going to let Dunstable have it all their way though, and so he decimated
the bowling attack, hitting sixes over the top of awaiting fielders while Laurie Brown kept the other end secure. Those two got the innings total up to almost 100 before Basher finally holed out for an excellent 40, and when Laurie Brown was
dismissed for 35 the innings collapsed in the usual fashion, except for an excellent cameo of 25 runs for Neuhoff who clearly wants to be called "Basher II". Stevenage were all out for 132.
In reply Dunstable never really looked in trouble getting the small target, and Stevenage putting down two very simple catches probably didn't effect the result but cost us two valuable points in the relegation battle.
M O M - Basher Start (great bash)
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 8 wickets
With SCC losing 3 players Saturday morning due to late pull outs things were not looking good before the toss, with both the 3rd XI and 4th XI having 9 players each. However, where the 4ths were not so lucky, one late arrival and one late
replacement meant that skipper Ben Leet at least had 11 players to choose from at 1.30. Losing the toss, Stevenage were asked to bat first on a dry wicket and fast outfield. The team got off to a good start with both opening batsmen making runs (Brown 18 and Fisher 13).
Those two wickets then fell within 1 over, and Reid and Leet had to build another partnership. Reid batted very well for his innings of 35 and with Leet built that steady partnership up to the drinks break, however when he departed the team yet again fell apart in the
middle order, leaving Leet stranded at the end on 82 not out, his career high score. However, maximum batting points were achieved with Stevenage reaching a total over 200 against the team at the top of the table.
After the tea break things started well with some tight bowling and Tony Start taking the off stump of the opposition skipper. However, two mildly bemusing umpiring decisions, including a run out where the batsman was some not inconsiderable distance short, soured the afternoon,
especially when that batsman went on to make an unbeaten century. In the end the visitors reached their target for the loss of two wickets, and the team were left in no doubt as to why the opposition are top of the table.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 6 wickets
Stand in skipper Kev Fisher did not get the day off to a good start by turning the wrong way out of Ditchmore Lane when leading the 3rd XI convoy of cars to Flamstead. (Don't worry "Fish" you're in good company!)
Things didn't get much better when stand in skipper Kev Fisher lost the toss and was put into bat, in conditions not that great.
However Stevenage made a OK start reaching 54 -1 (Laurie Brown 26), But then came the all to common middle order collapse, but with wickets tumbling around him Mike Fisher made a gutsy 43 not out.
Mike was supported well by Malcolm Slawson who made a hard hitting 21 not out. Stevenage finished with a respectable 158 - 9 off 53 overs. In reply Stevenage had a Flamstead in all sorts of trouble
at 8-2 off 8 overs, with some excellent tight bowling from Tony Start and Barrie Reid, however the Stevenage bowlers could not follow up the good work from Start and Reid and Flamstead reached their
target with 10 overs and 6 wickets to spare. A much better performance from the 3rd XI but still need to posting bigger totals when batting.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 156 runs
A depleted Stevenage 3rds were no match for a very strong visiting side
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 8 wickets
This match report will be kept brief Lest, er, it bores our readers. Stevenage batted first and from early on things were looking down especially losing four of the top five without either batsman
making double figures. Downes picked up 3 wickets and Lester 2. Of the rest of the bats only Jack Mitchell stood out making 50, the rest went for a burton. Batson taking 2 wickets and Burton 3.
Stevenage's attempt to protect their total was a brave and aggresive one with consistently short pitched bowling, which saw skipper Ben Leet take two catches of a fired up Martin Price who peppered the opening batsmen. Leet for his
part also charged in and with a bit of luck and a man out on the hook would himself have picked up a couple of victims. Price was also unlucky enough to have a gloved catch taken by wicketkeeper Mitchell of a no-ball.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 9 wickets
For the second week running, Stevenage lost the toss and were then surprised when the visitors inserted Stevenage on what appeared to be a flat batting track and hot conditions for the fielding side.
Stevenage got off to a good start at 60-1, with Hamilton making 27 and Leet making 23. Then a few quick wickets went down, and it was down to the middle order to rescue the innings. Chris Whitworth made a very good 20, and Martin
Price made an excellent 33 to get the innings total up to 145 after 41 overs. After the break it was clear that 145 wasn't enough to defend on a very fast outfield and flat track, so Stevenage attacked from the beginning with
Leet and Stewart taking the pace off the ball in the hope of a few quick wickets. However this wasn't to be and the opposition reached their target for the loss of just one wicket.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 9 wickets
Roydon Cricket Club is very pleasant: it's a pity we could not have stayed longer! Stand-in skipper (Ian Hamilton) lost the toss, was put in to bat on a flat track and the team struggled to 63 all out in 20 overs:
only John Mould (15) and Hamilton (10) reached double figures. Not a lot to bowl at, then, but John Mould and Martin Price made them work for 14 overs and 4 balls to hit the winning runs, and they lost one wicket, to an unplayable Martin Price delivery in doing so.
And then we had tea. To be fair, the opposition skipper did say that this was the strongest side they'd had out all season. Their bowling was certainly tight and the result was not very different from the equivalent game last year - Hunt took 8 for 22 then and 6 for 18 this time.
But can we all learn from it?
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 7 wickets
Having lost the toss for the first time this season, Stevenage were asked to bat first on a slightly green looking home wicket. The innings started well
with Stevenage 60-1, Kevin Fisher playing a great innings for 46 runs. The opposition then tightened their bowling and slowed the run rate, with Leet
struggling to make 22 and Scott Davies battling to make an unbeaten 18. Slawson played a nice cameo for 17 runs at the end to get the Stevenage total up to
169, which on that wicket was thought to be enough. Stevenage made a decent start with the ball as Mould and Hamilton opened up with tidy opening overs and the team were rewarded as Rhys Stewart and
Scott Reid combined to complete the run out of the opening batsman. The down side of the dismissal was that it brought in the oppositions star batsman who took the challenge to the Stevenage bowlers. Only 2 more wickets were
collected by the Stevenage bowlers as the Rising Star's number three raced to a score in the 90s and took his team to victory.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 5 wickets
For the 4th week in a row skipper Ben Leet won the toss and for the first time; hallelujah, praise the Lord!; elected to bat first. In the first over Ricky Gill tested his captain's faith in the
decision by offering a chance to square leg. However, having cleverly picked a fielder that couldn't catch a cold in a Doctor's surgery waiting room, let alone a ball on a cricket field, Gill made a promise to make them suffer. This he did with
terrible vengence smashing the bowling to all parts of the ground, firstly in the presence of Chris Dingwall (25) and then Ben "I only have a bottom hand" Leet. Gill eventually fell for 99 caught and bowled trying to work a single into the leg side, but
Leet continued with his non-classical, but effective innings eventually finishing with 51 not out alongside Mike Fisher 24 not out. Set a challenging 241 to win Hemel approached the target with vigour and raced to 60 off the first 7 overs. After several
bowling changes and a cunning plan to buy a few wickets, the game became very tense as Hemel with 4 wickets down closed in the victory total. Stevenage finally dismissed Hemel's opener for 94, but their number 5 stepped up and made 57 to take them to victory with
only 4 balls of the game remaining. In the end it essentially came down to conceding too many extras and making a few more errors in the field than could be afforded.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 151 runs
Down to 10 players for the second week runnning, the Stevenage skipper won the toss and made a mista... I mean game of it by fielding first. Off to a poor start, with runs flowing for the opposition, Stevenage turned to the
Tony (Basher) Start and Mike (Wobbler) Fisher. Wobbler, in his first game for Stevenage, will no doubt be keen for a different nickname but showed an excellent demonstration of swing bowling and at times was too good for the visitors who could not connect
with the ball. Basher at the other end kept things tighter than Scrooge at Christmas giving away only 4 runs in 8 overs of superb control. However, with only 3 wickets down at the 40 over mark County Hall opened their shoulders and amassed a final total of 232 declared.
RESULT - Stevenage lost by 116 runs
Following the success of the opening game of the season, the 3rd team managed to keep 4 of those 11 players for the next match, thanks to circumstances beyond the control of almighty god himself.
The result was that the 10 man team - including the retired David (Popeye) Smith and other late call-ups - were no match for their opposition. Stevenage won the toss and elected to field on a damp wicket, but with a poor fielding side they struggled
to put the opposition under any pressure, resulting in them getting 182 runs on a 120 wicket. The only exceptions were a fine performance from Matt John (14 - 3 - 32 - 5) and 3 catches and an exceptional catch from John Mould at midwicket to prevent
his skipper being smacked for yet another boundary. Mould also return good bowling figures with 2 wickets for 27 from his 11 overs. With the bat Stevenage suffered badly - again Matt John the only person worthy of mention, with an unbeaten 28 out
of a Stevenage total of 66 all out.
RESULT - STEVENAGE WON by 6 wickets
The first game of the season and the skipper, Ben Leet, secured himself a man of the match nomination before a ball was bowled, for correctly calling heads at the toss on what was a very wet wicket.
Putting the home side into bat, Ian Hamilton and John Mould put the pressure on early, before Adil Zagar bagged four wickets in a fine display of front foot slide bowling. With Ricky "Sea Monster" Gill picking up 3 wickets the home side were
sunk for 110. After tea a well paced and patient innings of 40 from Gill, who was clearly feeling at home in the semi-aquatic surrounds, got the Stevenage innings off to a good start. Dave Thompson then took the game away from the opposition
with his unbeaten 52 to secure a comfortable victory.
A great end to the season with 3 wins on the bounce on that form we should have been
safe from relegation a long time ago, but there are a lot of encouraging signs for next season the future looks bright after the performance of the Stevenage youngsters.
Stevenage 3rds vs Botany Bay 2nds
Stevenage 3rds vs Bayford and Hertford
Redbourn 3rds vs Stevenage 3rds
The match continued through lengthy rain showers for over an hour until torrential rain brought proceedings to a close
Stevenage 3rds vs Wormley 2nds
Stevenage 3rds vs Hatfield Crusaders
Lemon of the Week - Kev Fisher - Next week's Wedding clashing with Luton's first Championship leage fixture
Stevenage 3rds vs Southgate Adelaide 2nds
M O K Fs S N - Jorry Neuhoff
Lemon of the Week - Ben Leet for a shocking sense of direction
Stevenage 3rds vs Southgate Adelaide 2nds
Considering the weakened side of Stevenage and the quality of the opposition, it was a very good all round performance. Scott Reid should also get another mention for conceeding far fewer extras than his opposite number as well as contributing well with the bat.
M O M - Ben Leet
Lemon of the Week - The entire Southgate Adelaide side
Stevenage 3rds vs Flamstead
M O M - Mike Fisher (who wanted it stressed that he's completely unrelated to Kev)
Lemon of the Week - Kev Fisher
Welwyn Garden City vs Stevenage 3rds
M O M -
Lemon of the week - Terry Ashby
Stevenage 3rds vs Weston
M O M - Jack Mitchell
Stevenage 3rds vs Monken Hadley
M O M - Martin Price
Hoddesdon 3rds vs Stevenage 3rds
M O M - Ian Hamilton for an extremely well written match report
Stevenage 3rds vs Rising Stars
M O M - Kevin Fisher
Hemel Hempstead 4ths vs Stevenage 3rds
M O M - Ricky Gill, Jug Avoidance Fine - Ricky Gill, Fine for failing to buy a Jug Avoidance Jug - Ricky Gil
STEVENAGE 3rds vs County Hall
The only highlight of a miserable batting display in reply was Basher Start doing his best to draw the game by losing all of the available match balls in the undergrowth, but even that couldn't save Stevenage from another poor defeat.
M O M - Tony Start, although Mike Fisher was in the running until he triggered his Captain first ball
STEVENAGE 3rds vs Old Haberdashers
M O M - Matt John
Northwood Town vs STEVENAGE 3rds
M O M - Dave Thompson
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