Abbots lose for the third time in five outings in the Saracens League

Abbots won the toss and decided to bat, with their openers David Cleary and Barry Warner coming to the crease.

With the score on 18, Warner was trapped leg-before while on four off the bowling of Shahrukh Navaee, bringing Jack Read to the wicket.

Read started comfortably, hitting the boundary four times and adding a single before being caught in the outfield on 17 to leave the Abbots score on 2-47.

Captain Michael Burgess came in but the new pair only made four more before Cleary was given leg-before for 23, taking the visitors’ score to 51.

With Matt Parkins, Burgess increased the score by 86 until Burgess was caught on 35, to become the first wicket taken by Riz Siddiqui.

Parkins batted on, losing partners rapidly as Siddiqui snagged three more victims for only 22 runs as Abbots stuttered to 159-7.

When Siddiqui took his fifth wicket – Parkins bowled for 56 – Abbots were on 180-9 and Ben Lederman took the final wicket in the 45th over to leave Abbots on 181 all out.

After tea, Totteridge’s overseas player Tom Smith and Mitesh Binjiyani made an early 15 before Parking bowled Binjiyani for nine. That was followed by Amir Mapara going for nine.

When captain Hilton Nathanson came to the crease, he and Smith put on 64 before Matt Dunstone took the wicket of Nathanson for 32.

Smith was caught in the outfield for 49 to leave Totteridge on 132-4.

Aleem Hussain (36) hit five boundaries and a pair of sixes before he became Dunstone’s third wicket.

But a cameo from Lederman (20 not out) saw Totteridge reach 185-6 in the 42nd over to take a four-wicket win.