Hemel end seasons with a mixed bag while Boxmoor celebrate title victory

Hemel Hempstead Town 1sts ended their Herts Saracens Championship campaign with a five-wicket home defeat with 19 overs to spare against Flitwick on Saturday.
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Flitiwck’s Sri Lankan overseas player Rumesh Buddhika took 6-31 and then hit 54 runs from 50 balls as an opener.

Hemel’s innings was in consistent, with five of the first eight men managing double figures, while the batters in between managed just one run between them.

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Opener Hemish Ilangaratne made 57, while Brett Penny (21), Tom Elborn (21), Nick Hodgins (26) and Jack Bailey (49), in his last game, helped push the hosts past over the 200 mark.

Buddhika cleared out the tail, taking four wickets for one run, and Flitwick did not hang around in the chase, as they reached the target five wickets down in 31 overs.

The win meant Flitwick jumped to third and Hemel slipped to fourth in the final table.

Having lost to Lutonians at the Heath Park at the beginning of July, Hemel 2nds put things right in the reverse in Luton by demolishing the opposition in a 40-over game on Saturday in Division 3B.

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Lutonian were run through with Suren Perera (4-8) and Ross Chapman (3-15) cleaning them out of five overs each.

Aaron Wilson (40 not out) and Will Langley (30 not out) wasted no time and despite the loss of Neil Morgan (22), Lutonian were seen off in 13 overs.

The win ensured Hemel 2nds finished third and just a couple of wins short of promotion.

The Hemel 3rd XI were bowled out for 138 in 41.2 overs, Andy Turbutt top scoring on 49, away at Old Camdenians in Division 6A on Saturday.

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Old Cams then hit 143-4 in 22.4 overs, with leg-spinner Alfie Bordoley taking 3-44 from seven overs for Hemel.

The team finished the term in fourth, while Old Cams were crowned as champions.

Hemel 4ths left it until the last over when hosting Welwyn Garden City 4ths in Division 9A on Saturday to take the win with three balls to spare.

The visitors only managed 186 on the Heath Park Nursery ground, which looked below par.

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Dil Khan (4-45) was among the wickets again alongside Tayyab Sadiq (2-14) and Dan Keene (2-44).

Hemel made good, if slow, progress in the reply, Rohit Patel (49), Will Stokes (40), Mike Samueals (31) and Nic Benson (29) all contributing.

It came down to Vinnie Liddar, who hit a boundary in the penultimate over and another off the third ball of the final over to win it for Hemel as they finished fifth, two points behind Sandridge II in fourth.

Boxmoor Cricket Club

Division 6B champions Boxmoor 1sts ended the season with a tight one-wicket home win over Old Elizabethans II on Saturday.

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The Moor’s opening bowlers took a tight grip on the game, Shaun Nichols snaffling 3-14 for an excellent first season with the club, while Jamie Vincent-Jones took 2-27.

The visitors were on the ropes at 75-7 but were able to battle to 160 all out. Sam Pimm took three catches and Boxmoor skipper Richard Crowther took his 33rd wicket of the campaign.

Boxmoor had to face a tricky 40 minutes before tea and found themselves two wickets down at the interval, with 116 still needed.

Matt Smalley-Harris (30) anchored the innings, taking his total for the season to 705, helped by Pimm Jr (22) and wick-keeper Sam Stride (29).

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A much-improved bowling outfit from the reverse fixture allowed OE’s to get back into it as the hosts slipped to 133-8.

But Nichols (28) and Vincent-Jones helped their team with the bat, as they produced a 23-run partnership to get within touching distance.

The latter’s dismissal, bowled with five needed, gave OE’s hope but number 11 Stan Harper was the hero as he thick-edged a delivery past the keeper for four to bring up a tense victory.

It was a great season for Boxmoor, ending on a high as they finished 43 points clear of their nearest rival in the table.