Scorecard

St Albans Cricket Club 4XI v Cockfosters CC 2nd XI on Sat 18 Jul 2026 at 13:00
St Albans Cricket Club Won by 38

Match report Borrowed Bats, House Viewings and a Complete Team Performance

The St Albans 4th XI produced their most complete performance of the season so far, beating Cockfosters 2nd XI by 38 runs in a match where every player contributed. It was the kind of performance captains dream of: runs throughout the order, disciplined bowling, sharp fielding and plenty of character.

Leading the way was captain Sam Davey, who contributed with both bat and ball, smashing 28 from just 19 balls with five fours and a six before returning figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs from 6.5 overs, including two maidens.

The day started in typical 4XI fashion with Prathamesh Deshpande proving that cricket isn't always the first priority. Before the game, Deshpande managed to squeeze in a house viewing in full cricket whites, before then changing out of them at Sandpit Lane! Thankfully, the estate agents didn't distract him too much, as he went on to deliver one of the best bowling spells of the day, taking 1 wicket for just 7 runs from 6 overs at an outstanding economy rate of 1.17.

Losing the toss and put into bat first, St Albans posted their highest score of the season with a strong team effort, finishing on 196/8. Hingston and Crisp laying a good opening stand to see off the new ball from the faster bowler we have seen in this league.

After all the hard work Crisp spooned a simple catch when the change bowlers came on. Moksudul Islam played beautifully for 62 from 49 balls, including 10 fours and a six. The story behind the innings was almost as good as the innings itself. Islam had borrowed a bat from Altaf Husain, who was playing for the 5s, and proceeded to score a match-winning half-century with it. The bat clearly had something special — because Altaf then took it back and also scored a fifty himself. A new St Albans superstition may have been born.

Islam was well supported throughout the innings. Ben Hingston added a valuable 28 from 38 balls and saw off the opening bowlers, while Sulaiman Nisar contributed a very important 24 to keep the scoreboard moving. It was great to welcome back Najib Khan back after a year away, but may need a bit more time to get back into the runs. Johnson batting debut was left short after he returned a simple C&B to a slow full toss - there is always another innings! Deshpande finished unbeaten on 29 from 32 balls, adding crucial late runs, while Andrew Walker swished away outside his off stump.

With a strong total defended, St Albans' bowlers wasted no time putting Cockfosters under pressure. Deshpande and Davey set the tone with a superb opening spell, making scoring difficult and forcing mistakes early with good pace and movement.

Cockfosters' main resistance came from Daniel Stead, who played well for 63 from 73 balls. He had earlier been given a lifeline when Tim Winfield put down a skier — a moment that could have changed the game. Instead, Winfield responded exactly how you want a teammate to respond. Winfield bowled Stead, finished with figures of 3 wickets for 32 runs from 7 overs, and added a sharp run out to put the game in St Albans control.

The bowling effort was a real team performance. Andy Saunders bowled a disciplined spell of 8 overs, 1 wicket for 38 runs, while Andrew Walker quietly kept things tight with 5 overs for just 20 runs, playing with a damaged foot. Nisar also played his part with the ball, taking 1 wicket for 29 runs from 4 overs. Davey came on to replace Nisar and cleansed up the tail with 2 quick wickets and complete the win.

Zac Johnson didn't get among the runs on the day, but he brought huge energy in the field, saving runs, throwing himself around and taking a catch and showed exactly the attitude the 4s need in the field.

This was not a victory built around one individual — it was a proper team performance. A borrowed bat, a house viewing in whites, a dropped catch turned into three wickets and a convincing win.

Just another Saturday for the St Albans 4s.

St Albans Cricket Club 4XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 1w 4lb 
for 8 wickets
7
196		        
Toby Crisp ct J Patel b S Kachwala 9 26 34.62
Ben Hingston lbw G Bain 28 38 5 73.68 1
Najib Khan lbw A Relia 3 14 21.43
Moksudul Islam ct J Patel b A Callan 62 49 10 1 126.53
Zac (Isaac) Johnson ct G Bain b G Bain 0 11 0
Sulaiman Nisar ct M Dean b P Bhagwati 24 41 1 58.54
Sam Davey ct S Kachwala b A Relia 28 19 5 1 147.37
Prathamesh Deshpande Not Out  29 32 5 90.62
Andrew Walker b P Bhagwati 6 13 46.15
Andy Saunders  
Tim Winfield  

Cockfosters CC 2nd XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sagar Kachwala8.0223123.002.88
Aman Relia8.0030215.003.75
Jay Patel5.003200.006.40
Gavin Bain4.0130215.007.50
Alex Callan8.0038138.004.75
Prakash Bhagwati6.0027213.504.50
Matthew Dean1.001200.0012.00

Cockfosters CC 2nd XI Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2w 1lb 
for 10 wickets
3
158 (36.5 overs)		     
Gary Corken b P Deshpande 9 25 1 36.00
Nikhil Patel ct B Hingston b S Davey 2 11 18.18
Daniel Stead b T Winfield 63 73 7 86.30
Ethan Pigden b A Saunders 26 50 3 52.00
Alex Callan ct Hingston b T Winfield 0 2 0
Aman Relia ct Z Johnson b S Nisar 2 9 22.22
Gavin Bain b T Winfield 10 13 2 76.92
Sagar Kachwala b S Davey 30 25 3 120.0
Matthew Dean run out  (Unsure) 8 8 1 100
Prakash Bhagwati Not Out  5 5 100
Jay Patel ct Unsure b S Davey 0 1 0

St Albans Cricket Club 4XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Prathamesh Deshpande6.00717.001.17
Sam Davey6.522939.674.24
Andy Saunders8.0138138.004.75
Andrew Walker5.002000.004.00
Tim Winfield7.0032310.674.57
Sulaiman Nisar4.0029129.007.25