Scorecard

St Albans Cricket Club 3XI v Berkhampstead II on Sat 29 Aug 2015 at 1:00pm
St Albans Cricket Club Lost by 64 runs

Match report Another inept batting performance from the IIIs saw them fall out of the League promotion spots in a lively encounter with Berkhamsted IIs.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat under overcast skies, but with a flat, dry SLCG wicket. Adshead and Regan kept Berkhamsted's openers honest, but it was the introduction of R. O'Toole that yielded the first wickets. O'Neill chimed in with a pair of scalps, while Walker (3/30) added to the tally. O'Toole senior showed his class to finish with 5/25 from his ten over spell. Aside from chirpy Hopcroft, none of the batsmen could get going with partnerships regularly broken, but the bats played diligently, mustering a tally of 161 all out. Again, this was a decent effort with the ball and in the field - the only question was whether Saints bats could apply themselves in response.

Unfortunately that was not to be the case. But first came an unsavoury passage of play, when a not out decision for a possible leg side strangle to the keeper yielded a vigourous objection from the opposition, largely directed towards Regan who was unfairly deemed culpable for failing to walk. Your reporter suggests that questioning integrity in such a way is inappropriate; in the main, it is genuine errors rather than malicious intent that is behind such circumstances, with consequential fortunes tending to even themselves out. As if to prove this, the very next delivery produced a caught behind appeal answered in the affirmative, sending Regan on his way. Opinions later suggested that this delivery may have passed the bat without a touch.

Perhaps unsettled, further early wickets fell, with Atkins (4/18) bowling a miserly spell at a decent pace, as Saints slumped to 30-6. O'Toole Sr and Eames joined forces to quell the visitor's attack, suggesting the match was not yet gone. However, it was not to be, despite O'Toole's best efforts with a counter attacking 43 - top score in the match.

Saints were thus dismissed for 97, falling well short of the victory target, but also 13 runs shy of the first batting bonus point. The consequence of this became obvious later, as it meant Potters Bar had overtaken Saints on the ladder, with a matching points tally, but fewer losses. The early controversy should not overshadow the uncomfortable batting failure that followed, too often a theme over a season which has never-the-less had its share of victories.

With only the final round remaining, this has taken promotion out of St Albans hands, as they will now depend upon other results going their way - as well as needing a victory themselves. Needless to say, targeting a win must be the focus in round 18.

Berkhampstead II Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 3w 4b 4lb 
for 10 wickets
14
161 (48.0 overs)		     
Filer b  R. O'Toole 18
Pierleoni b  R. O'Toole 13
Angel ct  Eames b O'Neill 15
Brown ct  Nisar b O'Neill 0
Hopcroft b  Walker 42
Lewarne b  Walker 5
Beard lbw  b Walker 10
Mason b  R. O'Toole 19
Atkins Not Out  8
Lewarne ct  Shah b O'Toole 7
Merritt lbw  b R. O'Toole 2

St Albans Cricket Club 3XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ben Adshead6.011300.002.17
Jamie Regan5.001800.003.60
Ryan O'Neill8.0020210.002.50
Richard O'Toole10.002555.002.50
Afroz Khan3.002100.007.00
Andrew Walker10.0230310.003.00
Tom O'Toole6.003200.005.33

St Albans Cricket Club 3XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 3b  
for 10 wickets
4
97		        
Jamie Regan ct  - b Atkins 0
Toby Crisp b  Atkins 5
Tom O'Toole b  Atkins 2
Syed Shah ct  - b Mason 9 1 1
Faizan Nisar ct  - b Mason 5 1
Afroz Khan ct  - b Lewarne 8 1
Michael Eames ct  - b Pierleoni 11 1
Richard O'Toole ct  - b Merritt 43 4 1
Ben Adshead ct  - b Pierleoni 1
Andrew Walker b  Atkins 0
Ryan O'Neill Not Out  11 1

Berkhampstead II Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Atkins10.041844.501.80
Mason10.0229214.502.90
M.Lewarne6.0119119.003.17
Pierleoni5.0221210.504.20
Hopcroft3.001000.003.33
Merritt0.30010.000.00

  • Umpire :
    From the XI
  • Scorer :
    From the XI
 
Photos and video of St Albans Cricket Club 3XI v Berkhampstead II on Sat 29 Aug 2015 at 1:00pm

29/08/2015 - St Albans III v Berkhamsted II - Berkhamsted innings

29/08/2015 - St Albans III v Berkhamsted II - St Albans innings