Another Hertford collapse 8/29/2009 A heavy downpour on Friday evening had left the wicket damp on top and, on winning the toss, Chris Box opted to insert Hemel though he was doubtless mindful of the way the wicket behaved at Letchworth a few weeks ago.
Hemel got off to a cautious start, James Mead and Tom Bancroft getting enough life out of the wicket to keep the batsmen watchful. Mead bowled his permitted six overs for ten runs, Bancroft was a little more expensive. Replacing Mead, Josh Tooth did not present the same problems and also found direction a problem. Brett Penny and Hamesh Ilangaratne gradually took control and runs started to flow. Rob Slater came on for Bancroft but to no immediate avail and it started to look as though the Hemel opening pair would repeat the century stand they made in the earlier match of the season. Box turned to spin and in Richard Cordingley's first over Ilangaratne decided to go for a sharp single but Penny sent him back. Elliott King's direct hit beat him to the wicket and Hertford had a break through. The next over, Penny attempted a big hit off Rob Slater but got massive height rather than distance and Tom Bancroft took an excellent catch. A wicket in the next over, Cordingley bowled James Potton, and with Hemel at 86-3 Hertford were back in the game. However the hundred came up on the stroke of lunch without further loss.
After the break Ricardo Mohamed and Craig Weston set about builing a total and it took another run out, the fielder this time was Tooth, to dispose of Weston. Mohamed accelerated onwards, reaching his fifty off 48 balls and looked set to convert it to a century when he too was run out. This time it was one of those unlucky ones, the bowler - Cordingley - deflecting the ball on to the wicket. Cordingley had attempted this earlier but the result had only been a broken stump. This time he gained the umpire's approval. Two more wickets fell to Slater, one a might skier back to him, before Hemel challengingly declared at 231-7 off 53 overs. Slater ended with 3-43.
When Hertford started their reply, Elliot King's poor run continued and he was bowled by Howard for 8. Tom Bancroft and Cliff Cavener then batted with increasing confidence, though the wicket was still giving the batsmen problems. On the stroke of tea, Mark Brazier found the edge of Cavener's bat and John O'Nien took the catch behind the wicket. Tea, at 80-2, did not help Hertford's cause. Bancroft was bowled by Brazier immediately after the resumption. Skipper Nick Hodgins was finding life in the strip and Hertford embarked on a familiar collapse. Only Ollie Ray with 19 reached double figures as Hodgins ran through the middle and lower order to finish with 6-14 off 8.3 overs. Brazier ended with 3-35 and Hertford's thirteenth defeat in the league was completed by 5.40 pm.
Brian Box - 29/08/2009 |
