Match reports 12th September
Ickleford 1st X1 slumped to another defeat on Saturday to Old Albanians 1st X1 by 93 runs. A defeat which saw Ickleford finish bottom of Herts Division 1 in this truncated cricket season with no promotion or relegation.
On winning the toss Albanians started brightly but two Luke Marsden wickets pegged them back, he finished 3 for 38. A 3rd wicket partnership of 122 set the old boys well on the way to an imposing total of 233 for 5 in their 45 overs.
Ickleford asked club stalwart Tom Reilly to come back into the 1st X1 to add some steel to the batting. This he did being 6th one out for 34. Unfortunately, 5 of his colleagues were already out for 55 thus effectively ending this as a contest.
There were some lusty blows from Sammy Fookes 22 and Axel Morris 16 no but the villagers were well beaten as they finished on 140 all out in 39 overs.
Ickleford 2's finished their season off with a 4 wicket defeat at Bentley Heath.
Ben Mason 40 and Mark Schumann 32 were the main contributors to Ickleford's 164 all out. But they were made to rue not using the last 10 overs as Bentley Heath wobbled when 13 year old Leo Mason took 2 wickets and two for Michael Day briefly put the game the balance.
An emphatic win for Ickleford 3s over Hertingfordbury 2s in the last league game of this shortened season to finish joint third in their league. Winning the toss and inserting the opposition, Ickleford were outstanding with excellent bowling throughout the team. Ollie Ellis-Holmes 2-14, Nick Webb 1-9, James Kench 1-15 and Rob Day 1-21 claimed the wickets as Hertingfordbury were restricted to 116-5 off their 40 overs. In reply, Dave Pursey led the way with 55 no backed up by Eswar Krishnamurthy with 37 no to win their fourth league game by 9 wickets in the 17th over.
Match reports 5th September
Another poor batting display saw Ickleford 1st X1 slump to a 5 wicket defeat against St Margretsbury on Saturday.
Losing the toss and being asked to bat they were soon in trouble at 37 for 7. Charlie Rudkin taking 5 for 12. Only an 8th wicket partnership of 31 between top scorer Luke Marsden (28) and his brother Matt (14) gave their bowlers anything later to bowl at as they were all out for 77 in 31 overs.
In reply young Thomas Brown took an early wicket in a fiery opening spell 1 for 17 in 5 overs and when skipper Luke Marsden bagged 3 wickets for 23 St Margretsbury were reduced to 29 for 4. However, among their ranks was former Northamptonshire middle order bat David Murphy who made 44 not out making batting look very easy as they raced to victory in 19 overs.
Ickleford 2nds crumbled to a heavy defeat against Tewin. After being 55-1 off 16 overs, they collapsed to a dismal 76 all out with James Dermont making 39, the only double figure score .
Tewin had little trouble reaching the target for the loss of 3 wickets. The only high point for Ickleford being a maiden 2nd team wicket for 13 year old Leo Mason
Losing the toss at Holwell and being asked to bat, Ickleford 3s started well against Potters Bar 4s with an opening partnership of 49 between Dave Pursey 24 and Eden Scott 28. From 77-3, the middle order collapsed to 115-9 with only Mark Howard 14 and Mark Reynard 14no offering any resistance. Potters Bar eased their way to the target for the loss of only 3 wickets, shared between Nick Webb, James Kench and Elliot Oughton.
Match reports 29th August,
Ickleford suffered a heavy defeat to Ampthill by 139 runs on Saturday.
Winning the toss and batting first Ampthill's openers put on 52 in quick time. The introduction of impressive youngster Thomas Brown 8 overs 3 for 23 and the ever-frugal Luke Marsden 9 overs 1 for 10 reduced them to 79 for 5. However, the middle order kicked on and they finished on 183 all out in 40.3 overs.
A quick shower at tea livened the wicket up and the Ampthill opening bowlers took advantage of the conditions, bowling a full length and extracting a little movement. Gage bowling 9 overs 5 for 19 and Sneath 9 overs 2 for 19. They were well supported by their fielders as the village boys were tumbled out for just 44 in 18.2 overs. Only Duncan Jenner 15 in 17 overs seemed able to battle to double figures.
The second team game was cancelled.
Winning the toss in chilly and damp conditions against unbeaten top of the table Tewin IIs, Ickleford 3's chose to bowl first. Good bowling throughout the team was slightly let down by numerous dropped catches although the wet ball did play a part. Tewin reached 184-4 due mainly to an excellent 86 by Ensum with Nick Webb being the pick of the bowlers with 4-28. In reply, aggressive batting by Dave Pursey 41 and Ben Mason 71no put Ickleford ahead of the required run rate at 145-2 from 23 overs when rain halted proceedings after 23 overs - Ickleford winning their third game out of the five played in this shortened league season.
Match reports Sat 22th August
This was a match best described as a game of 4 quarters.
1st quarter
At the drinks interval, after 24 overs, Ickleford, having won the toss, were comfortable on 96 for 2.
Duncan Jenner with 22 had got them off to a solid start and Eswar Krishnamurthy 34 and Matt Baxter 30 put on 57 for the 3rd wicket.
2nd quarter
But after the interval 7 wickets went down for just 16 runs with only a last wicket partnership of 17 getting the villagers to 132 all out from 38.4 overs. Tomlinson taking 3 for 24 and Mahanama 4 for 21.
3rd quarter
In reply Leverstock Green were 31 for 6 with skipper Luke Marsden bowling his 9 overs 4 for 15 and Eswar Krishnamurthy his 9 overs 1 for 16.
4th quarter
A seventh wicket partnership of 59 changed the situation. Goode was well caught on the mid wicket boundary by Axel Morris for 46. Mahanama got them level with 2 wickets left but he holed out for 42. Leverstock Green's last man was caught behind second ball for 0 and the game ended in a tie.
Axel Morris finishing with 3 for 29 in 8.3 overs.
It was another superb fielding performance from the villagers.
Ickleford 2s won a high scoring encounter with Knebworth 2s.
Put into bat Ickleford amassed 253-6 from their 45 overs thanks mainly to a 150 partnership between Jak Phillips (75) & Charlie Jupp (79).
Scot Crouch took 4 wickets and Luke Dodd 3, as Knebworth fought all the way finishing on 219 with 2 overs left.
Ickleford 3s lost the toss at Broxbourne 3s and were asked to bat. There were runs for Mark Howard 34 and Syd Miranda 31 no but wickets fell regularly and the total of 139 was at least 50 short. Four players made their league debuts and three of them got wickets - Frank Finch, Archie McIntosh and Shashi Mishra 2. The fourth, Asish Mishra kept wicket. Broxbourne reached their total in the 26th over and won by 4 wickets
Match reports Sat 8th & Sun 9th August
After last week with all 3 Saturday X1s winning this week Ickleford CC came back to earth with a bump as they all lost.
In the 1st X1 match Ickleford won the toss and were soon in trouble as they lost the openers quickly as the score stood at 2 for 2.
Matt Baxter (32) started the recovery but when he was out it was left to a 4th wicket partnership of 76 between Stephen Money (56) and Jack Edwards (34) to set up the villager's total of 183 in 42.4 overs.
For Hitchin Khalid 3 for 43 was the pick of the bowlers.
The town X1's reply was measured and well paced with all their batsmen contributing. The main partnership was of 71 between Khalid (25) and Nizami (53) who set up victory by 5 wickets with 2 overs to spare.
Young Thomas Brown 3 for 32 in his 9 overs was the only bowler to discomfort Hitchin, though Sammy Fookes 2 for 24, did pick up 2 late wickets.
Special mention for Ickleford keeper Ben Whelan who claimed 3 catches and conceded only 1 bye in a very tidy performance.
Next week Ickleford 1st X1 host table topping Sawbridgeworth,
Ickleford 2s slumped to a heavy defeat against Radlett 3s. The Radlett lower order rescued their innings after early wickets. They made 198 with Mark Schumann taking 5-27. Ickleford in reply made a miserable 96 with Richard Brown top scoring with 25.
Ickleford 3s lost against a strong Hitchin 4s by 26 runs. Winning the toss on a true pitch and lightning outfield Hitchin scored 210 - 7 with two wickets each for Miranda and Kench. In reply Ickleford scored 184 - 6. Preetam Rayat top scored with 97 supported by Leo Mason with 35 not out in a partnership of 107.
The Sunday side lost an exciting game against JBCC. The opponents made 268-7 in their 35 overs and Ickleford fell just short at 236-6 with George Crouch making a magnificent 176, his maiden century.
Match reports Saturday 1st August.
Ickleford had a successful Saturday with all three X1s winning.
Skipper Luke Marsden lost the toss in the 1st X1 match and unsurprisingly Harpenden 2nd X1 elected to bat.
Many of the town team got a start but also wickets fell regularly. All the Ickleford bowlers took a wicket and Jack Good had the best figures of 2 for 22 as Harpenden finished on 169 for 9 in their 45 overs.
In reply Harpenden's bowlers were wayward, bowling 7 no balls and 7 wides.
Despite the early loss of Eswar Krishnamurthy, Duncan Jenner (34) and Stephen Money (33) laid the foundations of the villagers' innings. A quick fire 50 in 37 balls from Matt Baxter saw them to the brink of victory and it was left to the 2 Jacks Edwards (25 no) and Good (11 no) to see them home by 6 wickets with 16 overs to spare.
A rare occurrence happened in both innings when the bowler, fielding off his own bowling, deflected the ball onto the stumps and the non -striker was out of his ground. Probably the worst way to get out? and it happened twice in the same match.
Ickleford 2nds won a close game v Old Camdenians by 17 runs.
Batting first Ickleford’s trademark attacking approach saw the score race to 76-5 off just 10 overs. There were contributions from Ben Mason 28, Axel Morris 24 & James Dermont 25 before Richard Brown marshalled the tail with 38 not out, but a score of 159 off 29 overs seemed below par.
Sam Draper made some early breakthroughs with 3-32 before Scot Crouch hit form with his first wickets of the season. His 5-33 led his side to an unlikely victory.
To complete a 90 point weekend the third team beat St Margaretsbury 3’s. Ickleford made 180-5 thanks to Charlie Jupp 66 and Russell Dermont 22. St Margaretsbury failed by 4 runs at 176-5. NickWebb took 2-23 and Jupp 2-41 while Thirteen year old Ollie Ellis-Holmes bowled a brilliant last over under pressure at their best batsman to ensure victory.
Match reports Saturday 25th July
Owing to the weather forecast, on winning the toss captain Luke Marden had no hesitation in asking Broxbourne to bat first.
Openers Gia Dissanayake (77) and Niall Robinson (26) set about their task earnestly posting 62 for the 1st wicket. It was 16 year old Thomas Brown (1 for 30), the pick of the bowlers, who broke the partnership, having Robinson caught by his skipper.
Eswar Krishnamurthy took 2 wickets in his second spell recording figures of 2 for 40 in his 9 overs.
The highlight of the day was the batting of George Davies, unluckily run out on 79, having hit 5 sixes and 7 fours. He had been a thorn in the villages side in previous encounters.
Just as it looked as if Broxbourne might set an imposing total on 219 for 5 with 7 overs remaining the heavens opened and that was that.
The second and third team games were also abandoned but mention should be made of Richard Brown who made 96 for the 2'a And ben mason who was 95 not out for the threes.
On Sunday Henlow Blues made 194-6 in their 35 overs with Ollie Ellis-Holmes and Richard Peareth taking two wickets each. Ickleford reached the victory target with 7 overs to spare thanks to 98 from Jak Phillips and 59 from George Crouch as they eased home by 5 wickets..
Next week Ickleford 1st X1 travel to meet Harpenden 2nd X1 and the 2nd X1 host Old Camdeians, both midday starts, whilst the 3rd X1 welcome St Margretsbury 3rd X1 to Holwell at 1pm.
Match reports 18th July
Ickleford 1st X1 had a comfortable win on Saturday at Holtwhites by 67 runs as the league finally started.
Winning the toss and batting first the villagers were soon in trouble as they lost their first three wickets for just 23. A fourth wicket partnership of 124 between Matt Baxter (64) and a welcome return to form 63 from Jack Edwards saw them well placed at 147 for 3. There then followed a batting collapse as the last 7 wickets tumbled for only 33 and six overs were left unused. Only Matt Marsden 27 not out made any real contribution.
Chasing 181 for victory Salman Khan (40) and Alex Burgess (22) set off in a hurry and 50 was posted in 5 overs. However, Eswar Krishnamurthy wrestled the initiative back taking the wicket of both openers to finish his 9 overs 4 for 29. The Marsden brothers then further put on the squeeze with Luke bowling 9 overs 1 for 16 and older sibling Matt bowling 5 maidens in 6 overs to finish with 3 for 11, as Holtwhites finished on 113.
Ickleford's fielding was again of a very high standard with Baxter taking 2 difficult catches in the deep and Edwards another spectacular effort on the midwicket boundary.
Next week Ickleford 1st X1 host Broxbourne whilst the 2nd X1 travel to Hertford, both are midday starts, and the 3rd X1 welcome Datchworth to Holwell at 1pm.
Ickleford 2s lost to Frogmore by 5 wickets.
Ickleford were put in to bat and a frantic opening saw the score reach 80-2 off just 15 overs before slumping to 96-6. There were good contributions from Andy Chalmers (44) and James Dermont (36) at the top and a late rally from Richard Brown (20) and Richard Peareth (14 not out) but the score of 170 looked under par.
The Frogmore reply was more measured and despite 2 wickets from Rob Day, Frogmore reached the target 5 wickets own and with overs to spare.
The third team had a comfortable win against Stevenage fifths. Ickleford batted first and made 205-6 off their 40 overs. Ben Mason made 66 and added 102 with Mark Howard who made 38.
Stevenage were dismissed for 104 with Nick Webb taking 3-23, Leo Mason 2-29 and Russell Dermont 2-0 as Ickleford won by 101 runs.
Match report 11th July
Cricket was welcomed back with 3 local derbies as Ickleford played Preston, with Preston beating their best rivals in all the matches.
In the 1st X1 match new Ickleford Captain Luke Marsden won the toss and batted. A solid 2nd wicket partnership of 57 between Duncan Jenner (33) and Stephen Money (26) seemed to be laying the foundations for things to come. However, the introduction of Peter Murrell (5 for 24), ably supported by Alex Gallimore (2 for 12) and Jack Stevens (2 for 20) soon spun Ickleford out for 149 with a full 12 overs of their allotted 45 unused.
In reply many of the Preston batsmen got starts and then got out. Sammy Fookes (4 for 27), George Crouch (2 for 16) and 15 year old Thomas Brown (2 for 26) reduced them to 92 for 7.
The tail wagged. There was an eighth wicket partnership of 23 and with number 10 Peter Murrell top scoring with 20 not out it was left for skipper Max Anderson batting as last man to blast two huge sixes to win the match by one wicket.
Preston 2nd X1 209 for 4 in 45, Ickleford 2nd X1 171 for 7 in 45 overs, Preston 3rd X1 Ickleford 3rd X1
Ickleford Sunday X1 244 for 5 in 40 overs, Octopus 210 all out in 38.2 overs
Next week the League starts with Ickleford 1st X1 away at newly promoted Holtwhites, 2nd X1 home to Frogmore and 3rd X1 away to Stavenage at Graveley.
Match reports 7th September
The fact that Ickleford won this local derby and consigned Knebworth to relegation was almost exclusive down to one Ickleford Cricketer as Matt Baxter completed his second unbeaten century against Park this season amassing 278 in the two matches.
Set 167 to win the villagers were 116 for 8 with opener Matt on 54. The ninth wicket partnership with Luke Marsden finished unbroken as Matt scored another 47 to reach 101 to see them home by 2 wickets. Only Jack Good with 28 had been able to muster double figures.
For Knebworth Khanbar Iqbal took 3 for 46 in his 10 overs and Muhaamed Asif 2 for 30 in his. Gareth Jones also took 2 wickets for 69.
Earlier Knebworth's score of 166 for 8 from 50 overs was almost entirely due to Josh Roseberry's 78 ably supported by Charlie Randall with 22. For Ickleford skipper Matt Marsden took 3 for 23 and Eswar Krishnamurthy 2 for 41.
http://ickleford.play-cricket.com/website/results/3958458
Ickleford 2s finished the season on a high by defeating St Albans 2s to make it 5 wins in a row.
Duncan Jenner held their innings together after coming in at 13-2. He marshalled the lower order to finish 80 not out in a competitive total of 181-7.
St Albans started positively but Michael Day struck early with the first of his 2 wickets.
Jenner completed a fine match with 3 middle order wickets before Charlie Jupp grabbed 4 wickets in just 3 overs in his first bowl for the side this season. It was left to Scot Crouch to take the final wicket of the match & the season at St Albans crashed to 112 all out.
Match reports 31st August
Preston beat Ickleford by 2 wickets in an absorbing match on Saturday and thus secured promotion to Championship cricket next season.
Preston won the toss and chose to field first. Openers Sammy Fookes (29) and Ali Munn (26) put down a patient 53 run partnership. This was carried on by a 3rd wicket partnership of 118 by Stephen Money (75) and Matt Baxter (58) as Ickleford finished their 50 overs on 215 for 6. Both Pete Murrell 2 for 37 and Max Anderson 2 for 47 took 2 wickets a piece.
A short sharp shower in the tea interval meant that the target was reduced to 207 in 48 overs.
For once the high scoring Lewis Balcombe was out early but the Stevens twins Jack (59) and James (23) made a 2nd wicket partnership of 73. Both fell in consecutive deliveries to the Marsden brothers Matt 3 for 54 and Luke 2 for 46. The remaining Preston batsmen kept the rate up but were losing wickets too. Tim Collins (36) and all the others chipped in. The match went to the last ball which Warren Hearne struck to the boundary to win the match amid scenes of jubilation.
Ickleford send their congratulations to Preston, near neighbours and arch rivals on their promotion.
Next week Ickleford host Knebworth Park and Preston travel to Langleybury to see which will be crowned champions.
Duncan Jenner stroked a century as Ickleford 2s comfortably beat top of table Rickmansworth 1s team.
His 105 was supported by Sam Howard(34) & Mark Schumann (21), Ickleford ending on 246-9.
Jenner then followed his batting heroics with 2 wickets. Tom Brown, Scot Crouch & Michael Day also grabbed 2 wickets as Rickmansworth's chase never really threatened as they finished on 188 with Charlie Jupp grabbing 4 good catches in the deep.
Ickleford 3s were relegated from Herts League Division 10A after losing to Holtwhites Trinibis 3s at Holwell. Holtwhites won the toss and batted on a good pitch but struggled to score against the opening bowlers, Tim Last (0-47)and Nick Webb (0-12) with Rob Day (1-38) providing good back up. They were able to keep wickets intact however and some aggressive batting enabled them to post 237 for 8 in their 45 overs. Wicket-takers were Richard Peareth 4-70, Mark Howard 2-16, Rob Day 1-38 and a spectacular run out by Tim Last. In reply, Ickleford's batting was disappointing, finishing on 104 all out with the highest partnership being only 24 and six of the team were out bowled! Mark Howard top scored with 25 with Ben Whelan 15 and Rob Day 13no.
Match reports 24th August
Ickleford won this match by just one wicket on Saturday.
On winning the toss Harpenden elected to bat. Their total of 156 was mostly due to an classy innings of 71 from M Howard.
The innings fell away with the introduction of 17 year old George Crouch who took 6 for 39 in 10 his overs. Earlier Matt Marsden had taken 2 for 23 in his.
Ickleford's reply looked well on course at 90 for 2 18 overs. Duncan Jenner with 29 and Matt Baxter 34. However 14 year old Z Kureshi had other ideas. He bowled an excellent spell of slow bowling taking 4 for 19 in 10 overs, reducing Ickleford to 134 for 9. Only George with 27 made a significant further contribution. It was left to regular 2nd X1 skipper Sam Howard 12 not out and number 11 Luke Marsden 7 not out to see the team home with an unbroken stand of 23.
Next Saturday Ickleford travel up the road to local rivals and champions apparent Preston.
A win at Radlett 3s gave Ickleford 2s their 3rd successive victory.
It was all largely thanks to a fine all round performance from Michael Day. He made an aggressive 56 as Ickleford capitalised on some patient to order batting to make 200-7.
Thomas Brown continued his fine form with 2 early wickets before Day did his bit with the ball finishing with 3-41 as Ickleford secured a 16 run win.
Diverting to Kings Langley's second ground with 1 hours notice, the game against West Herts 4s started 30 minutes late and was reduced to 40 overs per side. Ickleford won the toss and inserted the home team on a postage stamp sized ground. Their innings was dominated by Muddasir with an aggressive 120 not out as they reached 277-8. Webb was again the pick of the bowlers with 4-41 supported by Dalrymple with 2-30. In reply, Ickleford recovered from 50-4 with a 5th wicket partnership of 133 between Peareth (84) and Webb (45) however the ten men were bowled out for 218. Another match where one opposition player has been the difference - story of the season.
Match reports 17th August
Hitchin and Ickleford played out a nail biting finish as the town team beat their near village rivals by just one run on Saturday.
Winning the toss and batting first Hitchin posted 254 for 4 in their 50 overs. This was thanks largely to an unbroken 5th wicket partnership of 126 between S.Khalid 118 not out and G.Jandu 79 not out.
The pick of the Ickleford bowlers were Axel Morris 3 for 46 in his 10 overs and Luke Marsden, whilst not taking a wicket, conceding just a miserly 18 off his 10.
In reply Ickleford kept up with the rate with Stephen Money 33 and Matt Baxter 56 laying the foundations. Then a sixth wicket partnership of 84 between Jack Good 64 and Ben Mason 37 not out took Ickleford to the brink. 12 were needed from the last over and 10 from the last 3 balls. Axel hit the 4th ball for 2 and the fifth for 4 but could only manage 2 off the last ball leaving Ickleford 2 short of victory on 253 for 8 in what was the most exciting finish.
For Hitchin D.Fair bowled his 10 overs 2 for 33 and S.Khalid 2 for 67 in his bowling the death overs.
Next week Ickleford host Harpenden 2nd X1 and Hitchin travel to Langleybury.
Ickleford 2s secured a vital win against Frogmore despite being bowled out for just 103.
Ickleford chose to bat first & were soon in trouble at 2-2. Tom Willoughby & George Crouch made 25 each to rebuild the innings. Once they were out, Ickleford again struggled and were bowled out in just 34 overs.
A quick turnaround meant Frogmore were batting before tea.
Early wickets for Michael Day & Thomas Brown along with the aggressive approach from the visitors meant they were 50 for 5 off just 9 overs.
From there, Ickleford were firm favourites & Frogmore made just 87, Day finishing with 4-32 & Brown 3-15.
Ickleford 3s lost to Bentley Heath 2s by 4 wickets in a low scoring game at Holwell. Losing the toss, Ickleford batted on a slow pitch and the openers Howard and Last put on 55 for the 1st wicket, Last top scoring with 34.
No one really kicked on and only Pursey (28) and Brockett (23) applied themselves and the team was bowled out for 136. In reply, Ickleford were much improved in the field with Webb's impressive 3-3 off 9 overs and 7 maidens. Holmes, Gray and Howard shared the other wickets as the visitors were made to work hard for their runs. Opener Medway dropped anchor with 29 no and the total was reached for the loss of 6 wickets in 38 overs.
Match reports 10th August
Ickleford 1st X1 were taught a lesson on how to use favourable conditions on Saturday.
Winning the toss and batting first Albanians scored 169 in their 48 overs. This was based around a patient 3rd wicket partnership of 68 with Goldstone scoring 77 and Malik 41. For Ickleford Jack Good returned figures of 3 for 29 from 9 overs and Luke Marsden 2 for 27 in 10.
After tea the more experienced Albanians bowlers cut their pace and kept the ball on a good length allowing the ball to do the work. Hayat took 4 for 18, N.Ahmed 2 for 23 and Irshad 3 for 9 as the villagers were bundled out for just 76 in 20.4 overs. Only Matt Baxter, last man out, with 31 was able to master the conditions.
Next week Ickleford travel up the road to Hitchin to contest a mid table derby.
Ickleford 2nds scored a vital win in a bottom of table clash at Hertford.
Ickleford won a rare toss & put Hertford in on a green wicket in overcast conditions with the wind too strong to allow the sight screens to be used. Hertford were soon in trouble thanks to 4 wickets shared between the on form Thomas Brown and Scot Crouch leaving them 43-4. Hertford then started to rally and increase the run rate. Their skipper held the innings together with an unbeaten half century, reaching 211. Mark Schumann ended with 3 wickets and Duncan Jenner 2.
With rain looming, the Ickleford reply started positively with Duncan Jenner stroking the first 3 balls for boundaries and he remained positive while Tom Reilly played himself in. Jenner finished with 45. Reilly then took up the attack to finish 61 not out with Ben Mason 29 not out, with Ickleford comfortably winning on run rate when the rain arrived at 143-1 off 29 overs.
A defeat at the likely champions Southgate Compton on a blustery day. Skipper Mark Howard lost the toss (7th time out of 8!), and Ickleford were asked to bat on a greenish but true pitch. Against accurate bowling, Dave Pursey dominated the innings with a patient 94 supported by Michael Day (41) to reach 194 - 7.
In reply, Southgate exploited the inexperienced bowling attack to cruise home in 32 overs for the loss of one wicket.
Match reports 3rd August
Ickleford had a convincing win against Sawbridgeworth on Saturday.
Batting first Ickleford posted a challenging 266 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Openers Ali Munn (38) and Sammy Fookes (29) laid the foundations for Stephen Money (36) and a hard hitting 76 including 6 4s and 6 6s from Matt Baxter and a late flurry from Eswar Krishnamurthy (37).
In reply Sawbridgeworth reached 49 for 1 before the introduction of spin brothers Matt and Luke Marsden completely changed the innings. Returning from injury Luke had figures of 4 for 24 in his 10 overs and skipper Matt 3 for 17 in his 10 overs without conceding a boundary. With Jack Good taking the first and last wickets and an excellent fielding performance Sawbo were bowled out 126 leaving the villagers victorious by 140 runs.
In what has been a familiar story this year, Ickleford 2nds lost by 3 wickets in another close game, this time to North Mimms. They were left to rue being a man short for the match.
Ickleford made 161, George Crouch top scoring with 47.
Thomas Brown took 3 wickets in his opening spell to add to his 22 runs earlier. George Crouch followed up his batting effort with figures of 1-22 from 10 overs, but, an injury to Michael Day left Ickleford with just 9 men in the field as some frustrating aerial blows saw North Mimms to victory.
Another weakened 3rd team of ten men lost to Frogmore 2nds by 44 runs but put up a spirited performance. Frogmore won the toss and batted on the best Holwell pitch of the season to date posting 252 for 4 in their 45 overs.
Experienced campaigner Tony Albon top scored with 97 not out. Tim Last was the pick of the bowlers going for only 16 in his 9 overs and the wickets were shared between Nick Webb, Charlie Wren,,Dave Pursey and John Ross. In reply, James Dermont (33) and Pursey (49) put on 74 for the first wicket and there were contributions from Last (29), Mark Howard (17) and Webb (16) as Ickleford tried in vain to chase their target but finished on a creditable 208 for 8.
Match reports 20th July
Ickleford 1st X1 were soundly beaten by 209 runs on Saturday.
Batting first Broxbourne posted an imposing 346 for 3 in their 50 overs. Openers Dissangake (71) and Ahmel (90) laid the foundations with a stand of 137 for number 3 George Davies to hit 140 including 15 sixes. For Ickleford Axel Morris took 2 of the wickets to fall.
In reply Eswar Krishnamuthy (47) and Ally Munn (35) featured in the only stand of the innings (78) as the rest of the Ickleford batting was bamboozled by Robinson 5 for 30 and Ahmed 3 for 45. Ben Mason (26) was the only other batsman to make double figures as the villagers were all out for 137 in just 29 overs.
Next week Ickleford play second in the table Langleybury.
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A weakened Ickleford 2s were well beaten by the league leaders London Colney by 9 wickets.
Ickleford won the toss and chose to bat on a good pitch. With two lively opening bowlers backed up by two good spinners Ickleford lost wickets regularly with the largest partnership only 49 between Sam Howard (31) and Scot Crouch (16). Jak Phillips top scored with 34 as the visitors were all out for 158. In reply, there were few alarms as opener Zeiderman compiled a watchful 49 no and Frame was 81 no as the total was reached in 34 overs. Scot Crouch (1-20) took the only wicket.
Match reports 13th July
Ickleford 1st X1 won this match by a comfortable 87 runs.
However at one stage Ickleford were 55 for 4 and in some difficulty. Once again Stephen Money came to the rescue and together with Jack Good they put on 111 in a 5th wicket partnership. Stephen finished on 107 not out from 100 balls including 17 fours and Jack 71 from 96 balls including 3 sixes and 7 fours.
This enabled Ickleford to complete their 50 overs scoring 260 for 7.
Kings Langley's reply was steady if a little slow. It was the introduction of skipper Matt Marsden that hastened the Villagers victory.
In his two spell he finished with figures of 9.2 overs 3 maidens 5 for 21. Sammy Fookes chipped in with 2 for 9 at the end as Kings Langley ended up 173 all out.
The second team were well beaten by Bentley Heath. Ickleford scored 173 mainly thanks to Tom Reilly who top scored with 71. Tom Willoughby made 25 and Dave Pursey 19
In reply the Ickleford bowlers struggled and Bentley Heath eased home by 8 wickets. Scot Crouch took 2-50.
The third team had 4 debutants against Hoddesdon 4’s. Charlie Jupp dominated the Ickleford innings with a maiden century. He scored 105 out of a total of 181 with Nick Webb making 30.
Jupp was also the most successful bowler with 3-27 but Hoddesdon won by 4 wickets.
Match reports 6th July
As all local cricketers know if you do not take your chances at this level you will often be made to pay.
Knebworth dropped both Matt Baxter and Stephen Money in the same over off reasonable chances before either were really set.
Matt went on to score a magnificent 177 not out with 20 fours and 7 sixes and Stephen a supporting 60 as Ickleford racked up 335 for 7 in their 50 overs. Pick of the bowlers was Gareth Jones who took 2 for 54 and had that bad luck.
In reply Park's first 9 scoring shots were boundaries then Matt Marsden soon turned to spin. Brother Luke took 3 for 15 in 10 mean overs and the skipper himself took 3 for 19. They were ably supported by George Crouch 2 for 19 and Sammy Fookes 1 for 46 and an excellent fielding performance as Knebworth were bundled out for just 140 leaving Ickleford victors by 195 runs.
Ickleford 2nds lost a close low scoring encounter with St Albans 2nds. Ickleford managed just 91, which could have been much worse without Michael Day's late order 34 not out, which helped add 28 for the last wicket.
Thomas Brown took 2 wickets in the first over of the reply to give Ickleford hope & ended with 3-20, Scot Crouch 3-15 worked through the middle order but after a couple more losses St Albans found themselves 8 down with 6 runs needed, However they managed to creep home to a 2 wicket win.
The 3rd team lost out in a run fest against Reed 3rds.Ickleford made 278-3 thanks to a century from James Dermont. He made 103 and was well supported by Ben Whelan 56 and Ian Cheesman 49 not out. Unfortunately one of the Reed openers carried his bat with 120 not out and guided Reed home by 8 wickets. Nick Webb and Charlie Jupp were the most economical bowlers.
Match reports 29th June.
Preston showed near neighbours Ickleford why they are runaway leaders of Saracens League one with a comprehensive victory by 9 wickets on Saturday.
Batting first Ickleford scored 176 all out from 49.3 overs. Top scorer was Jack Good with 42 and there were useful contributions from Ben Mason 29, Sammy Fookes 27 and Matt Marsden 26 but nobody played the much needed major innings. Max Anderson 3 for 31 in 10 overs and Jack Stevens 3 for 33 in 9.4 were the pick of the Preston bowlers in a tidy performance with the ball.
Ickleford's hopes were high as Axel Morris removed James Stevens at the start of the Preston reply but that was as good as it got for Ickleford as Lewis Balcombe scored an unbeaten 85 and Jack Stevens 83, having had to retire hurt having injured himself hitting a six, as they romped to victory with 14 overs to spare.
Ickleford 2s lost to Rickmansworth despite a second successive 5 wicket haul for Thomas Brown. After losing the toss on the hottest day of the year. Ickleford did well to restrict Rickmansworth to 201. The chase started well with Simon Wagstaff (27) and Tom Reilly (31) putting on 65 for the first wicket. Then the slower bowlers strangled the chase and Ickleford found themselves 120-8. Despite some belligerent hitting from Richard Brown(37) they fell to 157 all out meaning Rickmansworth achieved victory with 8 overs to spare.
The third team lost to Holtwhites. Ickleford made 231-7 with the innings dominated by Michael Day who made 98 before getting caught on the boundary just two short of a maiden league century. Dave Pursey made 42 and Adam Brockett 33. Holtwhites won in 37 overs losing just 4 wickets. Mark Howard took 2-56.
Match reports 22nd June
Ickleford had a comfortable win by 169 runs on Saturday against Harpenden 2nd X1.
The Ickleford total was based around an excellent 2nd wicket partnership of 125 between Stephen Money 129 not out and Ally Munn 78. This was Money's second century this season and this partnership allowed the later batsmen to accelerate the run rate with Jack Edwards making 44 and Sam Draper 30 as the Villagers posted an imposing 316 for 5 in their 50 overs.
Harpenden's reply was going along smoothly, if a little slowly, at the drinks break at 106 for 2 from 25 overs. As is often the case that interval seemed to break the batsmen's concentration as they lost the remaining 8 wickets for 41 in 13 overs.
The returning Sam Draper took 4 for 36 from 6.4 overs and George Crouch 3 for 13 in 6. Earlier Axel Morris had claimed the opening two wickets in his 10 over spell finishing 2 for 27.
https://hertfordshire.play-cricket.com/website/results/3958404
15 year old Thomas Brown took a stunning 6-34 to lead Ickleford 2nds to victory in a close encounter against Radlett 3rds.
Ickleford recovered from losing 2 wickets in the first over to post 177-7 thanks to patient knocks of 48 from Mark Schumann and 41 from Tom Reilly before Brown ripped through the opposition order to deal a 30 run win.
https://hertfordshire.play-cricket.com/website/results/3959036
The third team were beaten by West Herts 4's. Wickets fell regularly for Ickleford with only Jack Holmes looking comfortable as he made an excellent unbeaten 56 out of a score of 141. West Herts applied themselves well in reply despite tight bowling from Mark Howard 2-23 and Richard Peareth 1-23 while 13 year old Ollie Holmes took his first wicket for the club. West Herts won by 4 wickets.
https://hertfordshire.play-cricket.com/website/results/3959943
Match reports 15th June
This topsy turvey match finally went the way of the town team but not before the advantage seemed to change many times as fortunes fluctuated. It was a great advert for Saracens League cricket with Hitchin winning off the fourth ball of the last over with 9 wickets down.
The Villagers put into bat mustered 155 but crucially did not use 5 of their overs. The score was based around an excellent, patient innings of 62 from Stephen Money. Indeed the next highest score was extras with 20. Waras took 3 for 22 in his ten overs.
In reply Hitchin appeared in trouble at 83 for 7 with only Waras with 28 able to make a contribution. However an excellent 8th wicket partnership of 49 from Steve Flint 36 not out and Danny Fair 27 brought the match to its conclusion when last man Bawja hit the penultimate ball for 4. For Ickleford both Eswar Krishnamurthy and Sammy Fookes took two wickets a piece.
2nd X1 fixture game was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.
The third team had another good win beating Bentley Heath 2’s by 71 runs. It was a game to remember for George Crouch. He hit an excellent 67 as Ickleford made 164 with Dave Pursey adding 30. George then took 4-27 as Bentley Heath were dismissed for 93 and also took 3 catches. His father Scot took 2-17 with Nick Webb 2-8 and Russell Dermont 2-19 also bowling well.
Match reports 8th June
The first team game at Old Albanians was called off mid -morning but Ickleford's other two teams had impressive wins.
Ickleford 2nds finally got their first win after narrow defeats in the last 2 weeks winning by 8 runs against Hertford 3rds.
In wet conditions Ickleford lost their 5th toss in a row and unsurprisingly were put into bat and they were soon in trouble at 10-4. Skipper Sam Howard started the rescue act with 32 and lower order runs got the score up to a meagre 113 in an innings containing 5 ducks.
Hertford started briskly and at 58-3 off just 14 overs they looked to be racing to the target. Scot Crouch then bowled a miserly spell of 3-13 from his 9 overs, Michael Day took 2 wickets & Duncan Jenner after a rare failure with the bat finished Hertford off with 2-15 as they were bowled out for 103 giving Ickleford a thrilling 8 run victory.
http://ickleford.play-cricket.com/website/results/3959026
The third team had an excellent victory over Southgate Compton who were top of the table before this game. Ickleford restricted Southgate Compton to 154-9 in their 38 overs. Nick Webb was very economical but the unexpected bowling hero was Ben Whelan who does not normally bowl but took 4 wickets.
Whelan then hit a very useful 46 to put Ickleford on the road to their target He was well supported by Russell Dermont before skipper Dave Pursey hit an unbeaten 50 to see Ickleford home by 7 wickets.
Match reports 1st June
This match was dominated by a superb 4th wicket partnership of 157 between Stephen Money (101 not out ) and Eswar Krishnamurphy (63). Chasing 225 to win Ickleford were in trouble losing 3 early wickets for 29 before the most experienced members of the team came together. They timed their partnership to perfection, always keeping the scoreboard ticking without taking unnecessary risks. The run chase was completed with a welcome 25 not out from match day captain Jack Edwards as Ickleford were victorious by 6 wickets.
Earlier Sawbridgeworth looked likely to post an imposing total when they reached 99 for 1 in 22 overs. The introduction of Luke Marsden 3 for 34 soon changed that as they finished on a par score of 224. There were wickets for for George Crouch (2 for 51) whilst Sam Draper took 3 out field catches in the deep to back up his slow bowling team mates.
Ickleford 2nds remain winless after another narrow defeat at North Mymms. A 4th successive lost toss saw Ickleford in the field against the table toppers. 3 wickets each for Thomas Brown & Scot Crouch kept North Mymms to exactly 200. Duncan Jenner followed his unbeaten ton last week with an impressive half century. But as the rate increased Ickleford were bowled out in the last over 9 runs short of the victory total.
https://hertfordshire.play-cricket.com/website/results/3959020
The third team had a good win at Frogmore. Ickleford batted first and scored an impressive 232-3 in their 45 overs. There was an excellent opening partnership of 173 between Russell Dermont 80 and Dave Pursey 65. Frogmore were restricted to 185-8 in reply with Mark Howard and Jack Holmes each taking two wickets.
https://hertfordshire.play-cricket.com/website/results/3959926
Match Reports 25th May
Ickleford 1st X1 snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a thrilling match on Saturday.
When number 11 Michael Day joined Matt Baxter for the last wicket Ickleford required a further 82. It seemed a forlorn situation. But Baxter hit a further 70 in an innings of 118 not out including 8 6’s and 8 4’s in a partnership of 73 reducing the requirement to 9 from 4 overs.However an excellent piece of fielding saw Day run out trying to keep his partner on strike.
Earlier Sammy Fookes with 45 had been the back bone of the ickleford innings before once again wickets fell all too quickly.
Langleybury got off to a solid start with 2 half century knocks which helped them to reach 142 for 2 at 25 overs. The re introduction of the Marsden brothers saw the balance change as Matt took 4 for 47 and Luke 2 for 40 as Langleybury were bowled out for 249 in the 50th over.
Ickleford 2nds came up just 8 run short of chasing down 254 against Clifton 1st team.
Ickleford lost their third successive toss & fielded in hot dry conditions.
Clifton started slowly. At 46-3, they were then helped with a gradually accelerating 131 partnership & Ickleford began to struggle. Scot Crouch took 3 wickets, but it was Rob Day with 3 run outs despite nursing injury that finally curtailed the innings. Ickleford too started cautiously and were 87-2 at after 25 overs, still needing a further 168 from the remaining 25. Duncan Jenner got into his stride hitting 14 fours and a six in a brilliant 114 not out. With several players providing quick runs at the other end victory appeared a possibility but they frustratingly finished just short at 247-5
The third team were well beaten at Bushey. The batting did not fire and only Ben Whelan with a brisk 44 really got going. Ickleford were dismissed for just 104 which did not put Bushey under any real pressure and they eased home by 5 wickets in just 23 overs. Scott Dalrymple was the pick of the Ickleford bowlers with 3 wickets.
Match reports 18th May.
Having won the toss and batted Broxbourne were soon in trouble at 15 for 3 as Axel Morris (1 for 20) and Eswar Krishnamurphy (3 for 41) took early wickets.
However a 67 run partnership from Hussain Ahmed 69 not out and George Davies 49, the most fluent batsman of the day, restored parity.
Once that partnership was broken the innings concluded at 175 for 7 with Luke Marsden bowling his 10 overs for figures of 2 for 29.
The feeling at tea was that the innings was less than expected.
However Ickleford's batsmen were soon returning to the pavilion in a hurry as James Trafford took 3 for 32 in 6 overs and Liam Robinson 1 for 10 as they stumbled to 51 for 5 before the rains saved the day. Only Matt Baxter (14) and Matt Marsden (13) managed double figures.
The second team lost a tight game against London Colney. Their opponents won an important toss and inserted Ickleford on a tricky wicket. Simon Wagstaff made a patient 30 and Jack Edwards an excellent 59. Sam Howard hit a lusty 27 meaning Ickleford made a competitive 187.
The outfield quickened up after tea and after a slow start Colney accelerated towards the victory total. There were 2 wickets for Thomas Brown, Michael day and Jason Timm but Colney eased home by 3 wickets.
https://londoncolneycc.hitscricket.com/scorecard/fixtureID_671635/Saturday-1st-XI-v-Ickleford-II-18-May-2019.aspx
The third team comprehensively beat Rickmansworth 3's. Good tight early bowling from Rob Day 1-17 and Nick Webb 1-13 made Rickmansworth struggle but despite 4-47 from Richard Peareth they progressed to 192.
However a brilliant opening partnership of 148 between Dave Pursey 80 and Sam Giggle 51 made light of the target and Ben Whelan 30 not out saw Ickleford win by 7 wickets.
Match reports 11th May 2019.
Ickleford got off to the best possible start in the Saracens Herts League division 1 with an emphatic 115 run victory over Kings Langley. Ickleford were put in to bat on what was expected to be a wicket that would favour the bowlers. The innings was dominated by a brilliant century from Eswar Krishnamurthy who provided an excellent mix of defence and attack as he steered Ickleford to a very competitive score of 209-9 in their 50 overs. Matt Baxter provided the main support with 43 and only one other batsman reached double figures—Axel Morris with 14. Such was Krishnamurthy’s dominance.
The Ickleford bowling attack immediately caused problems for Kings Langley. Morris took two early wickets in a fine opening spell and was well supported by Krishnamurthy and Michael Day. The squeeze on the Kings Langley batsmen was continued by the Marsden brothers who gave nothing away. Luke took 4-19 in 10 overs while Matt took 3-25 in 7.3 overs as Ickleford thoroughly deserved their emphatic victory.
https://kingslangleycc.hitssports.com/scorecard/fixtureID_672645/1st-XI-v-Ickleford-11-May-2019.aspx
The second team were beaten by Bentley Heath on an under prepared wicket. Ickleford were dismissed for just 93 and Bentley Heath got home by 7 wickets as Ickleford dropped too many catches.
Match Report 20th April
Ickleford comfortably took the spoils in a season opening friendly fixture with Letchworth.
Ickleford Batted first in clear blue skies. After the early loss of Sammy Fookes, skipper Ali Munn put on 100 with debutant New Zealander Stephen Money. Both made half centuries before Matt Baxter hit a quick fire 38 & most of the middle order got some valuable time at the wicket. Ickleford reached 204-6 from their 45 overs. Letchworth In reply found early season runs difficult to come by and were soon well behind the rate. Sam Draper picked up 5 wickets as Letchworth slid to 131 all out with 6 overs left.
Match reports 1st September
Ickleford ended their debut season in division 1 of the Saracens Herts League with a disappointing performance that lacked their usual intensity. But to finish fifth was an excellent outcome in their first season at this level.
Ickleford reduced Broxbourne to 137-7 and seemed well on top. But a partnership of 98 for the eighth wicket changed the complexion of the game and Broxbourne ended up with 237-8. Luke Marsden again bowled well with 3-35 from his 10 overs while Axel Morris took 2-25. At 124-4 Ickleford seemed in control as Sammy Fookes made another excellent half century with 51 and Matt Baxter made 25. But then a collapse set in and 124-4 became 147 all out as the innings imploded. But the season was all about consolidation and Ickleford probably over achieved with their fifth place finish.
The second team were beaten by just 10 runs by Preston 2’s. Preston batted first and made 248-7 with Peter Godden making 85. Thomas Brown and Duncan Jenner each took 2 wickets while Scot Crouch bowled a tight spell.
Ickleford were always in the hunt with Sam Giggle making 35 and Duncan Jenner 41. But Mark Schumann was the star performer and he made an excellent 77. He fell with 27 more needed for victory and this proved beyond the tail and Ickleford were dismissed for 238. Despite the victory Preston 2’s were relegated.
The third team had a brilliant win at Aldenham who despite their defeat ended up as champions of division 10A. Ickleford dismissed Aldenham for just 97 as Rob Day produced a match winning spell of 5-33 in his 10 overs. He was well supported by Michael Day 2-13 and Richard Peareth 2-19.
The wicket was not easy but a number of batsmen produced double figures as Ickleford got home by 4 wickets. Mark Howard 15, Adam Brockett 18, Ben Whelan 15 and Peareth 17 set the stage for youngsters Jack Holmes and Sam Dermont to see Ickleford home.
Match reports 25th August
Ickleford won a thrilling game against Shenley Village off the penultimate ball of the game with nine wickets down. Shenley chose to bat and the Ickleford attack did well to restrict them to 191-7 in their 50 overs with another good fielding performance being equally important. Luke Marsden only conceded 20 runs in his 10 overs taking 2 wickets. Axel Morris also bowled well and took 3-35 in his 10 overs.
The victory target was certainly achievable and Ally Munn opened the innings with 21 but it was the third wicket partnership of 86 between Sammy Fookes and Matt Baxter that put Ickleford on top. Both made 56 and at 135-3 Ickleford seemed well on course. But a slump to 172-8 saw a nervy finish in prospect. Morris hit an aggressive 13 and when he departed 3 runs were needed from the last over. Richard Brown hit a single before Luke Marsden completed a memorable day with a 4 off the penultimate delivery to see Ickleford home.
The second team were beaten by 23 runs in their clash with St Albans 2’s. St Albans batted first and made 197. Again Michael Day was the pick of the bowlers and he was rewarded with figures of 5-29 from his 10 overs. Thomas Brown, Scot Crouch and George Crouch each took one wicket.
Tom Willoughby gave Ickleford a good start with 49 but unfortunately only Tom Archer with an unbeaten 44 provided any real resistance as only two other batsmen made double figures and Ickleford were dismissed for 174.
The third team made 182 with Ben Whelan again leading the way with a hard hit 43. Adam Brockett with 25 and Mark Howard20 provided support. The Ickleford bowlers endured rainy conditions and had to bowl with a wet ball which helped Holtwhites who won by 6 wickets. Nick Webb was the pick of the bowlers with2-26.
Match Report 18th August
Ickleford produced a disappointing performance against Kings Langley and were beaten by 4 wickets. Ickleford won the toss and decided to bat but could only muster 113 all out. Too many batsmen were architects of their own downfall with some injudicious shots. The 19 extras outscored any of the Ickleford batsmen with Sam Draper the top scorer with 17.
The bowlers did not have much to bowl at and Kings Langley progressed to 71-1. There was a mini collapse as Kings Langley lost 4 further wickets but despite a good fielding performance the victory target was achieved with 23 overs to spare. Eswar Krishnamurthy was the pick of the bowlers with 4-36 from 8.2 overs while Draper and Luke Marsden each took one wicket.
The second team saw their faint promotion hopes disappear as they were well beaten by Bentley Heath. On a very difficult wicket Ickleford were inserted and struggled to 70-1 in 25 overs with Simon Wagstaff making 40. The introduction of a slow left arm bowler then made life more difficult for Ickleford and he took 4-20 as Ickleford fell away to 137 all out.
The wicket was improving and Bentley Heath had no problems reaching the target for the loss of just 4 wickets. Michael Day was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets but only 27 overs were needed by Bentley Heath.
The third team had an excellent victory over Hoddesdon 3’s. On a very good wicket Ickleford did well to restrict Hoddesdon to 221-6. Mark Howard took 3-43 and Richard Peareth 2-41. The Ickleford reply started well as Dave Pursey made 27 before an excellent partnership between Matt Deacon who made 36 and Ben Whelan with a brilliant 82 put Ickleford in sight of victory. But there was a wobble and a cluster of wickets fell before Howard hit the winning runs as Ickleford got home by 3 wickets.
Match Reports 11th August
The rains came with the game delicately poised but Ickleford first team won by virtue of a better run rate at Chorley Wood. Ickleford were inserted on a damp surface that favoured the bowlers and found it hard going early on. Sam Fookes did well making 34 but Ickleford were in trouble at 92-5.
The lower order batsmen dug in well with Jack Edwards making 35 and Ben Mason showing good responsibility with 42 not out. Matt Marsden then batted aggressively in his 31 as Ickleford made a useful 207-8. The wicket was getting easier but the bowlers did have a total to defend.
Chorley Wood made a good start and reached 85-1. Then the Marsden brothers were introduced in to the attack and put the brakes on. Matt took 3-19 from 8 overs while Luke took 1-32 from 7 overs and Chorley Wood were 120-5 when the heavens opened with Ickleford now on top. Calculations proved Ickleford to be the winners with their rate of 4.14 beating Chorley Wood’s 3.52.
The second team had an exciting victory over Holtwhites 2’s winning off the second ball of the last over. Holtwhites made 232 and at one stage looked on course for far more before Duncan Jenner intervened. He took 4 wickets in one remarkable over and finished with 6-54 from 9 overs.
Ickleford kept up with the run rate throughout their reply and the key partnership saw Jenner complete a memorable day with 55 in tandem with Sam Howard who also made 55. Dan Watson made 23 but the ninth wicket fell with 12 runs still needed. However Michael Day and Scot Crouch were the heroes of the hour as Ickleford scraped home by one wicket.
The third team were beaten by 4 wickets by Watford 3’s. Ickleford batted first when the wicket was more difficult but made 215-6. Dave Pursey made 27 and Ben Whelan 35 but the highlight was a partnership of 130 between Adam Brockett who made 66 despite being injured and Jack Holmes who hit a maiden 50 with 55 not out. Watford had a couple of aggressive batsmen who managed to reduce the asking rate as the innings progressed and despite Ickleford taking 6 wickets they won with 10 overs to spare.
Match Reports 4th August
Ickleford secured an emphatic 8 wicket victory over near neighbours Knebworth Park in the Saracens Herts League Division 1. Knebworth batted first and were guilty of playing some inauspicious shots that led to wickets falling. However Ickleford did bowl well and reduced their opponents to 76-6. The Knebworth tail batted sensibly and took the score to 168 all out which while below par was a good recovery. The wickets were shared around with Eswar Krishnamurthy taking 3-38, Luke Marsden and Dillon Smit each having figures of 2-27 and Matt Marsden taking 2-34.
Ally Munn opened with Smit and added 31 for the first wicket as Smit made 24. Krishnamurthy then joined Munn and they added 85. Munn was dismissed for 48 but then Baxter 36 not out joined Krishnamurthy 42 not out and they saw Ickleford home with 9 overs to spare. This was a rare win for Ickleford over Knebworth Park who had a great record against Ickleford before this game.
The second team had a comfortable win over London Colney. Ickleford did well to restrict London Colney to 185 as Duncan Jenner snared 4-48 while George Crouch also bowled well to take 2-46. Ickleford made a good start to their reply with Tom Reilly 23 and Simon Wagstaff 48 adding 50 for the first wicket. Then Sammy Fookes took centre stage with an excellent unbeaten 61 while Jenner completed a good all round performance with 32 not out.
The third team made a competitive score of 236 against Datchworth 3’s. Richard Peareth made 63 and Dave Pursey 33 but it turned out that the victory target was achievable on a good wicket and Datchworth got home by 4 wickets despite 2-32 from Attiq.
Match Reports 28th July
The first team were involved in an exciting match at top of the table Old Owens only losing off the first ball of the last over. Ickleford batted first and against the top class Old Owens attack could only make 166 and only batted for 44.1 overs.
Dillon Smit and Eswar Krishnamurthy made 21 and 24 respectively before Matt Baxter added 30. However nobody could score a half century and skipper Matt Marsden with 35 provided the best innings but 166 did look below par. Old Owens made a fast start but gradually the Ickleford bowlers turned the screw and choked the run rate. Axel Morris only conceded 27 runs in his 10 overs and Matt Marsden only went for 21 in his ten. Then Luke Marsden bowled a tight spell with 1-23 before Smit took 3-36 and Krishnamurthy came back with 2 wickets. Old Owens were under pressure but kept their calm to reach the victory target in the last over.
So again Ickleford were competitive against the top side in the league as they continue to adapt to life in Division 1 and their fielding deserves special mention.
The second team achieved a vital victory over Waltham X Rosedale after amassing a challenging 293-8 in their 50 overs. Tom Reilly and Mark Schumann dominated the innings scoring 76 and 77 respectively in excellent displays. Duncan Jenner 20 and Ben Whelan 24 also made useful contributions.
The Rosedale reply was dominated by opener Schail and while he was at the wicket an unlikely win was not out of the question. He made 119 but eventually continually chasing 10 runs an over told and Rosedale were dismissed for 227. Thomas Brown again bowled well to take 2-36 while Schumann bowled a very tight spell that saw him concede just 27. Sam Giggle with 3-68 and Jenner 3-39 proved to be the main strike bowlers.
The third team lost to Rickmansworth 3’s as they continue to struggle with poor availability. Batting first they only made 131 and this was almost entirely thanks to a brave innings from Tom Willoughby who defied a leg injury to hit an excellent 58. Mike Garret made 18 and Mark Howard 14.
Rickmansworth made light work of the target winning by 8 wickets with 33 overs to spare.
Match Reports 21st July
It was not a good day at the office for Ickleford as all three teams suffered Saracens Herts League defeats.
The first team did well to restrict Harpenden 2’s to 228 all out on a good wicket and lightning fast outfield. At 165-25 a much higher score seemed likely but then George Crouch took a hand in proceedings. Despite going for 15 in his first over he recovered to take 5-43 in 7.1 overs. It was his first five wicket league haul for the first team. Eswar Krishnamurthy bowled tidily with 2-36 while Sam Draper took 2-22.
229 was an achievable target but Ickleford failed to rise to the occasion. Krishnamurthy was the pick of the batsmen with a solid 53 but Crouch with 33 not out was the only other batsman to pass 20. Ickleford had been keeping up with the required rate but were losing wickets too frequently and were dismissed for 185.
The second team are having a poor run and were well beaten by Hertford 3’s. Ickleford batted first and made 184 which was well below par. Michael Day made a maiden league half century with 55 while Sam Giggle made 48 and Adam Brockett 20.
Hertford made short work of the victory target needing just 25 overs and only losing 2 wickets.
The third team were trounced by Frogmore 2’s who scored a massive 409-3 in their 50 overs. In their defence Ickleford only had 8 men for the last 30 overs due to starting with 10 then losing 2 players during the innings.
Not surprisingly the Ickleford reply was disappointing as they could only make 99. Dave Pursey and Richard Peareth each made 25.
Match Reports 14th July
The first team had another comprehensive win beating Old Albanians by 134 runs to move up to fourth in the Saracens Herts League Division 1 table. Ickleford batted first and did not make a good start slipping to 64-4 and 101-5. But Matt Baxter scored a second consecutive century to rescue the innings. He really is in prime form and made the Old Albanians bowlers suffer with 9 4’s and 2 6’s. Baxter found good support from Sam Draper who made 39 from 33 balls and Matt Marsden who made 34 in stands of 78 and 71 respectively. Baxter was unbeaten on 104 as Ickleford made 256-8.
The Ickleford bowlers were soon well on top and reduced Old Albanians to 44-6 before they stuttered to 122 all out. Luke Marsden with 3-25 shared the same figures as his brother Matt as Ickleford won with 15 overs to spare.
The second team were well beaten by top of the table Hatfield and Crusaders. The Ickleford total of 226 was well below par on a good wicket with a fast outfield. George Crouch hit a maiden league half century making 52. Sam Giggle gave good support with 41 while Duncan Jenner made 28, Tom Brown 17 and Michael Day 19.
Hatfield eased to victory in just 32.1 overs as the Ickleford bowling was again found wanting. Day and Scot Crouch each took 2 wickets.
The third team made 205 against Bayford and Hertford 2’s and again this was not really enough in good batting conditions. Russell Dermont led the way with an excellent 77.Charlie Jupp 37 and Adam Brockett 31 also impressed but the Bayford bowlers gave little away.
In reply Ickleford were always in with a chance as Bayford were needing 5 to 6 runs an over most of the innings. Slater hit a brilliant unbeaten 86 to guide his side home timing his innings perfectly despite the best efforts of the Ickleford bowlers.
Match Reports 7th July
The first team returned to winning ways with a vital win over lowly Stevenage. Ickleford batted first and made a disastrous start slipping to 3-2. But then Matt Baxter joined Jon Hilliard and their third wicket partnership transformed the game. They put on 185 runs in double quick time in an excellent partnership. Hilliard was the perfect foil for the aggressive Baxter and reached his 50 in 88 balls, the same number Baxter needed to reach his century. Hilliard was out for 61 and Baxter 119 and they had broken the hearts of the Stevenage bowlers.
Ickleford went on to reach 306 in their 50 overs with Dillon Smit adding 27 and Jack Edwards 20. Mahmood was the most successful bowler with 4-57. In reply Stevenage fell behind the asking rate from the beginning and at no stage did Ickleford come under pressure. Eswar Krishnamurthy with 3-31 was the most successful bowler while Dan Watson took 3-51 and Luke Marsden 2-42. No Stevenage player reached 50 as they were dismissed for 207 leaving Ickleford 99 run victors. Special mention must be made of wicket keeper Richard Brown who took four catches and a stumping. Stevenage drop to the bottom of division 1 while Ickleford are now sixth.
The Third team were without a game but England’s World Cup game meant availability was poor and the second team travelled to Watford with just 10 men. Ickleford batted first and their total of 176 was at least 50 below par. Duncan Jenner hit an assured 53 before being run out while Rob Day made 29 and Dave Pursey 28. In reply Watford 2’s got off to a good start and Gunjid hit a fine unbeaten 76 to guide his side to a 5 wicket win. Roy Izzard was the most successful bowler with 2-2 while Rob Day, Michael Day and Thomas Brown bowled tidily.
Match Reports 30th June
Ickleford continue to find life tough in division 1 of the Saracens Herts League and they fell to a 5 wicket defeat at Broxbourne. They are competitive but the quality of the opposition is a notch above last season so wins are hard to come by.
Ickleford batted first and reached a respectable total of 262-7 in their 50 overs. Jack Edwards made 22 before a 104 partnership for the third wicket between Matt Baxter and Eswar Krisnamurthy saw Ickleford take the initiative. Krisnamurthy made 57 and Baxter returned to form with 81. Matt Marsden provided good support with 34 and Axel Morris was 19 not out.
Broxbourne added 61 for the first wicket and were always in control. Ridley made a classy unbeaten 91 to guide his side home with Krisnamurthy taking 2-46.
The second team bowling again let them down as Preston 2’s ran up a mammoth score of 333-9. Russell Dermont and Thomas Brown took 2 wickets each but Ickleford suffered a further blow with Mike Garrett taken to hospital after struggling in the heat and Ickleford were fielding with just nine as he was helped until the ambulance arrived. Missed catches added to the woe.
In reply Ickleford made 222 with Duncan Jenner leading the way with73. Richard Brown made 48 and Tom Willoughby 39.
The third team toiled in the sun as second placed Aldenham struck 286-8 in their 50 overs. Mark Howard was the most successful bowler with 2-34. In reply Ickleford made a respectable 240-8 but were never likely to chase victory. Harvey Deans hit 44 and Attiq 42 while Howard 37 and Richard Peareth 32 made good contributions.
Match Reports 23rd June
The first team suffered a disappointing defeat to Shenley Village and dropped down to seventh in the Saracens Herts league division 1 table. It was a game where Ickleford were always in with a chance of victory but fell just short with both their batting and bowling. Ickleford batted first and a good second wicket partnership of 105 between Eswar Krisnamurthy and Ali Munn put Ickleford on top. Both made half centuries, Krisnamurthy making 60 and Munn 53. It meant Munn had completed half centuries for the third, second and first teams in just six weeks.
But Ickleford did not build on this good start and Ben Mason with 26 not out was the next highest scorer. The last eight wickets only added 107 runs and the final total of 223 was at least 30 runs short of par on a good wicket. The bowlers did take regular wickets but Shenley were always just in front despite being 118-5 and won by two wickets. Matt Marsden took 3-41 with Krisnamurthy and Sam Draper each collecting two wickets.
The second team suffered a second consecutive defeat and are now fourth in Division 5A. Again neither the batting or bowling was of the required standard. St Albans were able to post an above par 226 with Russel Dermont taking three wickets and Tom Brown two in an economical spell. But there was a lack of support in the field.
Ickleford were always up against it in reply despite a reasonable start from Duncan Jenner and Simon Wagstaff. Sam Howard was the pick of the batting with 40 but Ickleford were dismissed for 171 to lose by 45 runs.
The third team scored their highest ever score in a crushing defeat of Holtwhites Trinibis 3's. They amassed a formidable 371-4 with two centurions. Dave Pursey showed his class with a well constructed 105 while Ben Whelan bludgeoned a maiden century hitting seven sixes in his 112. They added 125 for the second wicket after Sam Giggle with 69 had put on 143 for the first wicket with Pursey. Harvey Deans then hit a rapid 42 as Ickleford batted Holtwhites out of the game.
Holtwhites never went for the victory and finished 95 runs short on 277-5. On a good batting wicket Peter Robinson, Jack Holmes and Michael Day performed well.
Match Reports 16th June
Ickleford had a day to forget in the Saracens Herts League with all three teams suffering painful defeats. The first team were well beaten at Kings Langley after a poor batting display that was at least given some respectability by a resolute tenth wicket partnership.
Ickleford started badly and slipped to 53-5 on a wicket that was offering more bounce than usual. Of the top five batsmen Jack Edwards with 14 was the highest scorer as the Kings Langley attack dominated. Adam Nunn made 27 but Ickleford were in deep trouble at 110-9. Then George Crouch joined Dan Watson and both batted intelligently to add 58 for the last wicket. Watson finished 36 not out and Crouch made 20.
Ickleford made two early breakthroughs with just 29 on the board. But a third wicket partnership of 135 took the game away from Ickleford and Kings Langley needed just 29.5 overs to romp to a 7 wicket win.
The second team are still wondering how they managed to lose having scored a massive 296-3 at home to Bentley Heath. There was an impressive 170 run opening partnership between Ally Munn and Tom Reilly with Munn falling just short of a deserved century at 94 while Reilly was run out for 76. Mark Schumann 33 not out and Duncan Jenner 51 not out continued the onslaught.
But the Ickleford bowling got off to the worst possible start conceding 50 runs in the first four overs. Bentley Heath kept up with the run rate and reached the last over needing 7 runs to win and they achieved their victory off the penultimate ball with 4 wickets to spare.
The third team were well beaten by a strong Hoddesdon third team. Ickleford were always struggling against a well drilled bowling attack. The final score of 151-6 was below par as the middle part of the innings was squeezed by accurate bowling and impressive fielding. Simon Wagstaff 27 and Dave Pursey 35 added 60 for the first wicket while Peter Robinson was 41 not out and Richard Peareth hit 18.
Hoddesdon made a good start and coasted to victory by 5 wickets after just 27 overs. Roy Izzard was the most successful bowler with 2-8..
Match Reports - 9th June
Ickleford first team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over struggling Chorley Wood and moved up to fourth in the Saracens Herts League division 1 table. Ickleford batted first and got off to a good start as they added 84 for the first wicket with Jack Edwards scoring 49 and Jon Hilliard 22. There was a rare failure for Matt Baxter but then Dillon Smit and Eswar Krishnamurthy came together and in an entertaining partnership they added 111 for the fourth wicket. Smit was typically aggressive hitting 6 4’s and 5 6’s in his 81 from 79 deliveries while Krishnamurthy was the perfect foil with 54 including 7 4’s. Ickleford reached 252-6 in their 50 overs which was a challenging total.
The Ickleford attack were well on top from the beginning of the Chorley Wood innings. Krishnamurthy continued his golden day with superb figures of 10 overs 4 maidens 5-23. Chorley Wood were overwhelmed and fell to 9-2, 32-3,42-4,52-5 and 55-7. Only a last wicket partnership of 51 gave the scoreline some respectability at 132 but Ickleford were the winners by 120 runs.
The second team had a thrilling win at Holtwhites Trinibis after losing the toss and fielding. They restricted Holtwhites to an under par 204-7 on a good wicket. In reply Ickleford were soon in deep trouble at 93-6 before the tail wagged to great effect. Richard Brown 42 and Russell Dermont 25 had a crucial partnership while Mike Garrett was unbeaten on 25. Number 11 Scot Crouch became the unlikely hero as with 7 runs needed from 8 deliveries he smote successive boundaries to give Ickleford an unlikely one wicket win with one over to spare.
The third team were well beaten by a strong Watford third team. Ickleford bowled first and good opening spells from Roy Izzard who finished with 3-21 and Richard Peareth (2-24) put Watford on the back foot. However the Watford middle order batted really well and took the game away from Ickleford and they made 244 from their 50 overs.
Ickleford made a disastrous start and fell to 35-6. Then a superb fightback from Krunel Patel who smashed a brilliant 84 gave the scoreline some respectability and enabled Ickleford to reach 147 all out. Only three other batsmen reached double figures—Mark Howard 15, Ben Whelan 13 and Mehul Patel 11.
Match Reports - 2nd June
Ickleford first team were beaten by 3 wickets at Knebworth Park. It was a close contest but Knebworth Park were the deserved victors. Ickleford won the toss and batted first and never found it easy against a very good bowling attack.
At 88-5 a decent score seemed unlikely. Jack Edwards had made 26 and Matt Baxter 23 but a 72 run partnership between Dillon Smit and Ben Mason saw Ickleford recover. Smit made an excellent 60 and Mason 26. The tail wagged with Luke Marsden 21 not out and Axel Morris scoring 16 to take Ickleford to 223-9.
Asif hit a quickfire 52 to put Knebworth on the front foot but Ickleford did start taking wickets to apply pressure. Matt Marsden took 4-43 but sensible batting from Hutchinson and Warman saw Knebworth ease home with 6 overs to spare.
The second team did well to beat London Colney having been put in on a difficult wicket. Tom Reilly 23 and Duncan Jenner 21 added 54 for the first wicket before Mark Schumann produced a fine innings of 46 to help Ickleford to 151.
In reply Ickleford were always on top as 14 year old Thomas Brown took the first 4 wickets in a brilliant opening spell. He finished with 4-24. George Crouch with 2-24 and Schumann 2-11 saw London Colney dismissed for 117 leaving Ickleford 34 run winners.
The third team also had a good win over Datchworth 3’s. Ickleford batted first and Matt Deacon with 26 added 75 for the first wicket with Sam Giggle who was then joined by Tom Willoughby. They added 91 for the second wicket with some excellent batting. Giggle and Willoughby each scored 76 as Ickleford made a healthy 218.
A good opening spell by Roy Izzard 1-15 and Richard Peareth 1-35 put Datchworth behind the going rate and Nick Webb 3-28 and Mark Howard 4-46 helped dismiss Datchworth for 166.