Tom Bruce scored a century to see Shenley Village past Redbourn and into the quarter-finals of the Herts Trophy.

The New Zealander scored 11 fours and cleared the boundary another seven times on his way to 119 runs off an even 100 balls.

He was the catalyst to Sheneley’s imposing total of 325. Coming in after Laurie Willingham was bowled by Dean Flynn (3-39) for 11, Bruce punished the bowling in a run-a-ball 64 with Charlie Thurston (41).

George Naismith clean up Thurston in the 13th over, leaving Shenley at 81-2, but it brought the dangerous Jordan Urban to the middle. Urban quickly found his stride and started finding the gaps.

With no respite for the bowlers, Bruce and Urban tacked 146 runs on the board for the third wicket.

Connor Yorath (1-53) removed Shenley’s talisman, caught by Naismith, but Urban carried on his team-mates’ good work, adding 33 with Lathan Mahalingam (5) and 34 with skipper Morgan Stanley (32) before he holed out to Alex Salter off Jon Fleming (3-67).

Stanley took the score over 300 to set Redbourn an imposing total and allow the lower orders to swing the bat in search of late runs. It back-fired, however, as the final five wickets fell in four overs but the hard work had been done at the top of the order and innings closed on 325.

Redbourn were never able to get going, with no partnerships scoring more than 36. Skipper Dan Roe held the innings together with a poised knock of 83 but with four ducks and a further five scores under 20, they never caught up with the run-rate and were knocked out of the competition.