Division Three Sawbridgeworth II 195-8 (53.0) London Colney 153-10 (42.2) LONDON Colney had a disappointing time as their batsmen failed to deliver against Sawbridgeworth in Division Three on Saturday. Last season Colney defeated Sawbo

Division Three

Sawbridgeworth II 195-8 (53.0) London Colney 153-10 (42.2)

LONDON Colney had a disappointing time as their batsmen failed to deliver against Sawbridgeworth in Division Three on Saturday.

Last season Colney defeated Sawbo to help boost their successful survival charge but the tables were turned as the hosts recorded a comfortable 42-run victory on Saturday.

Seeing a damp looking pitch and a slow outfield, and conditions that looked likely to improve, Colney skipper Matt Bristow elected to offer Sawbridgeworth first use of the track on winning the toss, and generally saw his bowlers do pretty well to contain the home side to below 200.

Uzman Zaman, Tim Fretter and David Goff kept the home side down to two-an-over for the first 20 and picked up three wickets between them.

The Sawbo number five led the recovery with a fine 80 before Colney's spin attack of Matt Bristow (3-63) and Ady Fisher (2-33) dominated the latter part of the home side's innings, and at the close they were 195-8.

Bristow had read the conditions right, the outfield was getting quicker and the pitch truer, and the score was probably only par for the conditions.

Colney did not start well, losing two quick wickets, including Fisher who got a shooter, probably the only ball that really misbehaved in the innings.

Phil McLaughlin (21) and Tim Fretter (25) mounted a revival with a 40 stand for the third wicket but the introduction of the slow bowling saw both Fretter and Alex McCartney fall trying to play big shots, and suddenly Colney had slumped to 90-6.

Matt Bristow and Scott Hadley added 30 for the seventh wicket but when both were out, Colney slumped to 110-9, with only the formalities to come. Uzman Zaman (30) and David Goff (16 not out) delayed the inevitable with a 40 run partnership for the last wicket, but the home side's skipper brought back the opening attack and finished things off, to leave Colney all out on 153. Colney's skipper was once again frustrated by his batter's seeming inability to chase even modest totals.

London Colney II were unable to play their Division Seven home fixture with Reed II due to a waterlogged outfield.