Division Three London Colney 209-5 (53) Broxbourne 180-10 (45) LONDON Colney claimed their first success of the season at the fourth time of asking with a hard fought win at home against Broxbourne in Division Three.

Division Three

London Colney 209-5 (53) *Broxbourne 180-10 (45)

LONDON Colney claimed their first success of the season at the fourth time of asking with a hard fought win at home against Broxbourne in Division Three.

After losing the toss, Colney batsmen Phil McLaughlin and Ady Fisher mastered some tricky Broxbourne bowling with the new ball, and posted a careful 66 run partnership in 22 overs.

When McLaughlin was out, for an increasingly confident looking 37, Fisher was joined by Alex McCartney, and the pair added 87, for the third wicket, leading the acceleration in the last 20 overs. For a while it looked as if the charge might have been left a little too late, and when McCartney fell for an excellent 55 and Fisher was finally run out for 77, Colney had only reached 188 by the 50th over. Some hard hitting from Scott Hadley and Tim Fretter lifted them to a closing total of 209-5.

The score appeared a little below par, but the ball was not coming on to the bat and the outfield was not lightning fast so Colney felt it was a defendable total.

Uzman Zaman struck twice in an over to leave the visitors on 10-2, but then opener Dawson and skipper Bailey put together a 73 run partnership to bring Broxbourne back into it.

Crucially, Colney were able to keep the run rate down, and Matt Irvine struck the decisive blow, trapping Dawson, who was looking a different class, lbw as he tried to raise the run rate. With 110 needed from the last 20 overs, Colney skipper Matt Bristow kept the Broxbourne middle order interested, and the ploy worked.

Bailey and Moffat briefly threatened a late charge with 33 for the ninth wicket to get the visitors to 163-7, but when Bristow claimed both, in successive deliveries, Bailey falling to a good Adam Buckmaster catch in the deep for 68, Broxbourne were about done.

The last wicket fell to a stumping, to give Bristow his haul of 5-52, and Colney had held their nerve to claim a good win against a side with some classy batsmen.

In Division Seven, London Colney II were blown away by St Albans III.

St Albans won the toss and batted first, and Colney started brightly enough, with Simon Fretter claiming early wickets to leave St Albans at 55-3 at the 10th over.

Ferguson (68) and Hounslow (55) took the game away from Colney, adding 110 runs in the next 20 overs, to allow the hitters Thomas (20) and Eames (35) to make a late charge that saw St Albans to a formidable 238-7. Simon Fretter claimed three wickets and was the pick of the Colney bowlers.

Colney were, if anything, even less competitive with the bat. After Nick Kirwan claimed two early wickets, Mitch Bradley hit an assured 37, and Connor Dow, Paul Seymour and Andy Stirrat all got in, but no Colney batsman could make a significant innings, and they subsided quietly to 130 all out. For St Albans, Black and Walker claimed two victims each and Bass picked up three wickets.