Radlett spinner returns match winning figures of 8-98 as league leaders toppled

HCPL Division One

Radlett 243

Welwyn Garden City 214

Radlett won by 29 runs

KABIR Toor was in phenomenal form with the ball returning career best figures of 8-98 as Radlett slayed league leaders Welwyn Garden City.

Toor’s leg spin ripped through the Welwyn top order, arguably the league’s most accomplished batting line-up, with Fakir Dungaria playing the supporting role with 2-21.

Shane Burger won the toss and decided to give his batsmen first use of the track with Sheilen Patel and James Lewis starting well against Welwyn’s new ball bowlers.

The pair put on 62 for the first wicket before former Radlett man Paul Barker struck removing Patel for 27.

It was the start of a good afternoon for Barker who finished with a five-for on his first return to Cobden Hill since his winter switch to Welwyn.

Lewis continued to push the score along passing 50 and helping Radlett up to 100 but he fell to Nick Walker on 56 to leave Radlett on 100-2.

James Southgate accounted for Toor (11), clean bowled, and skipper Burger became Barker’s second victim caught by his opposite number Aaron Laraman for 35.

Wickets began to fall at a steady rate for Radlett with run-outs accounting for Tom Jenkins (12) and Graham Dill (25) either side of another wicket for Barker, that of Gwilym Jones (3).

Fakir Dungaria stemmed the flow of wickets with a welcome 32 down at number eight but Southgate removed him caught by James Hewitt.

Barker returned to clean up the tail disposing of Matt Corran (9) and Heath Paynter (0) as Radlett finished on 243 all out with two balls of the innings unused.

Welwyn, with five wins to their name prior to the game, would have been confident of chasing down Radlett’s total, a confidence that would only have been enhanced with Hewitt and Matthew Hill seeing off Radlett’s opening attack.

Then came the Toor show. Hill went first caught by Patel for 20 and Daniel Blacktopp soon joined him back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers as Welwyn slipped from 46-0 to 46-2.

Only eight runs had been added to the scoreboard when Southgate became Toor’s third victim, bowled for 4.

Hewitt and skipper Laraman managed to scrape together 39 for the fourth wicket but Toor struck again bowling Hewitt for 51 as Welwyn slumped to 93-4.

Laraman stuck to the task out in the middle but the problem for the visiting captain was finding someone to stick with him as Walker (27) and Chris Grant (17) succumbed to Toor.

Former Cobden Hill favourite Barker got 4 to his name but was trapped lbw by Dungaria and when Laraman (52) nicked Dungaria to wicketkeeper Jenkins victory was well within Radlett’s grasp.

Fittingly it was Toor who wrapped up the win accounting for Simon White (11) and Raymond Hedge (13) thanks to catches by Jenkins and Robbie Crocker.

It was a welcome win for Radlett who move up to sixth in the Home Counties Premier League Division One table and certainly a day to remember for young Toor.