It was a mixed bag of results for Rickmansworth at the weekend, as 1sts fell to a surprising first defeat of the season to Chipperfield Clarendon. The usually reliable top order batsman all looked in good form but fell playing across the line to straight balls and were out lbw. 5 offered catches also didnt help and contributed to an overall lower than expected score of 167. Matthew and Harvey were the top run scorers with 38 each. Despite Rameez and Billy getting wickets in the first couple of overs, the subsequent Chipperfield batsman played judiciously and smartly and saw the team home just 4 wickets down.

Tthe second team had an altogether better result winning by 35 runs against a strong Botany Bay team. Azeem 23, Owen 47 and Bobby 36, alongside Connor with 35, put the team in a very strong position with just 4 wickets down however the middle order were unable to capitalise and Rickmansworth stumbled to 210 in 50 overs. Early wickets would be the key to success in the game and Bev and Charlie did just that. What a good new signing Charlie is proving to be. Only two players in the top 6 of the Bay reached double figures and though the tail wagged Rickmansworth were able to complete the win with three wickets to Captain Shiv, bowling out Botany Bay for 175.

The third and fourth teams also had convincing wins.

The third team bowled out rivals Berkhamsted for just 109 in 30 turgid overs Nayan, Snehan and Hanuman took the majority of the wickets between them. When it came to batting Gaurav with 31 and Nilesh with 30 put the result beyond doubt with just 1 wicket down, though a little wobble in the middle with wickets tumbling made it seem a little closer than it should have been as Rickmansworth finished on 111 with 15 overs still in the bank.

Meanwhile the 4th 11 showed how it's possible to bat well on the top square with Paul 41 and Prasanth 48 putting on 97 without loss in the 1st 20 overs. Anuj with 28 was well supported by other batsmen and Rickmansworth were able to post a score of 214 in 40 overs - by far their best score on the top pitch for a number of years. London Colney were never really in the chase and only three players reached double figures as they capitulated on 109 all out. Josh, Anwar and Manny took two wickets each while Prasanth crowned a great all round performance for the fantasy points with 3 for 15

The 5th X1 we're playing Potton End 1st X1 (which woul;d seem a mismatch) and it was indeed a sadly 1 sided affair with Potton racking up 238 in 40 overs. The Rickmansworth reply never really got going and although a number of players did reach double figures our total score was just 115 meaning I lost by 123 runs.