Dank Draw at Balls Park

Hertford CC 216 all out

WCC 127-8 Match drawn

The Hertford wicket had a little more in it than usual, possibly because of the rain, and a tight Weekenders bowling effort reduced the home side to 145-7 after forty overs. Dibley bowled with good pace and carry while Husaini cleverly varied his flight to bamboozle three callow colts. Whitehead was the pick of the bowlers managing to get the damp ball to swing and his five-for was a Weekenders rarity on this fine old county ground. Hertford regained the initiative after lunch when their captain Eric Riddle appeared at number nine. With 30,000 club runs under his belt - along with a ton of what was either experience or lasagne Ð the skipper thumped a grizzled 42 to get his side past 200.

A jittery start from the Enders openers produced just 28 runs from the first eighteen overs. But with wickets in hand the platform had been built. It was a platform from which, over the course of the next nine overs, six Weekenders proceeded to hurl themselves into oblivion, Jeyaratnam being the sole blameless victim of the infamous trigger. Hogben swung gamely with rollicking assistance at the end from Husaini and Harvey who became Riddle's thousandth wicket for the club. To mark the occasion (or perhaps just because PJ is Australian) a delegation of Hertford dignitaries walked onto the field with a bottle of sparkling wine and a small vase of fresias. After a lengthy delay the Enders rearguard continued but by then Hertford had dropped nine catches and that in the end was what cost them an expected win.

Umpire Elmer Elliott has stood in this fixture as long as any of us can remember. He has the energy of a man half his age and we know this because many of us are about half his age. He turns 90 on August 27th .

Hertford 216 all out (53.2 overs)

Carr 9, Clark 36, Spring 18, Hillary 54, Sigmund 33, Gilbert 0, Hildry 0, Davey 0, Riddle 42, Ruthe 1*

Douglas 5-1-6-0; Dibley 10-2-31-1; PJ Harvey 4-1-15-0; Husaini 12-1-51-3; Whitehead 16.2-2-80-5; Dunne 6-1-22-1.

Catches: Douglas 2, Masrhall 1, Lyons 1, Dibley 1. 

WCC 127-8 (51 overs)

Hogben 53*, Lyons 15, Jeyaratnam 0, Dunne 0, Marshall 9, Douglas 0, Dibley 5, Harvey 17, Husaini 19, Whitehead 0*. DNB d'Inverno