Promotion and relegation issues to be settled

10:36am Thursday 2nd September 2010

By Anthony Matthews

Three local teams secured promotion at the weekend and several more will also be aiming to make the next step up the Herts League ladder when the season ends on Saturday.

Chipperfield Clarendon made mathematically sure they be playing in Division Two next year, although their 53-run defeat at home to London Colney means County Hall are now eight points ahead of them in the race for the title.

The club will be hoping to claim the crown at neighbours Abbots Langley, who are also on the rise following their 118-run thrashing of Rickmansworth, while Chorleywood Seconds can look forward to Division Five cricket next season after a four-wicket win against Ware.

Although the number of clubs to be promoted from each division remains dependent on Radlett’s Home Counties Premier League fate - only three will be promoted if they are relegated - those teams hoping to be in the top four can breathe a little easier after the Cobden Hill outfit edged further away from the Division One drop zone on Saturday.

Among that number are Kings Langley, who could make it a treble of local sides to be promoted from Division Three, although they face a big ask to overhaul the 17-point advantage Ickleford currently hold over them.

Met Police Bushey have no such problems in Division Four and are all but certain to continue their rise up the leagues, but Langleybury Seconds are involved in a big scrap in Division Five. The Hunton Bridge club are currently in the last of the four promotion spots, but have four clubs hot on their heels within 11 points.

Chipperfield will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of promotions on Saturday, as their Thirds may need seven points to make sure of elevation from Division Eight, while the Fourths occupy the last promotion spot in Division 13.

Fourth-placed Kings Langley Seconds are also in a strong position to join Chipperfield Thirds in Division Seven, while Bovingdon and Radlett Fifths will also be aiming to make it out of Division Ten and 11 respectively. Division Seven side Boxmoor and Abbots Langley Thirds, in Division Ten, can also mathematically go up, but their prospects are much slimmer.

Division Three side Northwood Town join their Second XI in being relegated and Rickmansworth Seconds went down from Division Six.

While Bushey Seconds must beat Town Seconds to stand any chance of survival in Division Eight, the fate of other clubs in the drop zone is more optimistic, with the most intriguing battles to beat the drop in Division Five as it involves three local teams.

Third-from-bottom Leverstock Green Seconds and Northwood Seconds, who are a place below them, are currently in the drop zone by one and seven points respectively. However, Green travel to the team who they trail by that sole point, Datchworth, while Northwood are at mid-table Broxbourne Seconds. West Herts Seconds are not safe yet though, and could find themselves in deep trouble if they are beaten at home by a Hoddesdon Seconds side currently fourth bottom and ten points adrift of the Stags.

The only other local side currently in a relegation place are Radlett Thirds, who are seven points from the final position of safety in Division Four - and that is occupied by Chipperfield Clarendon Seconds.

Along with the second strings of Clarendon and West Herts, other teams who have their fate in their own hands going into the final day are Langleybury, in Division One, Division Two outfit Northwood, Division Seven side Hemel Hempstead Fourths and Rickmansworth Thirds, of Division Nine.