Abbots Langley will have the opportunity to avenge last year’s Watford Observer Fourteen14 Shield final defeat at the hands of Radlett after beating Watford Town A by three wickets in the second semi-final at Met Police Bushey’s ground last night.

Following the holders’ 15-run triumph over Langleybury A on Tuesday, Barry Warner’s side ensured the same two teams will contest the final in consecutive years for just the second time in the competition’s 47-year history – the only other previous time it happened was when West Herts got the better of Langleybury in 1999 and 2000.

Radlett will be favourites to emulate Hemel Hempstead Town, West Herts and Chipperfield by becoming the fourth side to retain the trophy in the final at the Stags’ Park Avenue ground on Tuesday, July 7. But if Abbots again field Scott Newman and Chris Chellew at the top of their order, the Cobden Hill outfit will need to be wary of an opening pair capable of establishing a strong platform for their teammates to build on if they get going.

Fresh from scoring 175 in Sunday’s Herts County Trophy victory over Northchurch, Chellew missed out on this occasion as he was well caught by Ravi Panchal off the bowling of Sparsh Jain (two for 49 off four) for just ten as Abbots set about chasing down their opponents’ total of 142 for six.

However, former Surrey and Middlesex batsman Newman was to prove the mainstay of the reply, hitting some fine strokes on his way to 64 before he tried to find the boundary once too often and became Panchal’s fourth catch of the night to round off a strong all-round individual display.

Watford may well point to the 24 wides they conceded – and particularly two very costly eight-run ones – as the primary reason they didn’t reach the final. By the same token though, their opponents will also feel they gave away some careless runs, having conceded 25 extras under the competition’s four runs for a wide rule that applies for the first 13 of the 14, eight-ball overs.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat, Watford’s progress was steady for the majority of their innings, with captain Gunjan Hazarika making 27 at the top of the order.

At 89 for five with four overs remaining, Abbots would have been pleased to have only conceded two boundaries off the bat at that stage. But then Tahir Afridi (13) hit three fours in quick succession while Panchal remained undefeated on 40, striking Matt Dunstone (two for 33 off three off three) for the only six of the innings in a final over that yielded 19 runs.

Abbots also didn’t find scoring easy and after seven overs of their reply they were level with Watford’s total of 63 for three at the identical stage of the contest. By the end of the next over, they had slipped marginally behind. Newman, in tandem with Nick Gurney, then decided it was time to start striking out.

Newman brought up his half-century with a third four in four deliveries off Afridi (two for 31 off four) in the ninth over, before Asad Sajjad saw his sole over cost 21 runs as both batsmen cleared the rope to add 38 runs in the space of 16 deliveries.

Gurney did perish off Sajjad’s final delivery but Abbots were now ahead of the run chase, only for Newman to then fall in the 11th over.

Tom Carson (2) joined Dunstone (13 not out) in the middle and the pair’s cause was helped significantly as Jain leaked 12 runs in wides in his final over to leave Abbots needing nine to win off the last 16 deliveries.

Two boundaries in four Panchal (one for 29 off four) balls from Dunstone moved his side level with Watford’s total, but four dot balls ensured the contest went to the final over.

Following another dot ball, Carson was caught by Jain off Chirantan Hazarika (one for one off 0.3), before Jack Bishop ended any late nerves by scampering through for the single to secure the match.

Before the Shield final, Fourteen14 attention switches to the Plate semi-finals next week as Watford Town B face Hemel Hempstead at Abbots Langley on Tuesday and two days later Aldenham meet Watford Grammar School for Boys at Leverstock Green.