Only three teams in the 47-year history of the Watford Observer Fourteen14 Shield have successfully retained the trophy but Radlett will be aiming to become the fourth after beating Langleybury A by 17 runs in the first semi-final at Chipperfield Clarendon this evening.

A strong batting performance in the first half of the innings, helped by some poor fielding, laid the platform for the Cobden Hill side to post a challenging 163 for six in their 14, eight-ball overs. Bury also started well but the further injection of runs needed from the mid-point of their reply, with the exception of one over, did not materialise and they were dismissed for 146 with one ball of the match remaining.

Standing in between Radlett and emulating previous back-to-back winners Watford Town, Chipperfield and Hemel Hempstead Town A will, coincidentally, be Town’s A side or the team the Herts League Premier Division outfit beat in last year’s final, Abbots Langley. They meet in the second semi at Met Police Bushey’s Ground on Thursday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, captain John Armitage opened with Will Wright and the pair had 40 on the board off the opening 26 balls before the latter fell for a brisk 21, edging Dan O’Connell (two for 51 off four overs) behind to wicketkeeper Stuart Knox.

But Wright’s departure only led to the arrival of Shane Burger and in tandem with Armitage, the South African yet again showed his class by lifting Radlett to 98 for one by the halfway stage.

Bury didn’t help themselves though. Armitage was put down twice within the space of four balls in the fifth over, while Burger looked certain to have been run out in the next over had Knox gathered a throw cleanly.

At the mid-point of the innings, the Championship side may have feared they would be chasing a total approaching the 200-mark as Radlett continued to race along into the eighth. But the brakes started to be applied following O’Connell’s final ball of that over when Burger’s entertaining knock of 32 was ended by a fine Lee Stafford catch.

Armitage departed for 34 to Habib Alam (one for 44 off four) five deliveries later and then Ross Channer’s spin continued to slow the run rate. Troy Barrett (16) and Ben Lederman (18 not out) attempted to add some pace to the scoring when possible before Neel Malde struck the only ball he faced – the final one of the innings – for a maximum to leave Channer with figures of one for 33 off three.

Langleybury needed to start well to have a chance and although they lost O’Connell (7) to Daniel Foster (two for 39 off four) off the last delivery of the second over, fellow opener Nahim Amin had been positive from the outset.

Together with Peter Metcalfe (25), the pair put on 53 for the second wicket to keep their side in the hunt until Amin (36) was stumped off the bowling of Burger (three for 27 off four), who applied the shackles after seeing his first eight deliveries cost 15 runs.

With Knox (7) the next to go, Bury needed Metcalfe to continue to remain in the middle. But when he was caught, 90 for four rapidly became 96 for six after Barrett (four for 41 off three) had been introduced into the attack and picked up his first two wickets.

The game appeared to have swung decisively in Radlett’s favour at that stage but Alex Gunning (26) lifted his side’s outside hopes again with two sixes as Barrett saw his second over disappear for 21.

With 35 needed off the last 16 deliveries, the odds were still very much against Langleybury though, and any chance they did have ended in unfortunate fashion when Gunning was run out after slipping over.

Play in Thursday's semi-final is due to get underway at 6.15pm and spectators are again welcome to attend.