AN under-strength Harpenden Cricket Club made light of a Watford Town side who look destined for the drop to claim a nine-wicket victory and keep their promotion dream on track.

With three games remaining in Division One, Harp trail second-placed Knebworth Park by five points although, with only two teams likely to go up, the promotion race is likely to go right to the wire.

Missing six first team players, Doherty won the toss and put his side into bat and Harp immediately took the game by the scruff of the neck as Chris Arnold removed Watford's opening three batsmen in the first ten overs for the loss of only six runs.

With Simon Murray in a similarily miserly mood, conceding 35 runs fom 15 overs, Town captain Si Sampat soon followed after a brilliant leg-side stumping by Mike Davies off David Doyle.

A stand of 29 followed giving Town some respite, but before the visitors could begin to feel comfortable Harpenden struck again with four wickets in the space of two overs.

Firstly, Steve Ball took two with successive deliveries and was unlucky not to complete the hat-trick with an appeal for a catch behind. Then, in the next over, Arnold, in his second spell, hit the stumps twice running, with a further wicket bringing him figures of 6-25.

With their innings in disarray at 81-8, only Watford's Gulfraz Riaz was able to stand the strain and he was largely responsible for adding another 43 runs for the last two wickets, during which he advanced his own score to 59 not out.

Doherty brought himself on to bowl the 51st over and was immediately successful in ending the Watford innings on 124 with a run out off his first delivery.

Harpenden's reply was relatively short and sweet. Duncan Gilson and Mark Doherty began well, but suffered a setback when Doherty was bowled for 17 in the sixth over with the score on 25. From then on it was plain sailing, with Gilson and Phil Dakin batting strongly to complete a century partnership with Dakin's winning hit for four.

Gilson had reached 50 not out on the previous ball, and Dakin was unlucky not to claim a half-century of his own after finishing unbeaten on 49.

August 22, 2002 17:00