Premier Division

West Herts were able to put their feet up and watch England’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Sweden following a very poor performance against leaders Totteridge Millhillians, with the match over inside 42 overs.

Put into bat on a scorching day on a very dry and crumbling wicket, the match started in reasonable fashion for the Stags as Daniel Vaughan (20) and Alastair Lewis (16) put on 39 for the first wicket.

But the introduction of Iresh Saxena was to see West Herts’ fortunes go downhill rapidly and shortly after lunch the innings ended at 76 all out after 34.5 overs, with five batsmen falling leg before wicket.

Four of these were taken by spinner Saxena, who returned superb figures of 6-13 from his 12 overs.

Adnan Mohammed also enjoyed a profitable 3.5 overs with the ball, claiming 3-2, with Sohail Syed (13) the only other batsman to make it into double figures.

Millhillians wasted no time in wrapping up victory, racing to the target without loss inside seven overs as Steve Selwood blasted his way to an undefeated 48 off only 23 balls.

The victory sees the Stags slip back to fourth in the table, 49 points behind the table toppers.

Two points behind West Herts in the table are Radlett after they suffered a surprising two-wicket defeat at basement side Letchworth Garden City.

Having been put into bat, Radlett skipper Kabir Toor once again led from the front as his fine century helped his side to 254-9 off their 60 overs.

Toor made 119 and featured in a 86-run partnership with Joe Cooke, who fell two runs short of his half-century with 48.

All of the Letchworth top five contributed, but none made it to 50 as Toor and Cooke (2-56) proved to be key figures with ball in hand as well, with Fakir Dungaria (2-22) also claiming two wickets.

When Toor took Letchworth’s seventh wicket with 194 on the board, Radlett looked to be in position to push on for victory.

Daren Lewis (37) and George Denman had other ideas though, and turned the tide back in the home side’s favour by putting on 47 for the next wicket.

When Lewis was caught and bowled by Toor (4-48) to become his fourth victim, 14 runs were still needed but Denman (25 not out) and Praveen Bhatti (4 not out) saw the hosts to just a second victory of the season.

Championship

Home is not making for a happy hunting ground for Hemel Hempstead Town currently after they suffered a third consecutive defeat at Heath Park, this time by six wickets at the hands of leaders Luton Town & Indians.

The table-toppers' bowling was initially their strength, with opener Khizer Manzoor starting off with figures of 7-6-1-1. He was to end with 2-22 from his 13 overs, seven of which were maidens, having succeeded in tying down one end for some time.

Opening batsman Hemish Ilangratane plugged away for 67 but the opposition vice meant that after 40 overs Hemel only had 105 runs on the board with their top five batsmen back in the pavilion.

Some much-needed impetus was provided by an undefeated sixth-wicket partnership of 85 between Matt Dale (54 not out) and Will Langley (27 not out) to see Hemel up to 190-5 in their permitted 60 overs.

The other side of Luton’s measured approach then came into play as opener Fayaz Homyoon batted through the innings to make an unbeaten 117 and see his side to victory with eight overs to spare.

Division Two A

The reverse fixture from the opening day of the season also saw a reverse for Watford Town’s first team at Berkhamsted.

The home side won the toss and, like the majority of teams on a hot day, elected to bat first.

After the loss of an early wicket, Luke Frey (70) joined Matthew Pryke (40) and they took the total past 100 in the 21st over. But when the innings closed after 50 overs, the total had reached a modest 234-6.

It was to prove enough for Berkhamsted, as Watford slipped to 29-3 in the seventh over, before hopes were raised by in-form Kashif Ali (76) and Ravi Panchal (64), who added 110 runs.

The later batsmen couldn’t maintain the momentum and only one was able to reach double figures, as the visitors subsided to 193 all out, to lose by 41 runs.

Town remain in third but are losing touch with the leaders and are just four points ahead of fifth-placed Berkhamsted.

Abbots Langley are two points behind Watford after a fine century and a superb partnership guided saw them to a fourth successive victory, with basement side Bishop’s Stortford Seconds their latest victims.

An Abbots win had looked less likely when after winning the toss and putting Stortford into bat, they were made to wait for a first wicket as new captain Andrew O’Donovan and former skipper Stuart Felstead tested the bowlers.

The pair compiled a stand of 155 before O’Donovan, wanting to take two runs instead of an easy single, saw Simon Hamilton run out his partner for 63.

A second wicket swiftly followed, again to a Hamilton run out as he saw off Paul Reed (8). And when O’Donovan was caught by Matt Parkins off the bowling of Scott Nixon for a well-made 89, the Stortford innings went south.

With Barry Warner’s 3-23 and a leg before wicket verdict to Matt Dunstone, the home side had to settle for 216-7 from their 50 overs.

David Cleary and Warner started the Abbots reply but the visitors suffered their first setback when Warner was caught by O’Donovan for 14.

Jack Read and Nick Gurney, both bowled for six, and Parkins, who was caught for nine, all followed off the bowling of O’Donovan (3-50).

When Hamilton came to the middle the score was 98-4 and Abbots were looking at defeat. But Cleary (103 not out) and Hamilton (61 not out) put on an impressive 120 to see Langley over the winning line in the 42nd over and to their fourth straight win.

Division Three B

At the beginning of the season Hemel Hempstead Town beat their Luton Town & Indians counterparts away at Wardown Park while the Seconds lost at home to the Beds club’s Seconds.

In a strange reverse of results at the start of the second half of the campaign, while the Firsts were losing at home to Luton, the Seconds were securing an impressive away triumph at Wardown Park.

The seam pair of Charlie Hoskins (3-39) and Will Hodgins (3-30) did the damage for the visitors as Luton were bowled out for 230 in their 50 overs.

Hemel were soon in trouble in reply, losing four early wickets for only 34 runs. However, Aaron Wilson (34) and Ed Langley (96 not out) came together to stabilise the innings.

Langley was to remain unmoved but when Wilson departed Ryan Wilson (36) came in to keep the chase going.

In the end it was Langley and Anjam Khan (5 not out) who saw their side over the line at 231-7 with one over remaining.

Hemel remain one place off the bottom of the table but the win moves the Heath Park side a lot closer to the three sides above them.

Division Five A

Watford Town Sconds comfortably held on to second place in the table after a routine victory over their Ickleford counterparts at Woodside.

The visitors started on the back foot, following the resignation of their captain during the week, and were possibly in trouble at 111-4, but temporary captain Rob Day helped to stabilise the ship with a dogged 40.

The last four wickets then fell for 30 runs, so the final total of 176 was unlikely to set a major challenge.

The Town team was missing several senior players but 15-year-old leg-spinner Ismail Naem was one of the youngsters to step up and took three wickets in his 10 overs, as did his 16-year-old colleague Usman Ahmed.

Former captain Gunjan Hazarika took charge of the response and was undefeated on 75 when the target was reached in the 33rd over for the loss of five wickets.

Division Six B

Hemel Hempstead Town Thirds hold a one-point advantage at the summit after triumphing in their top-of-the-table clash at Letchworth Garden City Thirds.

Batting first, the home side made 240-3 after Mike Hughes top-scored with 79 and skipper Russell Hann made an unbeaten 69, with Bryan Davies producing the best figures of 1-30 from his 10 overs.

Suren Perera and Graham Clark put on 58 for the first wicket in reply before the former fell for 41. But Clark went on to make 67 and Davies came in a number four to score an unbeaten 74 to guide Hemel to victory for the loss of three wickets with five overs in hand.

Division Nine B

Hemel Hempstead Town Fourths racked up another big home score as they thumped London Colney Seconds by 118 runs.

Skipper Mike Samuels struck 110 to score his third century at home this season and Daryll Barnett weighed in with 63 as Hemel posted a sizeable 304-7.

Barnett (2-22) also come on to bowl at the end of the Colney innings to remove their last two batsmen as they were dismissed for 186.

Matt Scears claimed 3-43 from his 10 overs with John Peppett claiming 2-35 in his 10.