Leverstock Green are celebrating reaching their first ever Watford Observer Shield final tonight after beating Langleybury A by nine runs in a low-scoring contest at Watford Town’s Woodside ground tonight.

After numerous postponements, the weather finally relented to allow the semi-final to take place and it was Green who successfully defended a near run-a-ball total of 113 for five to set up a clash with either West Herts or Watford Town A at Chipperfield Clarendon on Thursday, July 26.

Three-time winners Langleybury were chasing an 11th appearance in the final but they were left to rue some loose bowling that saw 40 extras conceded – mainly under the competition’s four runs for a wide rule in the first 13 overs of an innings – the subdued start to their reply and perhaps most surprisingly given the format of the contest, the failure to score a single boundary.

Green elected to bat after winning the toss and by the end of the fourth over they were moving along nicely at 38 for one after Alex King had struck the first of his two sixes in a top-scoring knock of 33 and Andrew Cheeseman (nought for 13 off one over) had conceded three wides off his sole over.

Spinners Khalid Manzoor (one for 29 off four) and the impressive Kristian Martin (one for 11 off four) helped slow the scoring rate to leave Green on 80 for three from 11 overs.

By this stage though, Brad Klosterman was already in the middle and consecutive fours in the 13th over and a six in the last took his side up to their final total.

Leverstock opened with the experienced spin duo of Klosterman and Dave Tyson and they laid the victory platform.

The pair bowled straight through their permitted four-over allocation, with Klosterman finishing with nought for 19 and Tyson claiming two for 24 after picking up the wickets of openers Nahim Amin (7) and Josh Godden (19) to leave Bury on 44 for two after eight overs. By contrast, their opponents were on at 60 for one at the corresponding stage.

Danny Walker (23) and Will Oxley (22) were in a position to up the rate but once the former became the first of Luke Roberts’ (three for 32) three victims, Bury were up against it.

And the writing was on the wall by the end of the 13th over after three more Bury batsmen had been sent back to the pavilion, including two in as many balls thanks to Roberts and a run out.