Watford Town B’s total of 134 proved sufficient as they overcame Rickmansworth to reach the Watford Observer Plate final.

With the weather finally relenting to allow the contest to be held, Ricky won the toss at Abbots Langley and elected to field on a damp track.

It looked a wise decision as Town initially struggled to put runs on the board, with opener Scott Traxon falling for just one inside the second over.

Fellow opener Saran Murad (five) didn’t fare much better but number three Adnan Mohmand started to put Town on the right path.

His knock of 18 saw him top score in the Watford innings alongside number five Grant van Quickleberg, while Jidran Mohmand added 14 in-between.

Single-figure scores followed further down the order as Town looked to put on a high total but the Ricky attack were unable to have them dismissed, meaning the innings came to a close with the score at 134 for eight.

Ricky made a solid start in reply despite the loss of number two Callum Cusack (two) in the second over.

Watford were unable to strike again however until the seventh over, with opener Micky Horwood (11) and Neil Davis (30) putting on an impressive partnership.

But while the wickets weren’t falling, Ricky were unable to keep up with the required run rate as the Town attack showed discipline in their approach, peppered with some wide balls which kept their opponents in contention.

Ben Somes added ten and was immediately followed back to the pavilion by Mark Robinson who was bowled when facing his first ball.

Watford looked in control at this point and crucially removed Davis as well as Sean Lindsay (nought) in the 12th over.

With two overs remaining, Ricky needed 33 for the win but with the Town attack again proving too strong, they added just 14 to see them fall to an 18-run loss and allow Watford to progress to the final.