The magnificent seven took the field at Ampthill Town this afternoon awaiting the arrival of their skipper and fellow players lost somewhere on the M1! This didn't seem to worry Matt or James Stead who had a field day rolling over Ampthill Town.

Matt bowled with his usual aggression and his 2 spells brought figures of 5 for 34 from 11.2 overs. James bowled excellently as well taking 3 for 17 from 10 overs.

In reply Flat Track and the promoted Ian Cooper put on 100 for the opening stand to put the game beyond any reasonable doubt. Declan scored a magnificent 91 before 3 quick wickets fell to leave skipper Fish and Steady to see the side over the line.

All in all a good afternoon's work and overall a pretty good first season back in Division 2 finishing 4th in the table thanks to a good finish.

A game between 2 teams now out of the promotion running produced some exciting cricket, which will sadly be overshadowed by the sudden illness that forced scorer Mike Pratt to be taken to hospital, where he subsequently died the following morning.

Northwood batted first and posted an imposing total of 259 for 8. Chris Stead saw Fosters home by 4 wickets.

Any remaining dreams of back to back promotions were quickly dispelled at Berkhamsted. On one of the best days of this horrid summer the teams were faced with a damp playing surface thanks to the weather of the previous week. It was a vital toss to win and unfortunately Fish lost it and Fosters were asked to bat first.

As last week initially things looked good with Fish and Steady together putting on 29. The collapse soon came however with batsmen 3 through 9 adding just 3 runs from the bat! Steady top scored with 29 and Mark Sayers succumbed to his first league dismissal of the season, last man out for 8.

Clearly 67 was never going to be enough and just 17 overs later the match was over. The plus from the bowling performance was a wicket for Tony Sayers and the usual good spell (including a wicket) for Matt Stead. It was quickly back to the club to cheer on the 2nd XI and plan ahead for next season.

Another must win game....and another agonising failure.

After being put into bat by KP IIs, Fosters, and in particular Matt Fisher were cruising at 133 for 0 after 28 overs. Fish was to fall for 92 and Steady for 39. The rest of the innings failed in pretty spectacular fashion and only the usual cameo efforts down the order secured a total of 200 for 9 before Fish decided to declare slightly early to give enough time to chase the win and to try to beat the rain.

In reply the old ball was taken with little effect as James Stead and Tim Haydon failed to make any inroads. The new ball was taken and having reached 55 for 0, Matt Stead tore apart the top of the order taking 4 wickets in his 7 over spell, and with a little help from Pumpkin had KP IIs reeling on 64 for 5.

The wet ball from the now persistent drizzle was to have an effect as a number of catching chances then went begging which allowed KP IIs to reach 154 with no further loss. The return of the new ball bowlers in the gloom was to bring further success - Matt eventually finished with remarkable figures of 6 for 36 and Pumpkin with 2 for 26 as 154 for 5 soon became 192 for 9. Ironically G Fisher and M Fisher then steered KP II home to victory by 1 wicket with overs running out.

A great game then in terrible August weather - a maximum 19 bonus points will be of no consolation.

Another must win game where ultimately the result was no good for either side in their quest to catch the top three, in what was at times an ill tempered affair.

WGC II were invited to bat first and Fosters were unable to make any early breakthroughs, not helped by losing Matt Stead to injury (should have caught the ball!) just hours before the start. Pumpkin and Leo bowled relatively tidy spells which did not allow the opposition too many easy runs or to enable them to run away.

Fish then turned to leading wicket taker James Stead who bowled 20 overs unchanged for figures of 2 for 109 (not helping the averages - Matt will be pleased!). Wily Tim Haydon bowled his usual spell when asked to replace Leo, taking 3 for 53 from 14 overs. WGC II eventually declared on 240 for 6 and the run chase was on.

Fish led from the front both verbally and with the bat, as following the early loss of Flat Track he brought up a century out of a total of 149 before he fell for 102. Despite contributions from Steady (46) and Boris (21) the rest of the top order did not keep the asking rate up and yet again it was left to the all rounders and tailenders to give it a go. In the end the side finished just 6 runs short on 234 for 7 at the end of the allotted 47 overs with Scott Alexander finishing on 19 and Mark Sayers (easily the leader in 'not outs' this season) finishing on 11.

4 wins out of 4 are now essential if promotion is to be possible.

Having failed to secure victory the previous week, a home game against 3rd place Flitwick was a must win game.

Flitwick won the toss and chose to bat first on the first decent summer's day of the season. They found runs easy to come by with all of the bowlers proving expensive save for Tom Hutton whose 15 overs of spin yielded excellent figures of 3 for 39. Matt and James Stead were both in the wickets with James finishing with 3 for 87 and Matt with 2 for 69.

Flitwick were able to declare on 262 for 9 after 51 overs and the run chase was on. Unfortunately with big runs required from the top order, Fosters found themselves on 111 for 6 and in disarray with only Chris Stead (35) and Declan O'Leary (28) topping 20. However there was a sting in the tail as Batsmen 7-9, Tommy Hutton (31), Scott Alexander (36) and Pumpkin (51) all took to the tiring Flitwick bowling attack.

It was not quite enough though as Matt Stead's wicket saw Fosters all out for 244 and defeated by 18 runs. Another decent points haul of 14 but surely now finding a way into the top 2 is going to prove impossible.

Given the necessity of a win over a side in the bottom 3, it was something of a surprise (to this writer anyway) that Fosters chose to bat first on winning the toss. A solid batting display secured an excellent score of 254 for 8 with Matt Fisher (77) and Danny Becker (41) putting on 112 for the 2nd wicket and then after losing 3 quick wickets, there were useful contributions from Doris (23) and Jabba (27) before a typical knock from Pumpkin which brought him 43 not out from just 29 deliveries.

Early wickets were then vital in reply - the old ball was taken by James and Jabba but only one wicket fell to James as Northchurch moved easily to 79 for 1 from 21 overs.

The new ball was then taken but wickets were still difficult to come by until Matt Stead removed the opener for 50. It took a run out to suggest that Fosters were in with a chance as 3 wickets fell in the space of 5 overs. With 7 overs to go Northchurch were 162 for 5 but despite many a bowling change no further wickets fell as Northchurch managed to secure maximum batting points to help their relegation cause.

Although 15 points would usually be a good haul, the top 2 both won again and are now almost 50 points ahead. Nothing but victories from here will do.

Another disappointment for the 1st team as Old Finchleians were in a difficult position at 107 for 6 when this game was forced into an early finish by the incessant heavy showers that the Met Office failed to predict (coming just 24 hours after one of the biggest summer storms, the ground was never likely to hold up).

For about the first time this season the opening bowlers failed to do the damage as the Matts - Stead and Hillier - bowled 12 unsuccessful overs between them. All changed with the introduction of Mark Sayers and Tim Haydon and a score of 73 for 1 soon subsided to 100 for 6 as wickets fell (helped by 2 run outs) and runs became harder to come by. When the next band of rain ended play Mark had taken 2 for 30 and Tim 2 for 22, each from 10 overs.

This was a disappointing result in many respects as a game that was there for the taking went begging as did a move into the promotion places.

Preston won the toss and chose to bat and initially found runs hard to come by as Matt Stead and Tuffail Dar put in the usual tight opening which saw Matt pick up 2 for 25. The innings though gradually gathered momentum as the change bowlers were unable to keep the same control. This control was eventually brought along by Tom Hutton who bowled 14 overs at just over 2 and over (1 for 33) to keep Preston in check. 3 late wickets for James Stead (3 for 49) saw him extend his lead at the top of the wicket taking list, and some late run outs saw Preston close on 202.

In reply things looked fairly straight forward as Declan and Fish brought up a quick 50 opening stand. There was then a massive mid order collapse as 5 wickets fell for less than 30 runs. Chris and James Stead brought the innings back under control but then another flurry of wickets really finished things off with Chris falling 9th down for a well made 47. Matt Stead and Mark Sayers put on a few at the end but it was not to as the innings closed on 167.

This defeat sees the side drop to 4th place in the table but still within touch of the leading two.

No skipper, vice captain or other players beside but the Stead family plus a bit of help from Tommy Hutton (long lost cousin???) were too good for Totteridge.

Put in to bat Totteridge found batting hard work on a soft Chalk Lane track. As usual Matt Stead and Tuffail Dar put up an excellent opening spell with Matt taking 2 wickets and Tuffail 1. All the bowlers gave plenty of support with James Stead showing increased maturity to take another 3 wickets (for 34 from 11 overs) to be the top wicket taker for the side. Mark Sayers chipped in with a wicket and then Tommy Hutton picked up 3 late quick wickets (I seem to have written that more than once this season!).

Other than an lbw off Tommy's bowling, all the wickets featured at least one Stead with 5 catches going their way to add to the 5 wickets.

Not wanting to be outdone Chris Stead then took over in the batting department - that is, once Tommy Hutton had got out for 21 after a blistering start. His 70 not out was made from just 71 balls and helped bring up the winning score in just 21 overs. He got decent support from Danny Becker (13) in a 50 partnership for the 3rd wicket, and to sum up the way of this match it was James who was there with him at the end.

A useful 30 points sees the side back up into the top 3.

Another excellent bowling performance was only hampered by a late order recovery by Radlett and the onset of an afternoon deluge.

Another solid opening display from Matt Stead and Tuffail Dar once again brought the usual pressure as the run rate fell well behind expectations. It was then the change bowlers that did all of the damage as the returning Pumpkin took 3 for 33 from 11 overs and James Stead brought home his first 1st XI 5 wicket haul, taking 5 for 67 from 16 overs.

The only disappointment was that Radlett at one stage were 113 for 8 and only a score of 45 by their number 9 batsman, with help from numbers 10 and 11, pushed the score to some sort of respectability.

In reply, despite the early loss of Chris Stead, Fosters, and in particular Matt Fisher (25 not out) were looking good before the black clouds settled over Radlett and finished off the game.

A third successive victory owed much to an excellent all round display.

Abbots Langley batted first and were never allowed to get away as another tidy opening spell from Matt Stead (1 for 23 from 7) and Tuffail Dar (2 for 35 from 14) kept them in check. The rest of the damage was done by Matt Hillier and James Stead who took 2 wickets apiece. James putting in easily his best spell of bowling for the 1st XI (at least that's what his Dad told me!) finishing with 2 for 45 from 14 and remaining composed even when the first ball of an over went for 6.

The reply saw a welcome return to form for the skipper as he made 62. He was ably supported by Flat Track (32) and Steady (30) and when the score reached 130 for 1 it looked like a big victory would ensue. However yet another middle order wobble saw 3 quick wickets fall before Boris (22*) and James Stead (capping an excellent all round display with 39*) saw the side home to a comfortable 6 wicket victory and maintain their top 4 position in the table.

Skipper Fish was happy to lose the toss as he didn't have a clue what to do - nor did the opposition, who after some consultation finally settled on batting first.

Tuffail and Matt once again did the damage at the top of the order taking 4 early wickets with Tuffail finishing with 3 for 58 from 15 overs and Matt 1 for 15 from his 7 overs. Things could have been even worse for Potters Bar as their opener Mehta was dropped a number of times and ended up making 88 of his team's runs!

James Stead took 2 wickets in the middle of the innings (2 for 22 from 6) before Mark Sayers was kept on (despite telling his skipper that he felt terrible!) to take the final 4 wickets to fall, finishing with excellent figures of 4 for 42 from 14.3 overs.

In reply things looked easy as the returning Flat Track (63) together with Steady (26) put on 75 for the opening partnership. However following Steady's dismissal and Declan's later triggering, the middle order failed to shine. Fortunately old hands Ben Wood (24 not out) and Danny Becker (10 not out) saw the side home - Ben's innings including a 6 into the football ground, with Fish pointing out to the opposition that this was also the way home!

All in all a victory over the sort of team that Fosters need to beat this season. Fish later commented that despite the reasonably comfortable margin of victory, a bit better catching and a better effort from the middle order could have seen a really emphatic result.

Having lost the toss, Fosters put up a pretty good effort in the field without the missing Pumpkin. Tuffail took over sharing the new ball with Matt Stead and both were successful - Tuffail finished with figures of 4 for 49 from 14 overs and Matt with 3 for 33 from 10 overs. They were admirably supported by the rest of the bowlers who all picked up a wicket each.

In reply despite Steady looking good at one end, wickets fell regularly at the other end during the endless drizzle and light rain that set over North London after 5pm. With the score on 90 for 6 Broxbourne were keen on staying out there to drive home their advantage. Fosters were also happy with this situation having already picked up the full 10 bowling points.

This positive attitude got its full reward as the recalled Scott Alexander came together with Steady and they quickly got after the bowling and put on a partnership of 91 that saw the team home to a surprising but well earned victory.

Matt Hillier picked up 2 wickets for 37 and late on Tuffail came on to bowl straight and mop up the tail finishing with 4 for 13 from just 5.1 overs.

In reply Fosters got off to the worst possible start losing Fish for a duck with just 1 on the board. Most of the top order got in and played well but all departed without getting the one big score that would have seen the side home. Sam Penny made 28, Danny Becker 27 and Ben Wood 26.

When this correspondent arrived at the ground 27 were needed with 3 wickets in hand. This soon became 21 needed with just 1 wicket left as Pumpkin (first dismissal of the season) and Matt Hillier were cleaned up. In strode Mark Sayers and he and Matt Stead looked supremely confident with some nice shots taking the score to 149 for 9 before Matt lobbed one up (bump ball ?) to the gleeful bowler. 

A pretty good solid batting display saw Cockfosters amass 227 for 6 after having been put in to bat by Reed on a cloudy and showery day. Matt Fisher led the way with accomplished 66 and he was given good support first by Chris Stead with 46, and then later by Ben Wood with 49. A few lusty blows by Pumpkin (24 not out) helped bring on the declaration.

In reply my sources tell me that the opening batsman who went on to score 57 was dropped 3 times, and his partner who finished undefeated on 93 was dropped a total of 5 times - clearly something to work on for next week! A wicket each for Pumpkin and Matty Hillier (excellent spell of 1 for 20 from 7 overs) were the only reward.

The plus side was that the 12 bonus points takes the side into sole ownership of 2nd place in the table behind Reed.

The first part of plan didn't go too badly as Watford Town were held to 225 for 8 thanks to 3 wickets each from Mark Sayers and James Stead together with some pretty tidy bowling by openers Pumpkin and Matt Stead, supported well by Matt Hillier and new boy Tuffail Dar.

As for part 2 that rather fell apart. The early departures of Fish and Steady were only briefly halted as Fosters soon found themselves at 100 for 6 and staring a very hefty defeat in the face. Up though stepped the bowlers once more - Tuffail and Pumpkin put on 83 for the 7th wicket before Tuffail fell for 34. Then came Mark Sayers to hit 4 fours and see the side home. Hero status for Pumpkin who finished with a remarkable 70 not out and clear man of the match honours.