A simple review of the score does not tell the tale. Acting skipper Spooks put Ware II's in to bat on the Holtwhites road and did well to restrict them to just over 200. Wellsy was the pick of the bowlers taking 4 for 65 (including a pretty good catch from Spooks - or so he tells me!) and Roy Hill bowled an excellent spell taking 2 for 24.

In reply Cockfosters were always against it as Aussie Brett scored 4 and out and most of the rest of the top order (save for Moises with 26 and Akash with 22) failed to make much progress.

With 16 overs remaining Roy Hill came out to join Owen with 108 runs still needed for victory - the score having limped to 98 for 8. Instead of shutting up shop they went for it and suddenly the boundaries were flowing with Owen scoring the bulk of the runs. With the winning post in sight Roy got himself out, but not before making 36, to leave Matt Chambers to help see things home.

The final equation was 7 runs to win off 2 balls. Ware put everyone on the boundary and Owen hit the next delivery in the only place guaranteed to score more than 2 - in the gardens! This 6 was followed by a nicely timed 4 (with the field up) and an improbable victory had been achieved. Owen finished 71 not out - his first league 50.

News of the Cockfosters arrival was clearly well known around these parts as the school put on a massive party to celebrate! With not a lot of batting the skipper felt he had no choice but to insert the opposition and hope to leave something low enough to chase!

This was a good plan except that a mixture of the bowlers not quite getting it in the right place and a good pair of opening Letchworth batsmen meant that for the second week running the side were chasing the ball around the field. Spooks was again the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 47 from 11 overs, with Christian and Akash picking up a wicket apiece, before the long haul to find some tea!

In reply El Pres, Neil and Moises went cheaply to leave only one course of action. Akash played well for a quick 27, before Messrs Spooks, Cue Ball and the Baron kept Letchworth out with relative ease. Cue Ball top scored with 35, Spooks scored 20 (enough mentions eh?) and the Baron finished with 21 not out, and together with Alex Callan saw the side home to a battling (if point less) draw.

With a wet outfield at the start it was natural that skipper Hale should insert the opposition on winning the toss (this week sponsored by weight watchers!).

The Cue Ball bowled a good opening spell but without really troubling the openers. Owen stuggled a bit with his length bowling up the hill, although his confidence might have been helped had Spooks not dropped a relatively easy catch when the Number 2 had only reached 5. As it was, that was about the only chance given in an opening stand of 149. The success of the Berko number 2 (he scored 68) led to one of their players commenting that whilst this was good news really, they would all have to put up with listening to him talk about the innings for the rest of the day!

The partnership was finally ended by a combination of the bowling of Spooks and a fine one handed catch by Moises at mid on. Spooks then picked up the other opener for 80 when he was well caught in the deep by the skipper.

Carnage then ensued as the number 3 batsman and skipper (probably not used to this level of cricket bludgeoned an unbeaten 80 from just 48 balls. It was a bit of a surprise that he needed convincing to declare 5 overs early on 281 for 2. All of the bowlers tried hard but were up against superior bowling. Most credit goes to Akash who bowled 6 overs up the hill for just 24 runs. 

In reply the skipper hoped for full batting points. Kevin stayed around for awhile but mistimed a forcing shot to be caught for 7. After taking time to get going Spooks suddenly found some form and at one stage hit 6 boundaries off of just 7 deliveries. From a good position of 86 for 1, one of the strangest overs of the season saw 3 wickets fall to some poor strokes and the emergency insertion of the number 11!

First Spooks missed a looping full toss to be bowled for 45. Neil left a wide and then spooned the next ball straight up in the air to be caught by the keeper. A confident Teflon Jr was then immediately caught behind to the best ball of the over. At this point Neil looked around and called out 'where's Akash?'. The answer was that he was in the changing room (along with Moises and Harry) getting changed - a problem when he was about to be timed out! Quickly Ravi put on Spooks' pads, grabbed a bat, and played out the over with no further alarms!

Ravi was next to go for 9 after a couple of good boundaries. Once again a hat trick ball awaited as Akash, having now avoided being timed out, hit his first ball straight down the throat of a deep set fielder. Moises played the hat trick ball as if he needed to hit the ball for 6......in fact that's how he plays most of his shots, which was good for a quickfire 20. Harry hit a 6 and then got out next ball and the Cue Ball failed to survive long so that the relegated number 11 Owen could go out to try to save the match.

All this time at the other end, Rich E, fresh from his first 50 in 25 years the previous Sunday was hailing a London bus as he easily accumulated runs whilst looking in little trouble. Quickly after Owen's arrival he picked up three 2s in one over to bring him to another 50, and the score to 170 and secure 3 batting points. Once again he ensured that his innings was unbeaten - this time one run higher than Sunday with 52 - as he and Owen played out the last few overs with few alarms to secure a draw. 

Skipper Hale won the toss and asked Botany Bay to bat first. Tidy opening spells from Matt Chambers and the returning Akash Singh kept the score in check although the score was soon to reach 80 for 2.

It was Spooks who ended up doing most of the damage bowling unchanged for 17 overs and taking 5 for 43. This included a spell of 3 wickets in 4 balls, and also a stumping by Teflon Jr. Ravi Solanki carried on where he had left off the previous week in taking 3 for 32 from his 7 overs. Importantly for certain members of the side this included dismissing former Cockfosters player John Hicks for a duck.

Botany Bay concluded their innings on 165 for 9. In reply the Cockfosters innings never quite had the impetus required to reach the target. Kevin Brady fell for 15 and the Rich E fell for 11. The skipper was joined by Teflon Jr and both played some good shots before Michael got himself out for 15 looking to up the scoring rate. Neil fell a little while later for 27.

Unfortunately from there on, only one batsman looked to be in control as Akash made 34 not out as all around everyone else fell for low scores. In the end Matt Chambers was the last to go with the score on 117, leaving Akash high and dry on 34 not out.

After the disappointment of the previous week's (fill in suitable adjective) cancellation, the 4s were back in action at a dampish Holtwhites.

The skipper lost the toss (vital given the early dampness of the pitch) and soon lost Dan Rollo to a debatable early attacking shot. Kevin Brady (calf a bit better) and Matt Langley steadied things with a nice second wicket partnership before Matt nicked one behind to be out for 18 with the score on 41. This soon became 42 for 4 with the skipper going first ball and then Moises played a shot too early.

Teflon Jr then made his appearance and much to the surprise of the eldest player in the side, started giving out detailed instructions on exactly how the partnership needed to progress. The advice must have worked though as steadily the innings was rebuilt, with bad shots put away for 4 and the good balls seen off. A 79 run partnership looked to have turned the game around and a final total of in excess of 160 looked likely.

However Teflon's departure for 28 led to a steady flow of wickets and poor shots. Kevin made an excellent 64 and was unlucky to find this reporter again on hand to see him bowled round his legs (it did look like it turned!). The innings closed on 142 and it was felt that the side was in with a chance on a still helpful wicket.

What was not known was that this group of Northampton Exiles players contained 2 opening batsman that were far too good for this level of cricket. In theory the opening attack of Benny Hill and Craig Hutchins should have been a handful for any team at this level - instead the batsmen settled in and dispatched good and bad balls with disdain. There were a couple of half chances but these were spilled (I won't mention your drop Kevin!) and soon the total was over 100.

Matt Chambers in particular was to come in for a lot of stick, seeing 4 6s hit off his bowling with one of them clearing the houses - even the players from the next pitch were to be heard wondering how this could be Div 12 batting. Eventually some wickets fell with Matt picking up one and the belatedly used 'Tall Guy' picking up 2 wickets against his adversaries. One couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had a couple of wickets fallen earlier.

It turned out that neither side went into this game with a lot of confidence particularly as both side were somewhat depleted due to the Potters Bar Hockey Club tour. Potters Bar had only their batting to rely on and were soon in disarray as they found themselves 57 for 6. Matt Chambers by now had taken 3 wickets and he had got good support from Harry White with one wicket and Alex Callan with 2.

However at was at this point that the slightly thin bowling attack started to show its frayed edges. Matt started to get tired and despite a good spell from Sachin taking 1 for 5 (and having to come off because he was oddly labelled as U13) Christian and later the skipper himself were unable to exert the pressure as the lower order batsmen started to find their form.

Eventually Matt can back to claim his first 5 wicket haul of the season before a bizarre cameo 21 from the number 11 bat (having never played cricket before) saw the hosts to a respectable 192 all out.

The reply got off to the worst possible start as MIke Pigden fell in the second over for 1. This brought in Neil Hale whose confidence from his 50 from 2 weeks ago was apparent to all as he immediately set about dispatching all of the bad balls, whilst defending the good ones resolutely. Dan Rollo looked much more at home back in the 4th team giving able support and supplying some lusty blows, including one towering 6 into the astroturf pitch. He just needs to cut out those odd loose shots to help develop his game.

Neil reached an excellent 50 first and Dan soon followed with the score rocketing past 120 in only 20 overs. Dan then fell for 56 from a stand of 135, but there was no respite for the inexperienced Potters Bar bowlers as Moises carried on where Dan had left off to score an excellent 32 before getting out rather unnecessarily to allow Tony Whaley to come in to hit the winning run.

There was no doubting the man of the match though, as Neil finished with a career best 87 not out and fully deserved to enjoy his team's first victory of the season.

With an equally inexperience side as the week before, Cockfosters came up against a side likely to be challenging for promotion. Skipper Neil Hale won the toss and logically chose to bat on a hot and sticky day.

A useful opening partnership by the President (19) and Richard E (11) ended and Spooks was soon caught at slip to see the side precariously placed. Once again Teflon Jr shared in a useful 4th wicket stand, this week with Neil Hale, with much to prove after his duck last week. Whilst Michael looked steady and assured at one end, Neil picked up the runs at the other.

MIchael however was caught when he stopped on an attempted drive and then Moises and Harry both fell quickly to leave the score on 93 for 6. Neil kept going though and reached a well deserved 50 having found some useful support from Alex Callan. Neil went for 56 and the tail end managed to bring up a couple of batting points, with the final wicket falling off the last available ball.

In reply Matt Chambers brought some control with a good spell of 11 overs, taking 1 for 28. At the other end Spooks struggled somewhat this week, although he was unlucky to see a good lbw shout turned down.

Despite trying most of the youngsters no further breakthrough arrived and Flamstead reached their winning target with more than 10 overs to spare.

With an extremely inexperienced side, Fosters went out to bat with their 2 elder statesmen of club president Mike Pigden and James Grant. Mike ended up making the top score of 26, but when the openers fell, and the skipper followed, the innings looked in trouble at 49 for 3. Spooks and Teflon Jr put on 28 for the 4th wicket but both fell with the score on 77.

Cue the most surprising partnership of the day as Josh Kirk suffering from a nosebleed this high up the order and new boy Moises proceeded to put on 51 for the 6th wicket. Josh finished on 23 and Moises on 18. A bit of wagging from the tale ensured some batting points.

In reply Met Police were indebted to their opening batsman who score 69, who was vitally given a life relatively early in his innings. However what looked like a simple victory for the visitors was halted as they slumped from 130 for 2 to 143 for 6 - Harry White, also making his league and senior debut returned figures of 3 for 16 showing the promise that some of us have seen in his previous Under 13 matches.

Also deserving of mention were Spooks who took 2 for 56 from almost 14 overs, and Matt Chambers on his return to the side bowling a tidy opening spell of 8 overs. In the end though a 6 off of Spooks was enough to see the visitors home on a day of promise for the 4th XI.