After much cajoling and gentle persuasion, Cockfosters were able to field a strong team against Letchworth in the first round of the Herts County Cup. On a gloriously sunny and warm afternoon in the Garden City, Cockfosters lost the toss and took to the field (with just ten, as Mark and Hannah-the-scorer-Sayers were en route from a previous engagement at Potters Bar CC).

The pitch looked flat and hard (a first this season?) and the outfield was cut short. Would this mean a long 50 overs of toil in the field?? Fish threw the ball to Matt Stead and Tony Sayers to spearhead the attack, hoping for pace and bounce. We duly got pace and bounce, but in the first seven overs it was mostly off the bat and off the boundary fence!! Then Tony cleaned up Steve March with a beautiful yorker. Cue wild celebrations and the first inkling that this might be a special day. With Matt bowling fast without reward at the other end, Tony proceeded to clean up Letchworth’s number two and three, enducing a mistimed cut shot that was well pouched by (Doris) Stokes at point and dismantling the stumps with another fine yorker.

The home side were on 53-3 when bowling laws forced a change at both ends, Mark Sayers and James Stead coming into the attack. The game could easily have swung back Letchworth’s way at this stage, particularly with the man that’s “been single-handedly winning them games this season” at the crease. He looked a good player too, but he can’t have expected such a good delivery from Jimmy - a cracker turning from outside off and hitting the top of middle. Meanwhile Mark was getting the ball to swing miles and enticing batsman after batsman to edge into Steady’s gloves and Xav’s hands. The wickets just kept falling - 55-4, 58-5, 80-6, 85-7. The score was 91-7 at drinks. Where was the Letchworth fight back? When was their tail going to wag? It never happened. It wasn’t allowed to happen. In the twenty overs from James and Mark the home side could only muster 65 runs, losing five wickets.

Time for another change and time for Sam Barker to bowl on his full First team debut. Any sign of nerves? Any sign of this young slip of a lad being brought up too early? Not a chance. Two mesmerising overs did for their numbers ten and eleven, one bowled all ends up, the other haplessly stumped by Chris Stead, who was having a good afternoon with the gloves. And that was that. After just 36 of the allotted 50 overs Cockfosters had cleaned up the best team in Hertfordshire’s top division for a mere 136 runs. Mark Sayers bowled in the right areas and allowed the ball to swing. His figures of 10-1-31-4 brought back memories of his magic day on the same ground three years earlier. Tony Sayers bowled with pace and bounce, but also subtle variations and wicked yorkers. He ended with figures of 7-1-27-3. James Stead had figures of 10-1-38-1, proving that he is well capable of bowling at this level. His brother Matt ended wicket less, but his seven overs could easily have been better rewarded (7-0-32-0) and will have certainly contributed to poor shots at the other end. Sam Barker had his chance to impress the first team captain and he took it. He didn’t bowl a bad ball in his 2.1 overs and it seemed he could have taken a wicket with any of his turning deliveries (2.1-0-4-2).

Tea was alright…nothing special, just alright. A chance to take stock though and reflect that we needed less than three an over to pull off a shock win. They must have some bowling though surely?….That bloke who wins all their games for them, he must be a bit special with the ball?? He’s got his name on the side of his car and everything!!! O’Leary and Xavier went out to face the music and when Xav smashed a customary ‘stand and deliver’ boundary in the first over, it seemed we’d be alright. He missed a fast one in the eighth over though to be dismissed for 10, bringing the skipper to the crease. Fish tucked into a couple of half volleys and relished the pace coming onto the bat before getting bowled through the gate for the second day running. Thank goodness for O’Leary at the other end. Belligerent, defiant and accumulating runs steadily. Morgan joined him at 33-2 to do exactly the same job at the other end, absorbing the best Letchworth could muster. Thirteen overs and 36 runs later, O’Leary’s patience finally broke when he swung across the line and missed (‘Fosters top three batsmen all out clean bowled, work to do in the nets….). Who else would you want coming to the crease than Chris Stead? This pair chipped away a useful 29 runs before Morgs was the recipient of a ‘home’ lbw decision, rough luck when he’d not put a foot wrong. 15 runs required and six wickets in hand…and a nervous Tim Haydon was listening in on his mobile as he painted his windows in Hackney.

A cheeky innings of 10 then followed from Stokesy that included two thick outside edges (deliberate my arse Doris!) that flew through a disconsolate slip cordon and compounded Letchworth’s misery. The ‘bloke with his name on his car’ accounted for Stokesy in the same way that he had Xav (bowling him with a straight ball) but the damage had already been done. Chris Stead wanted this finished in a hurry and crunched a couple of boundaries. Then with just two runs needed, James Grant’s arm of justice brought matters to a close. Two perfectly executed no ball signals put Cockfosters‘ name in the hat for the second round and left Steady on a well made 33 and James Stead on 0 not out.

A well earned five wicket win that was set up by a brilliant bowling display and steered over the line by Chris Stead. A trip to Hertford beckons in round 2, but beyond that, who knows what this young team can achieve….
 

The scorebook will show Eastcote running out fairly easy winners with almost 10 overs to spare. However that doesn't really tell the tale of a match that could easily have gone the other way.

Fosters made good early progress despite the early loss of Duncan Elder to a relativekly harsh leg before decision. Steady and Flat Track made good progress before Flat Track fell for 32. With 15 overs of the innings remaining things looked pretty handy with Fosters on 112 for 3.

Disaster struck as 4 wickets fell in quick succession. First Steady went for 43 to another leg before decision that left the batsman disappointed, then Messrs Alexander and both Sayers perished quickly - the decision to promote the big hitters failing spectacularly. It was now crucial for Fish to occupy the crease to the end and get support from the lower order - all of whom could bat. The problem was that one good shot seemed to lead to a wicket - Fish lofted a ball into the Cockfosters Road and James Stead broke a tile on the clubhouse roof, but no one made the progress required.

In the end Matt Stead's wicket brought the end to the innings a few balls early on 150 and left number 11 Adam Pigden rather bemused.

In reply Eastcote looked in all sorts of bother early on as a miserly spell at one end from Matt Stead was backed up by 2 wickets from Tony Sayers at the other. Two smart catches from Steady and Fish, the former after a judicious field change. Crucially though it appeared that none of the team particularly like Mark Sayers as batsmen 3 through 5 were all dropped off his bowling. The number 4 batsman was dropped by Flat Track off a skier when he had yet to reach double figures and he went on to make 60. The other 2 were dropped by Adam standing up and again these became vital as the number 5 finished unbeaten just short of a half century.

Further wickets for Scott and James (nice catch for your brother in the deep Matt) failed to peg Eastcote back. The chances had been missed and the Cockspur Cup was over rather too quickly for another year.