Hatfield & Crusaders defied a heavy rain shower to seal a 12th victory of the season, triumphing over London Colney by 19 runs at Ascots Lane.
The visitors won the toss and asked Hatfield & Crusaders to bat first. Despite the early loss of opener Yugal Kalaskar, Heath Bond (34) and Kunal Shah rebuilt in style, with a fluent partnership worth 86 runs in just 18 overs. Both batsmen were quick to latch onto any loose deliveries, and found the boundary with regularity.
London Colney fought back well with disciplined spells of medium pace and spin bowling, and slowed down the run rate with the wicket of Bond. Shah continued serenely, with the support of Lewis Wynne (24), before he was bowled for a well-compiled 57.
It was left to Deepak Hasiza (21*) and Rory Gethin-Golder (12) to accelerate in the latter stages of the innings. They combined for 40 runs from the final 6 overs to see Hatfield & Crusaders to a competitive score of 212/7.
Hatfield & Crusaders struck early with the ball, as Gethin-Golder (2/55) broke the opening partnership in just his second over. Ben Clark also kept things tight at the other end, and claimed a sharp catch in his follow through to remove the other opener. The seamers were backed up well by Aman Sofat (1/27), who was hit for just two boundaries in the entirety of his spell to keep London Colney behind the asking rate.
At 78/5 and 123/7, London Colney's chase looked to be faltering. However, some defiant lower-order partnerships ensured a close finish. Spinners Deepak Hasiza (1/24) and Gareth Wynne (2/36) bowled with great control in spite of the slippery conditions, before Clark returned to claim the crucial wicket of Pinkham (31) with another outstanding catch off his own bowling.
When the last wicket fell to a run out from Joe Bigley, Hatfield & Crusaders were the victors by 19 runs, and maintained a 56-point lead at the top of Division 5A, with just three matches remaining.
The 2nds were narrowly on the wrong side of a game which was also rain affected. Having chosen to insert Bushey II, Alan Jakes (2/33) dismissed both openers cheaply. With Ian Golder (1/31) also bowling with characteristic economy at the other end, Hatfield & Crusaders were well on top after 20 overs.
That pressure was maintained through Andy Foster (2/31), Tony Jakes (2/49) and Aaron Foster (2/25). Bushey produced a resilient innings from the middle and lower order, however, and ultimately were bowled out for 226 in the 49th over.
Despite the loss of an early wicket, Hatfield & Crusaders bounced back with a 52-run partnership between Alex Digby (28) and Yasir Shafi (35). When both batsmen and the middle order fell in quick succession, Hatfield & Crusaders were struggling at 95/6.
Undaunted by this situation, Ben Pulham (30*) and Golder (17*) recovered well, and reached 156/6, with just over a run a ball required from the final 11 overs. With the boundaries starting to come more frequently, Hatfield & Crusaders were unlucky to be thwarted by a heavy shower which brought the game to a premature conclusion, resulting in a rain-affected defeat.