Upon losing the toss, Ickleford chose to bat, after an early breakthrough from Dave Beardsley who was finding some good movement, Ickleford's top order went on the offensive. A mixture of some loose bowling and aggressive intent from the batsmen and the ball was disappearing to all parts.
Hertford plugged away and after 30 overs the score was 180-5. A controversial moment then occurred in the form of a run out (or not as it proved). Ickleford's striking batsmen hit the ball to mid off and immediately set off, the non striker who was caught ball watching did not. Brad Dawson with ball in hand threw the ball straight to Matt Bartlam and with the batsmen seemingly stranded out of his crease, the bails were removed and we were convinced we had a dangerous batsmen out. The square leg umpire did not agree, to the dismay of not only the whole Hertford XI but also fans and supporters who were on the boundary.
Tensions rose after this and with the weather making the ball like a bar of soap and words being exchanged between players, the rain was a welcome break from proceedings. After attempting to squeeze a couple more overs in the rain came down even harder and 45 minutes later the two captains agreed to share the points and call an end to the game. Ickleford finished on 301-7 off 42 overs, a target that would have needed a strong batting performance to chase.
Next up for the 3’s is an away day at Knebworth, fingers crossed for a rain free day and a full game of cricket.
Written by Ian Codd.