Your correspondent is running out of superlatives for our amazing 1st team and its uncanny knack of winning games against the odds. Our lads beat Potters Bar by 2 wickets on The Common but that hardly scratches the surface of another enthralling game. Ash Sivarajah and Jesse Tashkoff bowled 20 overs apiece, Ash claiming a 5-fer and Jesse a 3-fer to leave us chasing 229 to win in 56 overs. In the absence of Jimmy Latham and Olly Batchelor, pinch hitter Usman Malik struck 40 at the top of the order. Jake Pankhurst and Nick Lamb constructed a superb eighth-wicket partnership before, with just three balls remaining, Lamby struck an imperious maximum to get us over the line, watched by a large and jubilant crowd who had gathered for the BBQ:
Potters Bar: 228 all out off 58.3 overs (Sivarajah 5-60, Tashkoff 3-46)
Harpenden: 229-8 off 55.4 overs (Usman Malik 40, Lamb 37 not out, Pankhurst 35)

The Women’s 1st team enjoyed a comfortable 8-wicket victory over Ampthill Town. Izzy Bates and Olivia Kendal shared six wickets between them and Charlotte Banks grabbed a brace without conceding a run. In the run chase, Hannah Stobbs’ half-century took us through to the win:
Ampthill Town: 102 all out off 24.5 overs (Bates 3-17, Kendal 3-19, Banks 2-0)
Harpenden: 103-2 off 15 overs (Stobbs 52 not out)

Back to the Men, the 2nd team also had an incredible match against Berkhamsted, losing out by just one solitary run. Toby Bell grabbed a brilliant 5-fer with the ball but, despite consistent runs through the order, and a terrific unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership by Jack Dole and Kavin Vidhya, we just couldn’t squeeze out that last run or two:
Berkhamsted: 195 all out off 50 overs (T Bell 5-30, Downes 2-35, G Taylor 2-18)
Harpenden: 194-8 off 50 overs (Tulett 38, B Luffman 37)

The Women’s 2nd team took care of business with a 6-wicket win over Hitchin 2s. India Williams took 2 wickets before Maya Balmforth and Ellie Deutrom top scored in our successful run chase.
Hitchin: 122-5 off 20 overs (Williams 2-4)
Harpenden: 123-4 off 17.2 overs (Deutrom 27, Balmforth 24 not out)

The 3rd team agonisingly lost by just 1 wicket to Northwood Town in a much more low-scoring affair on a difficult pitch for batting. Jamie Karunaratne took another 4-wicket haul but the opposition’s last pair took them to victory from the perilous position of 69-9:
Harpenden: 92 all out off 34.4 overs (Lake 16)
Northwood Town: 93-9 off 21.3 overs (J Karunaratne 4-29, Dugmore 2-12, B Barcock 2-30)

The 4th team took care of business with an efficient 5-wicket win over St Albans 3s. Mike Hughes cannily prised out 3 wickets, including a stupendous one-handed return catch, and Todd Baines top-scored in our reply. JT celebrated with a hotdog, a burger and two pints of Kopperberg (other ciders are available) down at the clubhouse:
St Albans: 177-9 off 40 overs (Hughes 3-24)
Harpenden: 178-5 off 30.5 overs (Baines 40, Behl 27)

The 5th team very nearly got the job done but eventually succumbed to Chorleywood 3s by just 27 runs. James Driscoll made a welcome return from injury and Joss Abbott-Chambers gave us a splendid all-round performance:
Chorleywood: 167-8 off 40 overs (Abbott-Chambers 2-23, J Driscoll 2-24)
Harpenden: 140 all out off 37.1 overs (Abbott-Chambers 38, A Williams 29)

The 6th team won again, this time sending Old Albanians 4s packing by 31 runs. Arthur Cornforth’s all-round display was the stand-out:
Harpenden: 189-8 off 40 overs (Brindley 34, Cornforth 34)
OAs: 158 all out off 38.4 overs (Cornforth 4-24, H Field 2-21, Buckley 2-36)

The 7th team did really well to skittle out Langleybury 4s for a low total (Mareia Hussain and Richard Williams claiming 3 wickets each) but were then skittled out themselves, going down by 83 runs:
Langlebury: 129 all out off 37.1 overs (R Williams 3-18, Mareia Hussain 3-20, N Bashford 2-19)
Harpenden: 46 all out off 15.2 overs (Tristan Kennedy 24 not out)