Sawbridgeworth suffer dramatic defeat to Abbots Langley in Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League Division One promotion race
The Saracens Hertfordshire League, Division One promotion race took another dramatic twist after Sawbridgeworth suffered a dramatic three-wicket defeat at home to Abbots Langley on Saturday (August 17), writes Richard White.
Replying to the home side’s total of 273-6, the visitors collapsed to 99-6 before skipper Nick Gurney (140no) and Matthew Longworth (55) led a remarkable fightback as they added 166 for the seventh wicket before the former hit the winning runs with six balls to spare.
Earlier, Rob Sanders (126) had scored his second first-team league century for Sawbo – hitting 14 fours and two sixes from 145 balls – and once again finished on the losing side.
He led a magnificent recovery from 12-2, starting with a partnership of 94 with Rehman Ahmed (29) before adding 134 for the fifth wicket with Charlie Rudkin, who scored 66 off 61 deliveries, as Sawbo scored 94 off the last 10 overs.
Rudkin also starred with the ball, taking 3-32 from his 10 overs. He and new-ball partner George Kenny (2-43) reduced the away side to 59-5 before Tom Carson (8) edged Michael Burrell to Joe Joyce at slip one shy of three figures, but Abbots Langley reached 275-7 in the 49th over.
Sawbo have slipped to fourth in the table, just two points behind second-placed Leverstock Green and one adrift of Luton Town & Indians, who they travel to this Saturday.
The second team suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat at Frogmore in 5B as they just failed to defend a score of 84.
Sean Lemon top-scored with 20 and other double-figure contributions came from Alex Syed (17), Tommy Hamilton (10) and No 11 Andrew Dongworth (16) as the visitors were bundled out in 34.1 overs on a difficult pitch.
Dongworth (4-29), Nick Dale (2-12), Sam Shemwell (2-18) and Alfie Burrell (1-25) took Sawbo to the brink of victory, but a dropped catch with the score on 82 meant Sawbo missed out on their first win since June 8 as the hosts got to 88-9.
Sawbo remain third from bottom, but are now only 20 points clear of the relegation zone.
There was better news for the third team (197-5) as they moved off the bottom of Tees Herts & Essex Border League, Division One by beating derby rivals Bishop’s Stortford IV (194-5) by five wickets with three balls to spare.
Phil Hyam hit the winning runs for the visitors, who are now just two points behind North Weald, whom they face in a crunch encounter this Saturday in their survival battle.
