08 August Sunday XI v Southgate Compton

Southgate Compton 147 – 6 (41.0) R. Sanders 2 – 10, D. Sanders 2 – 21, J. Moxham 1 – 17

North Enfield 150 – 9 (40.5) M. Ricketts 59, L. Hibbert 14, R. Sanders 13*

The first win of the season for Sunday XI – much overdue and well deserved for a great all-round performance. All the bowlers bowled well, keeping the run rate down and not letting too many boundaries through in the field (apart from the three 6s off Mally). An excellent opening spell from Del and Moxy left Compton in a spot of bother with 3 wickets down for 40-odd, but a well played partnership between their number 4 and 5 put them over the 100 mark before Neil bowled their best bat Liam and the final 9 overs of the innings from the Colonel and Dukey went for only 35 runs.

The North Enfield reply got off to a promising start with Malcolm and Ricky hitting the ball well. Malcolm was then caught behind, but Mark dropped anchor and put on a good stand with Lee (14) before Simon was unfortunately run out. Mally last 2 balls, losing sight of the ball which popped up and then interesting cameos from Del (9) and Moxy (LBW to an 11 year old girl – well played mate!) left the last pair of Neil and the Colonel needing 11 to win. Compton brought on their quickest bowlers in fading light which actually backfired, as the Colonel stroked the ball for singles and hit a great 4 behind square to leave us needing 2 to win. The next ball was dug in short, which the Colonel ducked an dabbed the ball over the keeper’s head for 4 to give us the win. Really good game, an excellent win – Compton have provided us with 2 really good games this season and we look forward to seeing them again next year.

07 August 2^nd XI v Broxbourne III

North Enfield 176 – 2 (38.) M. Ricketts 52, V. Kanumuri 47*, R. Barber 39*

Broxbourne 177 – 2 (31.4) R. Sanders 1 – 18, R. White 1 – 26

A game badly affected by rain that keeps the 2s in 4^th place, but probably puts 3^rd position beyond our reach given other results. Also notable for Bob’s second visit to Broxbourne in 2 weeks – that pre-game recce unfortunately didn’t quite pay off for the 2s.

Solid batting from Ricky, Varma and the Chairman gave a good total of 178, for the loss of only 2 wickets, but the rain came and made the pitch very tricky to bowl on – sawdust seemed to be in short supply until some was mysteriously found at a very convenient time. Bowling was very difficult, so much so that Ricky offered to bowl to take any remaining pace off the ball. Borxbourne’s opener came in and hit the ball hard, and rode his luck a bit, but not much more the side could have done once conditions deteriorated. Still 12 points ahead of 5^th place Potters Bar IV with Monken Hadley to come next week.

01 August Sunday XI v Octopus

Octopus 373 – 10 (39.4) N. McHugh 6 – 52

North Enfield 219 – 3(40.0) B. Conway 131*, S. Robinson 50*

Another game that for one player would have been a fairly even match – Octopus were 2 short on Friday so the brother of one of their players agreed to help out…we learned after he had scored 209 that we had previously not played for some months and had trials for Surrey…matters not helped by playing on the lowest wicket with a 40 yard boundary, which he made good use of hitting most shots to the leg-side. Only other batsman of note was their skipper who got 50+ but Neil to the rest out with a career-best 6 wickets. Subtract the 209 from their eventual total and you are left with a competitive game… 

…as the 2^nd innings showed, with a brilliant partnership of 170+ from Ben and Steve, both recording almost chanceless innings, and playing some great shots even when Octopus brought on their quickest bowler at the darkest point of the innings, who kept banging it in short…very sportsman-like, thanks.

31 July 2^nd XI v Hatfield Hyde II

Hatfield Hyde 204 – 10 (50.0) R. White 4 – 50

North Enfield 178 – 10 (44.2) V. Kanumuri 52, R. White 47

Another disappointing result for the 2s, falling a bit short in the run chase. Hatfield batted economically to gain maximum batting points at 4 an over, but only just, SLB taking 4 wickets in a 15 over spell.

The North Enfield reply included solid contributions from Varma, and le Bon, but the 2s really needed someone to push on to get 70+ to make the game safe. Nevertheless, an important points accrual which keeps the side 4^th for another week.

25 July Sunday XI v Spartans

Spartans 230 - 6 (30.0)

North Enfield 190 - 7(35.0)

One of the most interesting Sunday XI games of this season, it started with having just 10 and 4 players for North Enfield and Spartans respectively, and ended up with 12 a side, nicely augmented by the chaps from North London Muslims CC. The Spartans captain was let down on Sunday morning by 6 players – injuries or other problems, but we agreed to play a 7 a side game to get something out of the day. However, a phone call to North London Muslims who had travelled to Harrow only to find their game had been double-booked, meant that (eventually) we had 2 full sides out, and ended up playing what was a very entertaining game in excellent spirit. NLMCC used mostly occasional bowlers, or regulars bowling their non-usual style or pace (which I’m thinking of trying to advise some of the Sunday guys – bowling straight, full pitched balls instead of leg side half trackers can be beneficial). The Spartans clocked up a pretty reasonable 230 from 30 overs, with solid bowling returns from most. 

The North Enfield reply began in solid fashion, with Malcolm and guest player John getting us off to a good start. Contributions from most in the middle and late order, plus a kind gesture of allowing us an extra 5 overs so more players could have a bat gave us a reasonable total of 190. Thanks to Malcolm for arranging the teas, and to Keith from Spartans and the NLM guys for playing in a very good spirit and salvaging a game for three sides when we all could have lost our game.

24 July 2nd XI v Leverstock Green III

North Enfield 221 – 10 (51.0) T. Wilkins 70, D. Sanders 30

Leverstock Green 201 – 7 (49.0) S. Maskell 5 – 54, B. Migano 2 - 40

A fairly uneventful game, where both sides ground out a draw which garnered some useful points for the 2s, to again keep 4th spot in Div 9. Good batting performance with contributions from Trevor, SLB and a couple of big heaves at the end from Harry and Mally gave us maximum batting points. The NE bowling took a bit of a hammering at the beginning as the Leverstock openers hit the ball well, but Harry pegged them back with 2 wickets. Number 3 and 4 batted for what seemed like days, with not a huge amount happening, until we finally got them out with about 15 overs to go. The last few batsman came in and played a few shots, but they were always to far behind the run rate. 17 points probably a fair reflection of the game, with honours even. A special mention to Bob White who helpfully carried out a reconnaissance of Broxbourne ahead of our game there in a couple of weeks…

24 July 1st XI v Baldock

Baldock 153 – 10 (49.2)

North Enfield 150 – 10 (49.4)

18 July Sunday XI v Chaseville

Cancelled – North Enfield unable to fulfil fixture

17 July 2nd XI v Harpenden Dolphins

Harpenden Dolphins 162 – 10 (49.1) R. Sanders 4 – 6, R. Lee 3 – 39, J. Coningsby 2 – 28

North Enfield 164 – 5 (39.5) V. Kanumuri 48, M. Ricketts 34. J. Moxham 24*

The 2nd XI picked up another good win to keep us in the hunt for a promotion place – the 4th place now occupied by ourselves is now separated from 5th by 29 points but we are someway off Met Police Bushey in 3rd. The bowling was an excellent all-round effort, beginning with an excellent partnership of Ahsan and Rich Lee. Rich eventually took 3 wickets from an opening spell of 12 overs, whilst Ahsan conceded only 18 runs from his 8 overs. Jacko picked up 2 wickets coming on at the bottom end from 14 overs, just reward for long spell which really contained the Dolphins batting. The real turning point came when The Colonel was introduced, taking 4 for 6 in 4 overs to wrap up any resistance from the Dolphins tail.

The North Enfield reply could not have got off to a better start, in contrast to last week, with a 50 partnership between Dave Armstrong (17) and Ricketts, who eventually fell for 34. The good work was continued by Varma who fell for a jug-avoidance 48 and Paul Moxham (11) before Moxy saw the win home with some lovely straight drives and chipping between fielders.

17 July 1st XI v Old Camdenians

North Enfield 161 – 9 (53.0)

Old Camdenians 162 – 6 (42.0)

11th July Sunday XI v Buckhurst Hill

North Enfield 112 – 10  J. Coningsby 53*

Buckhurst Hill 114 – 7 J. Coningsby xx –x, J. Moxham x-xx, R. Sanders x – xx, D. Webster x-xx

The return fixture from earlier in the season produced almost an identical result, a defeat by 3 wickets for the Club. However, it shows that both sides are not too far apart within terms of strength and we hope to renew these again next year. The obvious highlight was a maiden 50 for Jacko, who turned things around from a rather deep hole of 60-odd for 6. The Buckhurst skipper bowled all afternoon despite encouragement from the sidelines to give someone else a go, and was rewarded by a JC assault who hit 26 off one over and did almost the same off the next! Jacko faced one ball then scored 6, 6, 4, 6, 4, all favouring the leg side…cometh the hour, cometh the leg... 

The Buckhurst reply was looking dodgy at 16 for 3 after early wickets for Moxy and Jacko, but they pulled things round despite a wicket for the Colonel and Webster. Hopefully we can pull in a couple of players for 2011 and win both games!

10 July 2nd XI v Old Camdenians II

Old Camdenians 210 – 10 (47.1) M. Ricketts 7 – 48, R. Sanders 1 – 58

North Enfield 88 – 10 (36.4) B. Conway 35 

Rather a disastrous second half to the game after pulling back the OCs innings from what was looking to be like a very big total. The track was very flat with next to no bounce for seamers, and the OCs top 3 took advantage as they took the score to 150 – 2. The turning point came from a direct hit run-out from Varma-Rama-Raj-Darren who hurled the ball in from the deep cover point boundary to dismiss their opener, who was looking good for a big score. Then, the first major surprise of the weekend, Ricketts took a wicket with his first ball, and my some miracle picked up another 6, much to everyone bar the Colonel’s amusement! 210 on such a flat track and outfield looked to be a chaseable score.  

The tea was very good – pizza and ice cream the highlights. 

The North Enfield reply was not very good. Ricky got a questionable LBW early on, and the two spinners cleaned up, one taking 8 – 34. Only Ben, Varma and Moxy hung around for any length of time. A very disappointing day all in all – but well bowled Mark.

10 July 1st XI v Watton-at-Stone

Watton-at-Stone 183 – 10 (39.5)

North Enfield 184 – 9 (44.2) 

Not sure of the performances here either other than Darren hitting a big last over…!

Saturday July 3 2^nd XI v Rickmansworth III

North Enfield 183 – 10 (47.1) D. Sanders **, V. Kanumuri 30, J. Coningsby 26*

Rickmansworth 75 – 10 (21.4) D. Sanders 5 - **, A. Mahmood 3 - **, R. Sanders 2 - 15

A return to winning ways for the 2s with a fairly comprehensive victory against Rickmansworth. However, the numbers only tell half the story. Transport problems meant the game started half and hour late due to the M25 being closed, and further problems for one player who was first given directions to the wrong ground by a senior member of the side, then when he found the correct location of the ground got lost in one-way system and arrived about 2pm. Not the best of starts on the pitch either, as both openers fell for ducks to leave North Enfield 1-2. However, things eventually picked up with Ammar, then Varma and Derrick who took the score from not very many to 130 before Del was bowled for an excellent 52. Jacko scored a career-best in the league with 26* to leave the total at a promising 183, with what can only be described as a wicket needing major improvement. The Colonel, not satisfied with tending to the Strayfield turf was out with a rake on the outfield flattening mole-hills, which as fast as he smoothed one out another one appeared. He also, helpfully, gave a running commentary about why moles dig holes to the fielding team who seemed to be very bemused by the whole process.

The Rickmansworth innings lasted but 21 overs, with Derrick picking up another 5 wickets and well supported by Ahsan with 3, and the Colonel with 2 wickets at the end. A almost comedy moment ensued when Mally and Ken both went for a catch, Ken failing to call for it and then scooping it out of Mally’s hands. Well done Ken!

Good to have 30 pts which puts the team 4^th, only 5pts behind 3^rd place Met Police Bushey.

Saturday July 3 1^st XI v Chipperfield Clarendon

North Enfield 212 - 4 (50.0)

Chipperfield Clarendon II 193 – 9 (50.0)

Sunday June 27 North Enfield Club XI v Gary Jones Invitational XI

Gary Jones XI 207 – 6 (26.0) M. Partridge 47, G. Orton 42, J. Scott 35

A. Chrysanthou 2 – 14, P. White 2 - 21

North Enfield Club XI 192 – 9 (26.0) K. Jones 43, D. Sanders 43, R. Barber 23

G. Orton 2 – 17, M. Ricketts 2 – 30

The annual Gary Jones game took place either side of the World Cup second round game, which was an utter mess so not worth further mention. Luckily the cricket was much better and everyone enjoyed the day. The Colts fun – morning which preceded the game was a great success, no doubt something that Gary would have enjoyed seeing. The Colts are probably the best advertisement that the Club is approaching the level it was at 10 years ago with Colts and Parents getting involved.

Standout performances on the day included 2 wickets a piece for Zorba and Ricky, their yearly outing with the ball bringing more success than might be expected.

A really good day for the Club and great to see Terry Milne and Andy skippering the two sides again.

Saturday June 26 2^nd XI v Letchworth IV

North Enfield 159 - 10 (45.1)

Letchworth IV 162 – 7 (48.0)

A lack of runs put paid to what might have been a good win for the 2s, having Letchworth 7 down chasing only 160. Another 30 runs and the game might well have resulted in 30 pts and kept North Enfield above Letchworth in the Division.

Saturday June 26 1^st XI v Met Police Bushey

Met Police Bushey 265 - 9 (53.0)

North Enfield 185 – 10 (39.0)

Sunday June 20 Sunday XI v Highgate

Highgate 270 -6 (35.0) D. Kelly 3 – 45, D. Vann 1 – 20

North Enfield 106 – 10 (23.3) M. Tyler 31, M. Wood 23, D. Kelly 20

A return to this fixture after a couple of years of it being out of the calendar. Highgate arrived and a short panic ensued in the pavilion as the Fixture Card recorded a game scheduled against Upminster…Luckily it was all under control. The Highgate innings began in quite interesting fashion, some big hits and a couple of wickets for Mally and Webster but then it went even further wrong with the unfortunate Tom Tyler getting a bit of tap. Thankfully, Mr Reliable Dave Kelly and Dan Vann picked up wickets at the end to add some respectability to the wickets tally.

The North Enfield reply did not get off to the best of starts losing Clarky for a duck, but Mike Tyler at no.3 produced some well timed blows and an excellent cover drive to contribute 31, backed up by another solid 23 from Malcolm. The middle order rather faded away despite another blunt-a-thon from Mally, and Dave Kelly with an entertaining leg-side 20 runs left us an agonising 164 runs short of victory…never mind…

Saturday June 19 2^nd XI v Met Police Bushey

Met Police Bushey II 246 -7 (53.0) A.Mahmood 3 - 34

North Enfield 132 - 7 (47.0) M. Ricketts 45, R. White 32*

Quite a boring and cold match for the 2s away at Met Police Bushey, with not a huge amount of interest to report in the game. All the bowlers bowled reasonably well on what was a very flat track and rapid outfield. The tea was excellent, and we polished off the left-overs from the other games too. The second innings was looking a bit ropey as wickets fell towards the 30 over mark, but SLB and Mally managed a 14 over blunt-a-thon to put the game just about safe with 4 overs to go, where Jacko took over and made it safe.

Saturday June 19 1^st XI v Dunstable II

Dunstable II 243-7(51.0)

North Enfield 245-2 (43.0)

Match report to follow

June 13 Sunday XI v Southgate Compton 

North Enfield 175-7 (40.0) D. Malleson 68, M. Wood 26, G. Hughes 22 

Southgate Compton 178 – 6 (38.5) D. Malleson 2 – 17, D. Vann 1 – 25

An enjoyable game at Compton, a fixture that has been in the card for several years now and has resulted in several good games. North Enfield were invited to bat, and Malcolm and Clarky got things going with a steady opening partnership that saw off the opening bowlers for the loss of only 1 wicket. Malcolm and Robbo started to up the run-rate, and Robbo was unlucky to fall for 19 as things started to look promising. The middle order did pretty well, with contributions from Garth and Darren W (15) (some interesting leg-side heaves!). 

A very very good tea followed, sausage and chips, with wraps and 5 different kinds of cake. Bingo would have been proud…the Compton reply got off to an interesting start, at 16 – 3 with 2 wickets for Mally and a run out.  A partnership of their number 4 and 5 who eventually got 100 and 50 but were contained very well by the bowling of Smithy and Robbo. We were always a bowler short, at one end, with Clarky getting slapped for 27 in 2 overs, but some excellent ‘death’ bowling from Dan Vann at the end kept us in the game till the penultimate over when we finally got the number 5 out, bowled by Dan for 51. The chances offered by the 4 and 5 were next to none, save for a catch at deep square out of the sun that Fitz unfortunately couldn’t hold.  

However, an enjoyable game and look forward to the return later in the year.

June 12 2^nd XI v Elstree

Elstree 147 – 10 (47.2) D. Sanders 4 – 49, R. Sanders 2 – 24 

North Enfield 150 -2 (29.0) R. Barber 66*, C. McKenna 23, V. Kanumuri 22*, J. Moxham 20 

A fairly regulation win for the 2s, with a superb early bowling spell from Del, who was on a hat-trick, sadly not completed. The Elstree side ran into problems on the M25 which meant their batting order was a bit mixed up, hence 20 – 3 after 6 overs. Solid bowling from Steve Head and SLB, and then late wickets for The Colonel and Del to complete his 5, meant a relatively short total of 147 was set. The reply was swiftly completed in less than 30 overs, with a rapid start from Moxy, then some good shovels from Ken before Varma and Chairman (opening the batting and undefeated on 66*) saw us home.

June 12 1^st XI Sawbridgeworth II 

Sawbridgeworth II 221 – 8 (53.0)  

North Enfield 196 – 10 (45.2) S. Halley 79 

June 6 Sunday XI v Bovingdon Green 

North Enfield 94 – 10 (**.**) M. Wood 30, J. Moxham 20 

Bovingdon Green 95 – 2 (**.*) J. Moxham 1 – 8, R. Sanders 1 - ** 

Quite a disappointing result for the Sunday XI, once again largely unable to put runs on the board save for a good knock from Malcolm and a rapid 20 from Moxy. The bowling was a bit beyond most of our batsman, and the oppo didn’t really open the game up (the team were forced to endure watching Mally bat for 15 overs for 7, unable to lay bat on ball, eventually dismissed by a bloke with a run-up that looked like he was running round a large hole in the ground…quite off-putting…). Robbo, Darren and Moxy were all caught to very sharp chances in the field, but the tea was good and the game played in a nice location. Standout bowler was Moxy, 7 overs 1 for 8 with 4 maidens, great effort. 

Mally

June 5 2^nd XI v Greenwood Park 

Greenwood Park 150 – 10 (50.2) R. Lee 6 – 29 

North Enfield 153 – 3 (34.5) M. Ricketts 42, B. Conway 35* 

The 2s set off for Greenwood Park with not the greatest sense of enthusiasm, after the fairly unpleasant game in several respects there last year. However, they returned to Strayfield Road with 30 points in the bag, thanks to a very good effort by the bowlers, including a superb 6  - 29 from Rich Lee in what were his first wickets for the club. Rich has bowled well in the last few games without much luck. Backed up with 3 wickets from Del (figures to be posted once Moxy has obtained a full copy of the scorebook).  

Teas proved to be another source of whinging, something about ‘I didn’t get a roll at tea so I need more now’ from a certain vice-captain…anyway, the batting sorted itself out with the main contributors Ricketts and Mowgli, but backed up by Varmarama and Chairman. To beat the team top of the league – great stuff.

June 5 1^st XI v Clifton 

Clifton 157 – 10 (38.2) A. White 7 – 66 

North Enfield 161 – 7 (36.3) D. Atkins 42, C. Gillman 20* 

Another very good win for the 1^st XI which cemented their place at the top of Division 4 for another week. The standout performances where Andrew’s 7 wickets, the second spell claiming 5 for 11 runs in 6 overs, but well supported by Meerkat, Steve Gandy and Kieran. 

The North Enfield reply did not get off to the greatest of starts losing Stu early on, and some solid starts for Sparky, and BGA were thwarted by the umpire’s finger. After a break for a very heavy shower (huge thanks to the lads who got the cover out which kept the worst of the rain off the wicket). Steve G’s quick knock was ended by the umpire again, and things were not looking particularly promising, until Darren with a great knock of 42 (including, to quote Mr President Wood, “the best cover drive I have ever seen”) and Gillers who was undefeated on 20 saw the side home, for another 30 points.

May 31 Bank Holiday Monday Inter-Club game

The Bank Holiday game took place between two sides of 11 players, about half the players on each side consisting of club players and the other half of Colt’s Dads, organised by Mally and Andy Mac. Andy skippered the Other XI, and Moxy skippered the Club XI.

Some of the dads had not played cricket for years, others never played before, but judging by the display we saw, the talent has either not left them or not yet been fully discovered!

The Club XI batted first, and reached 133 off their 25 overs, standout bowlers were Dave Kelly, Steve and Derv who all took wickets, backed up by Tony, Jim and Graham. Everyone bowled a couple of overs, and all would be worthy additions to the club playing staff. Simon batted for a useful 28 with some big hits for 4.

The Other XI reply fell somewhat short, around the 100 mark with Andy Mac getting in amongst the runs. Ken bowled Mowgli with a rank low full toss (and was later heard to be claiming ‘I saw him coming down the track and adjusted my line and length’…)

It was a really good day with a superb BBQ and teas organised by Andy & Mandy, and Phillipa Jones and their helpers – many thanks to all of you who contributed to the feeding of the troops. Thanks also to Darren Atkins and the Colonel for preparing the wicket, to the umpires, all the families and friends who came up to watch and drink beer, and to the players from the club who made themselves available. We hope to make this an annual event going into the next few seasons.

Mally

30 May Sunday XI v Buckhurst Hill

North Enfield 104-9 (42.0) D. Webster 30*, I. Clark 17, T. Tyler 17 

Buckhurst Hill 107 – 7 (28.2) D. Malleson 3 – 52, T. Tyler 1 – 14, D. Webster 1 – 19

The Sunday XI travelled to Buckhurst Hill with hopes for a better game than the previous week. We were a man short which was unfortunate, as Buckhurst Hill have a large flat ground with long boundaries, meaning having one less fielder hampers you from the start. Nevertheless, we hoped to make the best of the day which was much better weather-wise than the previous!

We were put in to bat after losing the toss, and agreed to a timed game. The top order, apart from Clarky and Garth largely failed due to a combination of good bowling and some fairly woeful shot selection. Some of us vented our frustration and disappointment more vocally than others…at 45 – 6 things were not looking good. Cue the recovery, lead by Tom Tyler with a patient and valuable 17, and Darren Webster who continued an excellent run of form with the bat, another not-out to drag us towards three figures. Whilst the batting didn’t really do us justice, the tea certainly did and we did very well.

The second innings began fairly well, and Buckhurst Hill were under pressure early as Mally and Darren took wickets to leave them 2 down for 20 odd. Further tight bowling left Darren with figures of 8 – 1 – 19 – 1, an excellent return including a well-taken catch by Neil at mid on (being the tallest man on the field helps!). A very good catch at short-leg from Garth, one handed off Mally really kept us in the hunt. The Audi then came on at the bottom end, and soon livened things up with some sharp bowling, which eventually paid off by firstly clonking the batsman on the head, and secondly bowling him…good darts…An excellent direct hit run out from Robbo, who threw the stumps down from backward square, and an LBW success for Mally left us needing 3 wickets and them needing 20 odd to win, the latter of which proved just a few too many to defend despite tight bowling and excellent ground fielding.

Having 11 players would have helped, both with batting and fielding, but we competed with a side who had some good players, and there wasn’t a massive gulf between the sides and with a couple of players coming back this weekend for the Bovingdon Green game, we are looking forward to the next fixture.

Mally

29 May

1^st and 2^nd XI both rained off

22 May Sunday XI v Chaseville

Chaseville 320 – 4 (40.0) R. Sanders 2 – 52, D. Armstrong 1 – 25

North Enfield 111 – 10 (33.2) D. Armstrong 23, D. Webster 20*

May 22 1^st XI v Old Owens

Old Owen 157 – 10 (43.3) A. White 5 – 44, S. Gandy 3 – 19, A. Andrews 2 – 28

North Enfield 158 – 5 (47.0) K. Jones 55*, A. Williams 45, S. Gandy 30*

Another good win for the as-yet undefeated 1^st XI, who have leapt to the top of Division 4 in some style. After a last-minute call-up for Ken who kindly stood up from the 2s, the bowling got off to a very good start with the opening partnership of Andy and Meerkat both taking wickets – Andy continuing his superb form to pick up his second 5 wicket haul of the season and bringing his League total to 16 in 4 games. The Owens innings was wrapped up by vice-skip Steve G with 3 wickets at the end for just 19, but a great team effort overall to restrict Owens to just 157 and 4 batting points.   Two highlights of the innings were Mark P appearing like a ninja on the boundary to take the last wicket catch (which would have gone for six!).  And more for comedy, Tony Deacon waving the batsman out on a bump ball!

The North Enfield reply looking like it was going to be a quick run chase as Darren launched the second ball of the innings over mid on (unfortunately as this went higher than it did in distance, it pull up short of the boundary).  Shorty after this Darren was caught in the deep by a good catch only because of how fast and flat the ball was travelling (fielder didn't even take one step!).  After this flurry, things slowed to a snails pace and the addition of two more quick wickets ( Mark P and Ben ) saw the home side on 9 for 3 after 11 overs!  Thankfully, a solid partnership between BGA and Kieran saw the 1s within 60 runs of the win.  Next came the highlight of the innings, an entertaining cameo of 10 from Ken, when he dispatched the Old Owens quicky! Steve G then came into bat and saw the victory off with a rapid 30 to seal the full points. Roll on next week!   

May 22 2^nd XI v North Mymms III

North Mymms 180 – 5 (53.0) A. Mahmood 3 - 28 R. White 1 - 26

North Enfield 181 – 7 (46.1) R. Barber 66, V. Kanumuri 32, R. Lee 13*

Another close victory for the 2s brings the side up to 4^th place in the Division, just 8 points off the top after Codicote drew with Leverstock Green and Greenwood Park could only draw with Met Police Bushey to keep things very tight at the top.

The Mymms innings got off to a terribly slow start, with the runs barely being above the overs bowled – Gleno helpfully kept everyone informed with the exact figure of the run rate. Eventually the openers started to attempt some scoring shots, but the first wicket fell with a smart run-out after a fairly daft call for a single. After that the game picked up, along with the run rate, Rich Lee again desperately unlucky not to take a wicket.  Ahsan returned at the bottom end to take 2 wickets in 2 balls, but the hat-trick delivery was steered into the leg-side. Catches went down off all the bowlers, and a couple of overthrows meant we conceded probably more runs than the batting warranted, but 180 on a slow pitch was not a bad score to chase.

A very good tea to compensate for the lack of facilities (which consisted of a tap) followed, including pasta for the health freaks and cream & jam scones for the normal people.

The North Enfield innings didn’t start all that well, with Gleno and Moxy both out early on (the writer was looking at some cows at the time so the exact nature of dismissals cannot be vouched for), but picked up with the returning Chairman, supported by Ammar, Varma and Andy Mac. The total was nearing the 181 target with Chairman and SLB at the crease, and 20 odd still needed when the former was out bowled, swiftly followed by SLB to a catch behind which was the subject of some debate. Rich Lee and Mally needed 20 off 4 overs, which was eventually secured off the 1^st ball of the last over after some good hoiks from Rich to the legside to end up with 13*, and some good running between the sticks.

A valuable 30 points, with Potters Bar next up.

Mally

16 May Sunday XI v Crouch End

Crouch End 236 - 8 (40.0) D. Webster 2 - 30, D. Fitzgerald 2 - 34

North Enfield 7 - 0 (3.5) RAIN

Hastily arranged fixture after selection problems put paid to our original fixture, but a late flurry of availability meant we could play this one. A administrative error from Mally meant that before departing for the game, it was realised that we had 12 members of the playing staff available. Lucky it was realised in time otherwise it could have been embarassing for somebody...The conditions were not great, not helped by dropping the opener in the 3rd over who went on to get 100...however, a good fielding performance from stand-in skipper Garth, a great catches from Neilsy at point and some bowling from Dan Vann that deserved a wicket, having plugged away unchanged for 8 overs. A really good effort. The difference in the two sides was missing two bowlers to open the innings - but huge credit to solid performances from Darren and Smithy, and good to see Fitz's name in the wickets column too!

Rain after 3 overs ended our reply, but hope to renew the fixture next year.

May 15 – 1st XI v Holtwhites Trinibus

North Enfield 204 – 10 (53.0) S. Halley 52, A. Williams 57*

Holtwhites Trinibus 164 – 6 (42.0) D. Atkins 2 – 58, S. Gandy 3 - 41, A. White 1 - 25

The game was set up to be a cracking run chase but Holtwhites settled for a draw in what could have been an entertaining match.  It was more disappointing as they won the toss and elected to field.
 
There were many positives to take from the game and with a points haul of 16 for an away fixture (albeit one closer to a number of North Enfield members homes than our own ground!) is a good result, and keeps the 1st XI unbeaten and top of the Division.
 
Teams are finding it increasingly difficult to beat us and the runs are being shared around.  The players who came up from the 2s gave a great account of themselves and it shows how much strength in depth we now have.  We know that there will be difficult weeks ahead but it gives us all confidence to know that we've started the season positively.
 
A special thank you to Dave Gandy who did a great job umpiring in his first match of the season.

Stu

May 15 – 2nd XI v Hoddesdon III
 
North Enfield 187 – 10 (48.0) A. Aziz 71, C. Mckenna 23
 
Hoddesdon III 163 – 10 (52.0) R. Sanders 4 - **, A. Mahmood 3 - **, J. Moxham 1 - **
 
A dramatic win for the 2nd XI, off the final ball of the game against a young but talented Hoddesdon side. As with the 1st XI, the 2s were missing a number of players including skipper SLB, Jacko and Varma (both in the 1s), but added the returning Delboy and Robbo to the side. Mark departed early but the second wicket put on a good stand, which gave a good platform to build on. A useful total of 187 from 48 overs, the main contributions being Ammar with another quality knock of 71, and a good shovel from Ken of 23 but also contributions of varying degrees from Glen, Robbo, and the lower middle order.
 
The Hoddesdon reply began strongly with some big hits from both openers, but it was Ahsan who continued his good Sunday form into his League debut with 2 wickets in his first spell, backed up by Delboy who has returned with something other than a strange accent from his spell with Springwood, having added a yard of pace. Thankfully, the leg-side half-trackers so beloved by North Enfield have not completely disappeared! With the run rate being quite strong, it was a wise decision to introduce Rich Lee from the bottom end, bowling another economical spell of 7 – 4 – 12, and was unlucky not to take a wicket (8 of the 12 runs conceded came from 2 slogs in 1 over). Moxy bowled a mixture of off-spin and dross from the Pavilion but bowled one batsman through the gate. However, the star man of the day took over from Rich at the bottom end, the Colonel taking 4 wickets from ** overs, putting Hoddesdon further back in the run-rate and running through the middle order, with 2 smart stumpings from Robbo. As the overs ticked by and the last couple of batsman looked to play out for the draw, Delboy came back on to bowl the skipper leg-stump which was a massive boost. Moxy then took a gamble and introduced Ahsan again from the bottom end, which paid off on the very last ball of the game when the number 11 having played pretty well played round a straight one and got bowled. Brilliant result for the 2s, which further consolidates the place in the top third of the table, just 2 points off 4th place.

Mally

May 9 Sunday XI v Hadley Wood Green
 
North Enfield 187 – 8 (45.0) D. Malleson 43, S. Robinson 40*, L. Hibbert 31, J. Moxham 28
 
Hadley Wood Green 188 – 6 (39.2) A. Mahmood 4 – 34, J. Moxham 1 – 32, D. Malleson 1 – 30
 
A game that promised much after the end of the first innings but ultimately left everyone frustrated at not being able to close out the win. After a very rapid start after being put into bat, Moxy and Dave Armstrong put on 30 for fist wicket in 4 overs before Moxy fell for 28. After a period of consolidation, Mally and Lee put on a 50 partnership to steer the innings towards the 100 mark. Steve Robinson continued his excellent form with the bat, remaining undefeated on 40, well supported by Ken at the end with several trademark shovels down to the legside. The Hadley bowling proved to be accurate and hard to get away, but the pitch played well and it was 187 would be a tough ask to chase with the bowling at our disposal.
 
The Hadley innings started very well for Ahsan, who took 3 wickets in quick succession including a fantastic catch from the Colonel at gully to leave them 3 down with just 20 on the board. Ken bowled well for his opening 6 overs and was unlucky not to take a wicket. The run rate upped as the Hadley batsmen found some form, but chances came and went including a couple of dubious run-out decisions that were not given. The batsman in question went on to get 99* which essentially won them the game, having also been dropped.

Mally.

May 8 – 1^st XI v Ampthill Town II

Ampthill Town II 121 – 10 (28.2) A. White 4 – 54, A. Andrews 3 – 29, S. Gandy 2 – 15

North Enfield 122 – 5 (31.1) S. Halley 35, M. Partridge 33

A second win on the bounce for the 1^st XI, who remain top of the Division for a second week. A magnificent bowling performance left Ampthill staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat, compiling just 121 in only 28 overs. Andrew White with another 4 wickets to add to his 6 last week, and a superb 3 – 29 from the Meerkat left Ampthill reeling. The good work was completed by the two Steves – Gandy and Head who finished the tail off in quick succession.

The second innings began almost immediately with tea scheduled for 4.15, Stuart and Mark both reaching 30 + before caught behind (apparently) and LBW respectively. A slight wobble in the middle order occurred after tea, with Ben unlucky to be caught via silly point’s foot at slip, but Alex Williams steadied the ship and saw the side home.

May 8 – 2^nd XI v Old Haberdashers II

Old Haberdashers II 187 – 5 (48.2) R. White 5 – 54

North Enfield 190 – 7 (40.3) A. Aziz 69*, M. Ricketts 28, R. White 28, C. Gillman 23,

A first win of the season for the 2^nd XI, recovering from last week’s disappointment at home to Codicote. Questions have been raised about the opposition’s failure to provide a teamsheet, which will be taken up with the League.

SLB was the only bowler to take wickets, hoovering up 5 but was well supported by new recruit Rich Lee (which potentially means that nearly 50% of the 2^nd XI could be Richard this season – SLB, Chairman, Colonel, Earn and Lee. Players with other names can make themselves available for selection) who bowled a 9 over spell for just 31 runs. Old Haberdashers declared after 48 overs, 13 runs short of the full batting point allocation.

The North Enfield reply did not begin awfully well, but the recovery was lead by Varma who contributed a crucial 20 to steady the ship, then Ammar played a really good innings of 70, backed up by SLB to take the 2s over the finishing line. The win puts the 2s on 33 points and in a good position to start putting pressure on the top half of the Division.

May 2 - Sunday XI v Octopus

Cancelled due to rain

North Enfield 269 – 7, 53.0, M. Partridge 95, K. Jones 85, J. Scott 30*, A. White 30*

Wormley 135 – 10, 33.3, A. White 6 - 36

A very convincing win for the 1^st XI, the margin of victory of over 130 runs tells itself.

We were put in to bat on a damp track.  After being 0-1 Kieran and Mark fought back to 190 – 1.  Kieran scoring a superb 85 and Mark reaching 95.  After a mini collapse Andrew and Scotty steadied the ship with both scoring 30 NO leaving us 269 – 7 off 53.

We bowled well with Andrew 6 – 36 and Steve Head, Steve G, Darren and Kieran getting a wicket apiece.  And it tipped down with rain 15 mins after we walked off the pitch!

North Enfield 149 – 10, 39.4, V. Kanumuri 38, J. Moxham 35, G. Halley 30

Codicote 153 – 1,  30.2

In contrast to the result at Wormley for the 1^st XI, a very disappointing start to the League season for the 2^nd XI. After being able to select a strong side, with batting the stronger suit, 149 was not the ideal start. However, credit to Varma, Moxy and Gleno who played well to contribute scores of 30+ each, which rescued the situation from a precarious 47-5.

Codicote have had successive promotions through the divisions in the last couple of years and looked to be a capable side in this division too.

April 25 – Sunday XI v Titanic

Titanic 234 - 3, 40.0 overs, A. Mahmoud 2 - 29, J. Coningsby 1 - 32

North Enfield 219 – 9, 36.1 overs, A. Aziz 69, S. Robinson 32, J. Moxham 24, D. Webster 22, L. Hibbert 19, D. Malleson 18*

Quite a disappointing result for the Sunday XI, chasing a very gettable 234. Both sides were short of players, but it ended up being effectively 9 a side when Mally had to off after only 13 overs with a pulled thigh muscle. To restrict Titanic to 234 with 9 men is a tribute to the effective bowling, which meant that after 30 overs they had only 138 on the board. Unfortunately for us, Garry and Trevor both scored heavily in the final overs to add 100, Lee and Darren bearing the brunt of some big hits. Nevertheless, with a some capable players in the side, we felt we had a chance to make a good reply.

Moxy faced about 15 balls for his 24, a series of 4s and 6s despatched with great aplomb, and he was unlucky to hole out to a good catch at cover. Ammar showed some real class in his innings of 69, mixing powerful shots with well-timed singles to keep the run-rate up. Darren played an entertaining innings of 22, before being somehow judged LBW when he did nothing more than play no shot to a dead-straight ball that pitched on middle and would have hit half-way up the stumps...! Robbo and Lee put on a great partnership, and getting us well within reach of the total. Mally came in as last man with a runner, and the score edged up to less than 15 required with a couple of fours, including an all-run 4 as a result of overthrows! Unlucky for Lee, he got a good ball that castled him, but a really good effort from the whole team.
It was also a very enjoyable game to play in – thanks to the Titanic boys and best wishes for your league season. Cheers to Darren for organising tea as well, very good.
Mally

April 24 – Saturday XI v Reed II

Reed II 239 - 9, 45.0 overs, D. Atkins 3 - 36, A. White 3 - 57, R. White 2 - 43, R. Sanders 1 - 33

North Enfield 240 – 2, 38.3 overs, S. Halley 100 (ret), M. Partridge 70*, B. Conway 29, R. White 21

Another good win for the club against a pretty strong Reed side, who recovered from 70 - 5 to a substantial 239. Strong bowling from Darren and Andrew, backed up by a steady 1 - 33 from 9 overs from the Colonel. SLB and Mowgli got a bit of tap, perhaps the breeze across the ground kept flicking the hair in front of your eyes Simon...

Stand-out performances in the run-chase from Stuart, 84 of his 100 runs came from boundaries, and a wonderful undefeated 70 from Sparky, who picked up where he left off last season. Other contributions from SLB and another score for Mowgli, gave the club a win with 7 overs to spare, with Scotty thumping 2 fours to complete. A promising start with the League season ahead this coming weekend.

North Enfield 227 – 4, 40.0 overs, S. Halley 74, B. Conway 54 (ret), D. Malleson 33, S. Robinson 21*

Bentley Heath 185 – 8, 31.2 overs.  A. Mahmoud 3 – 21, B. Conway 2 – 28, J. Moxham 2 - 23

Win number two of the weekend, this time against another local side with whom the 3^rd XI had several good games in previous years. Bentley Heath were let down by 2 players on the morning of the game, but luckily a ring-round produced James ‘Bob’ Hopping who kindly agreed to help out, so we played a 10 against 9 fixture. North Enfield won the toss and batted, compiling 227, the main contributions a classy 74 from Disco, and a second undefeated 50 from Mowgli. Other contributions included not-outs from Robbo and Dan Vann.

The bowling got off to a very good start, with Ahsan Mahmoud (a friend of Ammar’s) taking 3 wickets in 5 overs, backed up by Moxy with 2 at his end. Darren Webster and Dan Vann came on and both bowled some good overs, Dann picking up a wicket with a well-taken catch from Moxy. The number 6 and 7 batsman for Bentley Heath took the score to around the 180 mark, with a combination of some good shorts and agricultural heaves, before Ben wrapped things at the end to secure a good win. The oppo stayed for a good beer afterwards, and we hope to renew the fixture again next year.

Mally

North Enfield 263 – 2, 40.0 overs.   K. Jones 88 (ret), B. Conway 58 (ret), A. Williams 43, V. Kanumuri 38

Botany Bay 124 - 10, 27.0 overs.   R.White 3 - 21 J. Coningsby 3 - 22, D. Malleson 2 – 32

A solid win to start the season for the Club against our local rivals – always nice to get one over the Bay! The North Enfield innings opened slowly Kieran and Steve Gandy (10), then Ben at number who made an excellent fifty before retiring to give the rest of the middle order a bat. Varma played some nice shots for his 38, and a solid 43 from Alex Williams completed an excellent total.

The Bay were restricted to only 124 off 27 overs, thanks to some solid bowling from Jacko, Mally and SLB, backed up by the Colonel. Kieran took a few for the team keeping wicket, which amused everyone greatly. The BGA also snaffled a couple of excellent catches in the field to complete a comprehensive win.

Thanks for Yvonne for arranging an excellent tea

Mally

North Enfield Cricket Club