ST ALBANS CRICKET CLUB produced a solid all-round performance to beat traditional bogey side Stevenage by six wickets on Saturday to keep the Clarence Park side hovering around the middle of the table.

Electing to bat first, Stevenage were soon in trouble when Simon White made an early breakthrough with only 14 runs on the board.

White's opening partner Josh Holt has been in inspired form in the last month with both bat and ball and he handed over wicketkeeping duties to Gary Sandford to enable him to bowl. This was rewarded with the second wicket on 31 courtesy of a superb gully catch from Roger Edbrooke.

When Dan Longhurst chipped in with a brace of wickets with Richard O'Toole also claiming a Stevenage scalp, the home side found themselves in serious trouble at 80-5.

To their credit though the Stevenage tail provided some stubborn resistance and partnerships of 54 for the sixth wicket, 31 for the seventh wicket and 30 for the eigth wicket enabled Stevenage to somehow reach 214-9 with Herts County bowler White returning figures of 4-44.

In a bid to restrict the run-rate in reply Stevenage opted for an all-out spin attack and made an early breakthrough when Matt Howeson went to a bat-pad catch.

Phil Caley, who had been promoted up the order, joined Holt at the crease and moved the score along to 95 with Holt showing maturity in adopting a more restrained approach than normal.

However, when Holt (54) and Caley back to form, also with 54 both fell, a little nervousness entered the Saints' camp with their task suddenly made that little bit more difficult.

The ship was steadied by Iain Curtis and Edbrooke though, who took the total to 128 before Edbrooke was caught at mid-on.

Curtis, who struck 59 off 92 balls built a superb match-winning partnership of 87 with back-to-form skipper Nick Gilbert, who made 35, as Saints finished on 215-5.

July 3, 2002 16:30