Elstree's disappointing run of form continued on Saturday at Letchworth, but they gave the hosts a real fright.

Travelling with four second team players in the side because of availability problems, Elstree elected to bat on what turned out to be a very unpredictable, dangerous wicket.

Skipper Duncan Rowland and Dave Barnett added 41 runs in good time for the first wicket, before Rowland was bowled by a ball that kept low for 24, having previously narrowly avoided serious injury from sharply lifting deliveries.

Barnett somehow fended a good length ball off his face shortly after, before he was third out for 18 with the score on 69.

At this point Elstree began to lose wickets, and 69 for 2 suddenly became 90 for 8, with only Andy Green coming to terms with the pitch.

He made a gritty and determined 35, wearing a helmet, before he was ninth out, caught in the covers.

The last wicket fell shortly after at 108, with extras contributing 22 of the total, most of which were byes due to the variable bounce.

Croucher, usually a Second XI player for the hosts, took 6-45.

When Letchworth batted, Elstree made the perfect start, with three quick wickets from Green (4-38) and Martyn Dunn (2-44), but slowly the total grew via good shots and lucky edges.

The game changed again when a home batsman was taken to hospital after a good length ball from Green reared up viciously and hit him smack in the mouth.

Thereafter, it became a case of whether Letchworth could get the runs before the pitch got them.

Rowland's occasional medium pace achieved a vital breakthrough, courtesy of a Weston catch and then Green removed the skipper with an unplayable shooter.

It got very tight, with only a few runs needed, when Dunn broke through again to set up a tense finale.

Unfortunately, the ball just would not go to hand and Letchworth gratefully fell over the line to leave Elstree still seeking their first win of the season.

Letchworth III 109 for 7

Elstree 108 all out

Herts League Division Seven

July 3, 2002 14:30