Premier Division

An elegant 154 from Jaahid Ali helped West Herts get back on track after two games without victory as they thumped champions Welwyn Garden City by 127 runs to move back up to third in the table.

The Pakistan player was in sparkling form as the Stags scored 300-5 – their first triple century score of the season – and was well supported by former Watford Grammar School for Boys pupil William Jones (60) and Joe Warren (43).

Welwyn struggled to get going in reply, with Jones’ good day continuing as he picked up wickets regularly to finish with figures of 5-30.

The only resistance came from former England batsman Owais Shah, but when he was dismissed for 59 by Nikhil Borkatria the writing looked to be on the wall for the home side.

The Welwyn tail had other ideas though, and resisted the Stags attack for 15 overs with the last wicket falling with only 14 balls remaining.

Borkhatria (2-77) also picked up another wicket for the victors, who trail leaders Totteridge Millhillians by 19 points, with Avinash Mane (2-13) and Ali (1-0) also helping to secure a fifth win of the campaign.

Muhammed Adil Zareef had a day to remember as Radlett picked up their first win in a month in all competitions with a six-wicket triumph at Hertford.

Zareef took 8-78 and then made an unbeaten 61 as the Cobden Hill side successfully chased down a target of 274 to move up to fourth in the table.

However, such an outcome had looked much less likely earlier in the day when William Ray (119) and Richard Leather put on 136 for the first wicket before the latter was bowled by Zareef for 71.

Zareef took two more wickets before Ray and Elliot King (32) put on 52 to take Hertford to 212-4. But only one further double-figure innings was to follow as Zareef and Abdulrahim Mulla (2-78) dismissed the hosts for 274.

Fraser Crawford (62) and Tom Jenkins (39) got the Radlett reply off to a strong start by putting on 103 for the opening wicket.

Kabir Toor (31) and William Wright (47) continued the positive pursuit before Zareef was joined by Azharuddin Niyazahmad (17 not out) to wrap up victory in 53.4 overs.

Championship

Hemel Hempstead Town swapped places with Leverstock Green and moved up to fourth place after a convincing 59-run victory in a low-scoring clash with their neighbours.

Batting first, Hemel seemed in control with the measured play of Hemish Ilangaratne (64) keeping them ticking along.

But the visitors then succumbed to a sudden collapse, subsiding from 142-3 in the 45th over to 163 all out in the 59th.

Adam Thomas (5-38) and Australian Sol Tomlinson (4-42) did the damage with only Craig Weston (19) making double figures after Tom Elborn (30) and Jack Doodson (28).

The total meant Hemel’s bowlers didn’t have too much room for error - and they didn’t disappoint.

Steve Reader took out Lewis Koch and Charlie Mahanama in the fourth and sixth overs and then the spinners got to work.

Parth Mehta was the most successful with figures of 4-26 after Johan Moritz (1-14) had removed opener Mart Hackshaw.

Skipper Nick Hodgins came on at the end to take 2-11 to polish off the tail as Green were dismissed for 104.

Division Two A

Abbots Langley are fourth in the table after securing their fifth victory of the season with a comfortable seven-wicket success at Northwood.

Nick Gurney was in fine all-round form, claiming impressive figures of 5-10 as a good performance in the field saw the home side dismissed for 135 in the 38th over, and then hitting an unbeaten 65 to see Abbots home with plenty of time to spare.

After Anish Khiroya had bowled Nigel Hussey for six, Gurney’s first key contribution came when he took out middle stump to run out captain Ross Noach for 14.

Khiroya bowled Kyle Walcott (8) to claim his second wicket, but Northwood then partially recovered before Aaditya Gairola was run out by Simon Hamilton off Gurney’s first ball to leave the hosts 84-4.

After Matt Dunstone had trapped Aiden Woon-San leg before wicket for a duck, Gurney took centre stage by claiming the last four wickets to fall.

Michael Burgess and Jack Read fell cheaply in reply, but David Cleary and Gurney had put on 49 for the third wicket before the former perished for 40 after an innings that featured seven fours.

Gurney remained unmoved though, and in tandem with Matt Parkins (10 not out), he struck 11 fours and two sixes to wrap up a convincing success.

Division Three B

A crunching seven-wicket success for Southgate Adelaide has left Hemel Hempstead Town Seconds still in trouble at the wrong end of the table.

The hosts never really got going with the bat and at the halfway stage they were 85-5, which was to be roughly half of their total.

Neil Morgan opened with 34 but Hemel's top score was to be 42 from Liam Jahn at number eight as the home side were bowled out for 177, with Aaron Wilson’s 28 the only other contribution of note.

Southgate adopted a measured approach to their reply, reaching 88-2 after 20 overs.

Jake Agar (65 not out) kept the innings together and in unison with Tariq Mahmood (46), put on 110 for the third wicket to see their side almost over the line before Charlie Hoskins (1-33) snared Mahmood,

The other Hemel wicket takers were Ed Langley (1-20) and Jahn (1-31.

Division Four B

West Herts Seconds moved 10 points clear at the top of the table after ending Leverstock Green Seconds’ unbeaten start to the campaign with a six-wicket defeat.

Having decided to bat first on an eye-catching Park Avenue pitch, the usually free-scoring Green top order was undone by a fine spell of medium pace bowling from Ryan Magee, supported by Dan Woosley (1-28) and good catching.

Only the experienced Iqbal offered real resistance as the Stags spin duo of Ali Shah (1-19) and Waheed Chaudhary (3-32) continued to keep taking wickets.

Some lusty blows from Richard Walker (30) helped move the score along, but when Magee (5-29) returned to the attack to remove Nahim Iqbal for a well-made 58 and complete his first five-wicket haul of the season, the innings closed at 168 all out.

Stags openers of Vinny Gorasia (19) and Kie Farrell got the side off to a fluent start before a good spell from Ben Goode (3-25) made life uncomfortable for the home side.

Farrell and Rahul Gajjar (20) progressed well before the match-winning partnership of Farrel and Mason Denning put the match to bed.

When Denning went for 39, the hard work had been done and it was left to Farrell, with a patient 65 not out, to see the side home to a six-wicket win with 10 overs remaining and take them top at the halfway point in the season.