An amazing win for our Development Team helped make up for disappointment at Potters Bar CC where the 1st team lost to Harrow Town, meaning a win next week is needed to secure Chess Valley League Div 1 status for next season.

Bowling first at Potters Bar, the 1st team put on a good display to restrict Harrow Town to 229-7 off their 45 overs. The team was led (see what I did there...) from the front again by captain Ben Lederman with an outstanding 4-28 off his 10 overs. There were also wickets for the returning Rayno G-Cohen (2-53), Adam Brand and Jack Davis.

In reply, Vale never really got going and despite contributions from Spooner, Brand and Musikant M, no batter was able to play the match winning innings required and the innings fell away to leave Vale 157 all out. All to play for next week vs UCS Old Boy, where a win would leave Vale 5th and guaranteeing another Div 1 campaign next season.

Over at Crouch End CC, it was very much a team of the young and the (slightly) older with messrs Feigenbaum snr, Roediger snr, Musikant snr and Baker snr all appearing alongside the youngsters.

Crouch End scored 213-3 off their alloted 35 overs with Jake Musikant, Greg Roediger and Levi Roediger. That looked like enough, especially with Crouch End providing a sumptuous tea to try and slow the Vale batters down.

However, Crouch End didn't plan for the teenage maestro that is Jamie Hurwitz who proceeded to play an amazing innings, scoring 133 (his second century of the season). Backed up by Jon Feigenbaum with yet another solid contribution from him (39) Vale got to the brink of victory, only for Hurwitz to fall with 2 still needed and just 1 wicket left... Enter David Baker, playing (by his own admission) his first game for over 20 years to stride in and calmly score the winning runs alongside Greg Roediger to give Vale a famous 1 wicket victory. Rumours swirling after the game suggest that Baker snr will be offered a match by match contract for next season...

Well done all and please can we have lots of availability for the last few weeks of the season via Pitchero.

Alex Haffner
Club Chairman