HOME COUNTIES PREMIER CRICKET LEAGUE - DIVISION 2 WEST

Harefield 189 all out

Thame Town 190-8

Harefield won by two wickets

A MAGNIFICENT hat-trick from Doug King could not prevent Harefield slipping to a two-wicket defeat at Thame Town on Saturday.

Olly Richards’ team batted first and opener Simon Macey (60) had an excellent innings before, controversially, being given out.

Wickets then began to tumble regularly for Harefield and only the partnership of Pete Lynch (30) and George Shiel (24) offered any real resistance before Harefield were dismissed for 189.

Harefield made a decent start with the ball as Dan Evans (3-27) dismissed Thame Town captain Michael Higgs with the score on 13. Thame’s middle order stuck at it, and put together the partnerships that Harefield had struggled to produce and their victory was looking assured at 170-4.

However, the brilliance of King almost took the game away from them. Firstly, Pratik Patel (65) was caught by Evans, the next ball Jivrajani edged one to wicketkeeper Matt Lench and then Nilesh Patel was given LBW first ball to complete a hat-trick and almost turn the game on its head.

Evans promptly took his third wicket with the score on 172, but it wasn’t enough to affect the result, leaving Harefield above only Farnham Royal in the league standings.

Meanwhile, Ickenham snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Shepherd’s Bush

Staring down the barrel, Ickenham took the final five Bush wickets for just four runs to steal the points.

And Northwood had a day to forget, losing by seven wickets to a strong Preston side after producing a sloppy display with the bat.