Three victories, five Green Jackets, a famous 144 not out and a new generation blooded into senior cricket — Nirosh Perera’s Fourth XI may have finished ninth, but 2026 provided foundations that could benefit Hoddesdon Cricket Club for years to come.

When the final rain fell at Thundridge on the last Saturday of August and Hoddesdon Fourth XI’s season-ending fixture against Sawbridgeworth was abandoned without a ball being completed, it brought a strangely appropriate conclusion to one of the most demanding, unpredictable and ultimately rewarding seasons imaginable for the club’s development side. There would be no dramatic final-day victory, no opportunity to sign off with one last Green Jacket performance and no chance to improve their position at the foot of Herts and Essex Border League Division Four, but the real story of this Fourth XI campaign had already been written across the previous four months.

Hoddesdon finished ninth with 97 points. On the field they played 15 matches, winning three, losing 11 and seeing the Sawbridgeworth finale washed out, while one additional fixture was conceded during the school holidays when availability finally became impossible to manage. Taken purely as numbers, a record of three victories from 15 completed games does not jump from the page, but anyone who watched this side develop through the summer knows that judging its success only by the league table would miss the point entirely.

HEBL Division Four: The Final League Table

This was a team repeatedly filled with teenagers playing their first adult cricket, returning players rediscovering the game, fathers sharing teams with sons, experienced club members dropping down to lend a hand and youngsters being trusted to bowl meaningful overs against seasoned senior batsmen. There were painful defeats and afternoons when the difference in experience was enormous, but there were also wonderful victories, career-best performances, outstanding partnerships, senior wickets for young bowlers, five Fourth XI Green Jacket winners and one of the greatest individual innings seen anywhere at Hoddesdon in 2026.

At the centre of all of it stood captain Nirosh Perera, undertaking what is arguably the most difficult captaincy role anywhere in the club.

THE TOUGHEST JOB IN THE CLUB

Captaining a Fourth XI is rarely simply a matter of winning a toss and deciding who bowls first. It means chasing availability throughout the week, reorganising teams at the last moment, welcoming nervous youngsters into senior cricket, balancing overs and batting opportunities, finding a competitive side when players are required higher up the club and somehow ensuring that everyone still leaves Saturday wanting to come back the following week.

Nirosh Perera

Perera did all of that with patience, positivity and distinction, while simultaneously leading the side’s statistics with both bat and ball. He finished as Hoddesdon Fourth XI’s leading run-scorer with 272 runs from 14 innings, including two half-centuries and a season-best 57, while his 12 wickets at an average of 21.00 also made him the team’s leading wicket-taker.

His best bowling figures of 4 for 32 came against Bishop’s Stortford, while his economy rate of 4.41 across more than 57 overs demonstrated the control he repeatedly offered his young side. He also held two catches and featured in several of the team’s biggest partnerships, including an 86-run stand with George Elsom at Harlow Town and a 51-run partnership with Sampathreddy Palepu during that remarkable afternoon at Harlow CC.

Nirosh Bagged TWO Green Jackets This Season

“I said throughout the season that our success couldn’t simply be judged by the league table,” reflected Perera. “Of course we wanted to win matches and we were disappointed when results went against us, but my biggest priority was creating an environment where young players could experience senior cricket, make mistakes without being frightened of them and keep wanting to come back. When I look at how many players have grown during the summer, I’m incredibly proud.”

That pride should be shared across the club because Perera’s role went far beyond his own performances. His willingness to keep encouraging the group after heavy defeats, particularly on afternoons when young bowlers were exposed to far more experienced opposition, helped ensure the Fourth XI retained its identity and togetherness from April through to the end of August.

THREE VICTORIES TO REMEMBER

The season contained three victories, and each told a different story.

The first arrived at Thundridge on May 23 against St Margaretsbury, when Hoddesdon produced arguably their most complete team performance of the campaign. A magnificent 237 for seven was followed by an excellent collective bowling effort as St Margaretsbury were dismissed for 157, giving Hoddesdon an emphatic 80-run victory.

There were contributions throughout the side. Paul Webb and Nikunj Pradhan shared 74 for the first wicket, setting a platform from which Hoddesdon could build, while Darshana Keerthichandra scored 48 and Ashley Hill contributed 44. The bowling display was then devastating, with Ash Hill claiming 4 for 13, Scott Higgins returning 3 for 20 and Paul Webb completing a fine all-round afternoon with 3 for 35.

Darshana Keerthichandra

One week later, Hoddesdon did it again.

Stansted Second XI visited Thundridge and found themselves involved in a terrific contest as Hoddesdon made 213 all out before restricting the visitors to 201 for six, completing a 12-run victory. Perera led with 54 from 60 deliveries, Aoylid Hossain struck an enterprising 44 and Jack Bailey contributed 30, while the bowling unit held its nerve superbly under pressure.

Bailey and Michael Billson both claimed two wickets, with Aoylid and Freddie Lee also among the wicket-takers. It was the sort of victory that mattered enormously for a developing side because Hoddesdon had not simply overwhelmed weaker opposition; they had successfully defended a competitive score across 40 overs and managed the pressure of a close senior league match.

Freddie Lee

Then came July 11 at Harlow CC, an afternoon which will be talked about at Lowfield and Thundridge for many years.

Harlow Fifth XI posted an imposing 296 for six from 40 overs, a total which would normally have represented an almost impossible chase for a side containing so many inexperienced players. Hoddesdon responded by producing 298 for six in 39.1 overs and winning by four wickets.

At the heart of everything was Sampathreddy Palepu.

His unbeaten 144 from 110 balls, containing 20 fours and four sixes, remains one of the great Hoddesdon innings of the 2026 season. His previous best for the club had been just 17, yet on this extraordinary afternoon he batted with composure, power and complete conviction before sealing victory with a six in the final over.

Palepu's Astonishing Knock Was One Of The Highlights Of The Summer

It was not a lone hand, either. Perera made 47 and also took 3 for 24 earlier in the day, while Sampathreddy shared an 84-run fourth-wicket partnership with Connor Taylor, a 72-run fifth-wicket stand with Bailey and another 51 alongside Perera. The chase demonstrated resilience, partnership-building and courage from a side which had suffered plenty of difficult afternoons.

144 Not Out For A 4th XI Will Take Some Beating

Sampathreddy’s innings deservedly earned him the Greene King Level Head Green Jacket and produced a statistical line that will take some beating: 185 runs from only four innings for the Fourth XI, two not outs, an average of 92.50 and a strike rate of 112.80.

THE DEFEATS THAT STILL TAUGHT SOMETHING

There were, inevitably, hard lessons. The campaign began with a ten-wicket defeat against Bishop’s Stortford after Hoddesdon were dismissed for 77, and Harlow CC then won by 98 runs despite the Fourths reaching 132 in reply to 230 for eight.

Yet even in defeat, signs of progress appeared quickly. At North Weald on May 16, Hoddesdon reached 175 in pursuit of 208, losing by only 32 runs after Jack Bailey and Darshana Keerthichandra shared a season-high 89-run fourth-wicket partnership. Darshana scored 51, Bailey made 47 and young Freddie Lee produced figures of 3 for 37, a performance good enough to earn him the Green Jacket.

Jack Bailey Continued His Impressive Development

There would be more difficult afternoons through June. Dunmow chased 55 for the loss of two wickets, Harlow Town inflicted a heavy 209-run defeat at Thundridge and Sawbridgeworth defeated Hoddesdon by nine wickets after restricting them to 76 for eight.

Even the Harlow Town defeat, however, contained two significant bowling performances. Bailey claimed 4 for 69, while George “Boris” Elsom returned 3 for 55 and earned the Green Jacket, an especially satisfying moment for a player whose enthusiasm, training commitment and willingness to keep improving became such a feature of the team.

George 'Boris' Elsom Claimed The Green Jacket Against Harlow Town

Bishop’s Stortford later won by 120 runs, North Weald by seven wickets and St Margaretsbury by ten wickets. Stansted also completed a ten-wicket victory in August, but Hoddesdon had at least shown considerable improvement with the bat by compiling 158 for nine from their full 40 overs, led by veteran Neil “Pommers” Pomeroy’s patient 35 and another useful 33 from Perera.

The subsequent trip to Harlow Town brought another defeat but perhaps one of the most encouraging batting performances of the closing weeks. Hoddesdon made 138 for seven from their full allocation against the side that would eventually finish runners-up, with Perera scoring 57 and Elsom recording a career-best 31 during an 86-run second-wicket partnership.

The 4th XI Provided A Significant Pathway For Many Young Hoddesdon Cricketers

Freddie Lee claimed another senior wicket during the Harlow chase, and Hoddesdon left with four bonus points despite the eight-wicket defeat. For a side that had been bowled out for 63 against the same opponents in June, batting through 40 overs two months later offered a tangible measure of progress.

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE PROGRESS

Perera’s 272 runs made him the side’s leading scorer, while Sampathreddy’s extraordinary four appearances were enough to place him second with 185. Bailey accumulated 164 runs from 14 innings, including a best of 47, and Darshana Keerthichandra scored 128 in only four innings at an average of 32, highlighted by scores of 51 and 48.

Nirosh Topped The Run Charts With 272

Lee Ellerbeck passed three figures with 101 runs, bringing his usual energy and attacking intent to the middle order, while Nikunj Pradhan finished on exactly 100 runs from five innings with a best of 40. Elsom’s late-season career-best helped him to 76, Aoylid Hossain scored 67 from only three innings at an average of 33.50, and Pomeroy’s four appearances produced 50 valuable runs.

Lee Ellerbeck

Paul Webb contributed 40, Connor Taylor scored 36 and Arthur Brown added 34 during a season in which he was regularly asked to face senior bowling while still learning his own game. Several players further down the order may not have generated large aggregates, but the experience of batting in real league situations will prove far more valuable than the raw numbers suggest.

There was even room for a statistical curiosity, with Ben Marques recording the side’s highest strike rate at 200, earning himself a place in the Fourth XI Hall of Fame alongside Perera as top run-scorer and Sampathreddy as owner of the highest individual score.

Ben Marques

The partnership table arguably tells the development story even better than the individual totals. Bailey and Darshana’s 89 against North Weald led the season, while Aoylid and Perera added 86 against Stansted and Perera and Elsom matched that figure at Harlow Town.

Sampathreddy and Connor Taylor’s 84-run partnership at Harlow was particularly significant because it placed an emerging player alongside the innings of the season in one of the most pressurised chases the Fourth XI faced all summer. Webb and Pradhan’s opening 74 against St Margaretsbury, Ellerbeck and Bailey’s 74 against North Weald, Sampathreddy and Bailey’s 72 at Harlow and Hill and Webb’s 67 against St Margaretsbury demonstrated just how many different combinations made meaningful contributions.

Valuable Partnerships Played A Big Role In The 4th XI Collective Effort

NIROSH LEADS THE ATTACK

With the ball, Perera’s 12 wickets narrowly edged Bailey’s 11. Bailey should take enormous credit for carrying such a substantial workload, sending down 73.4 overs, more than anybody else in the team, and repeatedly taking the new ball or being asked to operate during difficult periods. His best figures of 4 for 69 came against Harlow Town, while he also claimed two for 40 against Stansted and finished the year as one of the Fourth XI’s most dependable senior players. His five fielding catches were also the highest total in the side, underlining the breadth of his contribution.

The Bowling Figures For 2026

Young Freddie Lee finished third in the wicket-taking charts with seven wickets from 26 overs, including his excellent 3 for 37 at North Weald. For a developing spin bowler facing adults in senior league cricket, those numbers represent a hugely encouraging foundation and provide plenty of excitement about what could follow.

Elsom took six wickets, with his 3 for 55 against Harlow Town the obvious highlight, while Ashley Hill claimed four wickets in only 5.5 overs at the almost absurd average of 3.25. His 4 for 13 was the team’s best bowling analysis of the season, while an economy rate of 2.23 also earned him another place in the Hall of Fame.

The 4th XI Hall Of Fame

George Viggars and Paul Webb each claimed four wickets. Viggars’ best was two for 27, while Webb’s three for 35 complemented the runs he contributed and illustrated the all-round value he brought whenever selected.

Scott Higgins’ three wickets came at just 6.67 apiece, including 3 for 20, and Michael Billson picked up two at 16.50. Arthur Brown and Aoylid Hossain also collected two wickets each, as did Chunot Shah, whose willingness to bowl nearly 20 overs across the season added another string to his game.

Chunot Shah

Caleb Harding, Matthew Kent and Connor Taylor each took a senior wicket, with Kent’s one for seven ensuring his bowling average finished at an immaculate 7.00. Lee Ellerbeck, Amer Khokhar, Monty McCullagh and Luke Mitchell also put their hands up when asked to bowl, regardless of whether the wicket column ultimately rewarded them.

CATCHES, GLOVES AND THE UNGLAMOROUS WORK

Fielding statistics can easily be overlooked in a season review, but they again reveal how responsibility was shared across the group. Bailey led the way with five catches, while George Kimberley contributed two wicketkeeping catches and two stumpings, accounting for four dismissals behind the stumps.

Connor Taylor continued his development as both a player and wicketkeeper with two catches behind the stumps and another in the field. Perera held two catches, while Akif Barlas recorded a wicketkeeping catch and Ellerbeck, Elsom, Harding, Darshana, Ben Marques, Luke Mitchell and Paul Webb all featured in the catching statistics.

Catches Win Matches

Those numbers only capture part of the fielding contribution. They do not record the hundreds of overs spent chasing balls to the boundary, encouraging bowlers after difficult deliveries, moving positions at the captain’s request or simply maintaining concentration while more experienced opposition attempted to apply pressure.

For the younger players especially, learning those habits is part of becoming a senior cricketer.

FIVE GREEN JACKETS

Perhaps one of the proudest measures of the Fourth XI season was its contribution to the Greene King Level Head Green Jacket. Five winning performances came from the side, spread across four different players and covering both the youngest members of the group and its captain.

Freddie Lee claimed the jacket following his 3 for 37 away at North Weald. Nirosh Perera won it after his performance in the home victory over Stansted and later became the Fourth XI’s first two-time winner following his 57 away at Harlow Town.

Freddie Lee Is One Of The Youngest Winners Of The Senior Green Jacket On Record

George “Boris” Elsom earned his jacket after taking 3 for 55 against Harlow Town at Thundridge, while Sampathreddy Palepu understandably claimed the honour after that unforgettable unbeaten 144 at Harlow.

Five jackets from a side that finished ninth demonstrates perfectly why wins and losses can never tell the full story. Across the summer, Fourth XI players repeatedly produced performances worthy of recognition across the entire club.

A CAST FAR BIGGER THAN ELEVEN

One of the defining characteristics of lower-XI cricket is that a “team” is never simply the same eleven names printed on a scorecard every week. The Fourth XI depended upon a huge cast of players across the summer, each contributing something to the season whether they played every week or answered the call once.

Alongside Perera, Bailey, Elsom, Sampathreddy, Freddie Lee and Connor Taylor, there were important contributions from Darshana Keerthichandra, Nikunj Pradhan, Lee Ellerbeck, Aoylid Hossain, Ashley Hill, Paul Webb, Scott Higgins, Michael Billson, George Viggars, Caleb Harding, Arthur Brown, Chunot Shah, Neil Martin Pomeroy and George Kimberley.

Ash Hill

Mick Billson

Barney Webb

Scott Higgins

Paul Webb

There were appearances and valuable support too from Akif Barlas, Ben Marques, Matthew Kent, Amer Khokhar, Monty McCullagh, Luke Mitchell, Amelia “Millie” Wheatcroft, Ross Maughan, Oscar Ramsdale, Barney Webb, Seb McCuallgh, Reece Jones, Joshua Kent, Rudy Bean, Perry Kisby and Adam Tackley, among others who were called upon during an ever-changing season.

Some played significant roles, others appeared only briefly, but all became part of the Fourth XI story.

There were particularly special moments when the generations overlapped. Paul Webb’s involvement alongside young Barney represented exactly the sort of family connection grassroots cricket can provide, while Millie Wheatcroft’s return carried its own significance after coming through Hoddesdon’s junior programme and maintaining a long family association with the club.

Millie Wheatcroft

Father And Son

Pomeroy brought calm and the willingness to bat time. Ross Maughan added senior experience when available, while newcomers such as Ramsdale were welcomed into an environment designed to give players a genuine opportunity.

Head of Cricket Louis Purves believes that purpose makes the side fundamental to Hoddesdon’s long-term plans.

“The Fourth XI is absolutely vital to what we are trying to build as a cricket club,” said Purves. “You cannot expect young cricketers to suddenly become established senior players without giving them somewhere to learn what senior cricket feels like. Nirosh and everybody involved with that team have created that pathway this year, and there are players who will be significantly better in two or three years because of the experiences they have had in 2026.”

Head Of Cricket Louis Purves Was Full Of Praise For The 4th XI

Purves added: “What impressed me most was that they kept turning up and kept competing. There were some difficult results, but there were also three excellent victories, some outstanding individual performances and young players taking wickets and making runs against adults. That is development happening in front of you.”

THANK YOU, NIROSH

No season review of this Fourth XI would be complete without a proper thank you to the captain.

Perera’s own performances would have made him one of the team’s most important players even without the armband. To finish as both leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker, win two Green Jackets and repeatedly produce contributions when his side needed them represents a superb personal season.

His greater achievement, however, was keeping the entire operation moving.

Hoddesdon Chairman Ian Munday described him during the season as one of the heartbeat figures of the club, recognising the difficulty of managing a Fourth XI and the enthusiasm, encouragement and positivity Nirosh continued to show. That assessment feels even more appropriate with the benefit of looking back across the full campaign.

“I’ve loved captaining this group,” said Perera. “There have obviously been Saturdays where I’ve driven home thinking about things we could have done differently, but there have also been moments that I will remember for years. Seeing Freddie take wickets, watching Sampathreddy make 144, Boris get his career-best score, youngsters take their first steps in senior cricket and everyone celebrate together after our wins is exactly why we play club cricket.”

He continued: “I want to thank every single player who answered a message, turned up, filled a gap, helped a younger teammate or supported somebody after a difficult moment. Nobody should underestimate what that means. We have built something this season and I genuinely believe we will see the benefits in the future.”

THANKS BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

A Fourth XI season also depends upon far more people than those whose names appear in Play-Cricket statistics.

A huge thank you must go to every umpire and scorer who helped make fixtures possible throughout the summer. Their time, concentration and commitment remain fundamental to league cricket and are too easily taken for granted.

The club committee also deserves sincere thanks for its support of the Fourth XI and the wider senior cricket programme. Running four Saturday sides requires organisation, communication, finance, facilities and countless unseen hours, and the opportunities given to younger players this summer would not exist without that work behind the scenes.

There should also be recognition for the parents who transported young players, waited through long afternoons and encouraged them after both good and difficult days. The wives, girlfriends, partners and families of the senior players deserve equal thanks for the Saturdays surrendered to cricket, the late returns home and the countless conversations about availability that are an unavoidable part of club life.

Finally, Hoddesdon Cricket Club offers its sincere gratitude to Thundridge Cricket Club, whose hospitality allows the Fourth XI to call their ground home. Once again the Thundridge grounds team provided an excellent surface throughout the season and gave Hoddesdon’s players a welcoming venue in which to develop, compete and enjoy their cricket. The partnership is hugely valued.

Thundridge CC

WHAT COMES NEXT

The final table will forever record Hoddesdon Fourth XI in ninth position with 97 points, behind champions Bishop’s Stortford, runners-up Harlow Town, North Weald, Sawbridgeworth, St Margaretsbury, Dunmow, Stansted and Harlow Fifth XI. It will also record three victories and 11 defeats.

The people who were there will remember much more.

They will remember 237 for seven followed by an 80-run victory over St Margaretsbury. They will remember defending 213 against Stansted by 12 runs. They will remember staring at 296 on the scoreboard at Harlow and somehow chasing it. They will remember Bailey and Darshana adding 89, Pommers occupying the crease, Elsom grinding out a career-best 31, Freddie collecting wickets, Ash Hill taking four for 13 and Nirosh leading from the front again and again.

Above everything, they will remember 144 not out.

Sampathreddy Palepu walking from the field after producing an innings that seemed scarcely believable when the chase began is an image that may well become part of Fourth XI folklore. Yet even that extraordinary individual performance sits within a much larger story.

The 2026 Fourth XI gave players opportunities. Some took their first senior wickets. Some made their first meaningful senior runs. Some discovered how difficult adult cricket can be. Some found out they were capable of far more than they had previously imagined. And many will return in 2027 as better cricketers because of it.

Perera has every reason to look back with pride.

“The exciting thing is that this isn’t the end of anything,” he said. “For a lot of these players it is only the beginning. If they keep training, keep enjoying their cricket and keep supporting each other, there is no limit to how far some of them can go. I already can’t wait to get everyone back together next season.”

Neither can we.

Thank you to Nirosh, to every player who represented Hoddesdon Fourth XI, to the umpires, scorers, committee, families and supporters, and to everyone at Thundridge who made another season possible. The results column may call 2026 a difficult year. Hoddesdon Cricket Club should remember it as the year a new generation started to grow up.

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