Hoddesdon Cricket Club bring the curtain down on their 2026 Herts Premier Cricket League Championship Division campaign on Saturday with perhaps the most fitting test possible, travelling to Home Farm to face newly crowned champions North Mymms in what will also be Rob Walters’ final match as First XI captain.

North Mymms secured the Championship title last weekend and will take their place in the Premier League next season after an outstanding campaign that has seen them establish themselves as the strongest side in the division. Everyone at Hoddesdon will offer their warm congratulations to Saturday’s hosts on a thoroughly deserved achievement, but once 11am arrives the pleasantries will be put to one side as the visitors attempt to finish an excellent season with another statement victory.

ONE LAST TIME FOR WALTERS

There will inevitably be plenty of emotion surrounding Saturday from a Hoddesdon perspective, with Walters preparing to lead the First XI for the final time following 15 remarkable years as captain. His final home fixture against Shenley Village last weekend was unfortunately curtailed by the weather, with Hoddesdon having reached 178/3 from 28.1 overs before the contest was abandoned, but Walters was presented with the Greene King Level Head Green Jacket in the clubhouse afterwards to mark his final Lowfield appearance as skipper.

Despite Abandonment, Rob Was Presented With The Green Jacket On His Final Lowfield Appearance As Captain

Now comes one last away trip, one last toss and one last opportunity to marshal a Hoddesdon First XI before handing over the captaincy at the end of the season. Walters has already spoken at length about the friendships, memories and experiences that have defined his time in charge, but there remains important cricket to play before the chapter is finally closed.

“I’ve tried not to think too much about it being the last one because once you start doing that you can probably become a bit distracted,” said Walters. “I want us to go there, compete properly and try to finish with a win because that would be the best way to end what has been a really enjoyable season. We know how good North Mymms are and they deserve huge congratulations for winning the league. They’ve been the benchmark over the course of the season, so going to their place and trying to beat them is a brilliant final challenge for us.”

CHAMPIONS WAITING AT HOME FARM

North Mymms go into the final weekend top of the table on 373 points, having won 12 of their 17 league fixtures. Their advantage over second-placed Sawbridgeworth stands at 46 points, meaning the Championship trophy is already theirs regardless of what happens on Saturday. Sawbridgeworth sit second on 327, with Shenley Village third on 299 and Hoddesdon immediately behind them on 291 points. Luton Town & Indians remain close behind Hoddesdon on 282, with Welwyn Garden City sixth on 261, while Dunstable, Redbourn, Hemel Hempstead and Preston complete the table.

Hoddesdon Have The Opportunity To Finish 3rd

Second place is now beyond Hoddesdon, but third very much remains available. They trail Shenley by only eight points heading into the final round, while Luton are only nine points behind them, meaning there is still plenty riding on Saturday's fixtures even though the championship itself has been settled. A strong result at North Mymms could therefore see Hoddesdon finish an impressive campaign inside the division’s top three. Even a fourth-place finish would represent an excellent season, particularly when measured against the quality throughout the Championship, but this group will be looking upwards rather than over their shoulders.

HODDESDON FINISHING WITH A FLOURISH

The form Hoddesdon take to Home Farm should give them considerable confidence. Their abandoned game against Shenley followed four consecutive victories in completed matches, a run which has transformed the complexion of the closing weeks of the season.

Preston were beaten by seven wickets at Lowfield as Hoddesdon chased 269 for the loss of only three wickets, before another seven-wicket victory followed away to Luton Town & Indians. Hemel Hempstead were then beaten by 50 runs after Hoddesdon piled up 297/8, while perhaps the most satisfying result of the sequence came at Digswell Park when Welwyn Garden City were defeated by seven runs in a tense finish. That Welwyn victory demonstrated the depth and character that have become such an important feature of Hoddesdon's season. Reduced to 39/6 and in serious trouble, Todd Sturdy made 55 and Gagan Dissanayake struck an excellent 91 as a magnificent seventh-wicket partnership transformed the innings and allowed Hoddesdon to reach 195.

Himesh Ramanayake, Harry Mason and Om Thakeria then claimed two wickets apiece as Welwyn were dismissed for 188, with Mason's figures of 2/21 from ten overs particularly encouraging on his return from a long-term injury. The spinner remains in the side this weekend and gives Walters another high-quality option for his final game in charge.

NORTH MYMMS POSSESS SERIOUS FIREPOWER

Despite already having the title secured, North Mymms possess more than enough individual quality to ensure Hoddesdon will need another complete performance. Their batting statistics demonstrate why they have spent so much of the season at the summit.

Jakob Bhula leads their run charts with 718 runs at an average of 47.87, including three centuries and a highest score of 152 not out. Dan Waite has been equally destructive, accumulating 687 runs at 52.85, also with three hundreds, while scoring at an exceptional strike rate of 118.65.

North Mymms Jakob Bhula

Behind them, Nesan Jeyaratnam has contributed 526 runs at 40.46, including a century, while Guganeshan Muralitharan has 439 runs and produced North Mymms’ highest individual score of the campaign with an unbeaten 153. It is a batting unit capable of taking games away quickly, something Hoddesdon experienced at Lowfield earlier in the summer. North Mymms won that reverse fixture by four wickets after Hoddesdon posted a highly competitive 278/8 from 60 overs. The visitors nevertheless chased down 279 in only 49 overs, providing an indication of precisely how dangerous their batting line-up can be once allowed to gather momentum.

JHALA LEADS FORMIDABLE ATTACK

Their bowling has been every bit as influential, particularly through Dharmarajsinh Jhala, who has enjoyed an outstanding individual campaign. Jhala has taken 46 wickets at just 16.24, with an economy rate of 3.63 and three five-wicket hauls, his best figures standing at 5/28. Yuvresh Malhotra has added 28 wickets, Rhys Wynne has 23 and Arnav Pimple has 22, giving North Mymms considerable variety and depth. Hoddesdon's batters will therefore know that simply surviving the new ball will not be enough, with threats extending throughout the home attack.

Interestingly, the champions have not been at their most dominant during the closing weeks. After beating Shenley by five wickets on August 8, they were dismissed for only 81 in a 201-run defeat against Sawbridgeworth before losing by four wickets to Redbourn after posting 254/8, while last weekend's scheduled match against Dunstable was cancelled.

None of that diminishes a superb championship-winning season, but it does show Hoddesdon that an opportunity exists. Walters' men arrive with the stronger recent sequence and will be determined to test the champions immediately rather than allowing Saturday to become a title celebration played entirely on North Mymms' terms.

Dharmarajsinh Jhala Has Been Exceptional With The Ball This Season

HODDESDON'S DANGER MEN

There are plenty of reasons for the hosts to be equally wary of Hoddesdon. Walters himself has produced another huge season with the bat, including memorable centuries of 158 against Sawbridgeworth, 124 against Preston and 111 in the return meeting with Preston, while his ability to contribute important overs has added another dimension to the side. Ramanayake has again been one of the outstanding all-round cricketers in the division, highlighted by his remarkable 7/69 against Preston earlier in August. His control with the ball has been matched by consistent contributions with the bat, and his duel with the powerful North Mymms middle order could be crucial.

There have been major contributions elsewhere too. James Mitchell produced successive weeks of brilliance with 106 not out at Luton and 101 against Hemel, while Dissanayake's 91 against Welwyn was one of the defining innings of Hoddesdon's late-season surge.

James Mitchell's Emergence With The Bat Has Been One Of The Many Highlights Of The Season

Sturdy's 55 in the same game proved equally important, and the return of Mason has strengthened a spin department already containing Om Thakeria. Add the experience of Walters and the consistency of Ramanayake and Hoddesdon have the bowling resources required to ask serious questions of the champions.

A DIFFERENT LOOK TO THE FINAL XI

There are changes to the personnel for the season finale, with Olly Maughan coming into the side alongside Charlie Tackley. Will Steward remains an important part of the group and gives Hoddesdon further experience in a side containing plenty of different options with both bat and ball.

Hoddesdon First XI: Rob Walters (captain), Gagan Dissanayake, Andrew Lewis, Himesh Ramanayake, Will Steward, Rob Jones, Johnny Munday, Harry Mason, Olly Maughan, Om Thakeria and Charlie Tackley. It is an XI capable of playing aggressively but also containing enough experience to understand that North Mymms will punish loose cricket very quickly.

Walters believes the opportunity to test themselves against the champions provides precisely the motivation his side needs for one final push.

“We’ve played some really good cricket over the last month and I’d love us to finish by showing that again,” he said. “Winning at Welwyn from the position we were in showed a lot about the character in this team, and the way different players have stepped up has probably been the thing I’ve enjoyed most this year. North Mymms will obviously want to finish their championship season in style in front of their own people, and I'm sure there will be a great atmosphere there. We want to enjoy that occasion too, but we aren't going there just to make up the numbers because there are still league positions to play for and we want one last win together.”

ONE FINAL AFTERNOON

Home Farm Will Host Hoddesdon On Saturday

Whatever the result at Home Farm, Saturday will close a significant chapter in Hoddesdon Cricket Club history. Fifteen seasons of Walters leading the First XI will come to an end, and the final scorecard will become another entry in a captaincy that has included hundreds of players, countless matches and an extraordinary number of shared memories. There will be time afterwards to reflect properly on everything that has gone before. First, though, there are 100 overs of league cricket scheduled against the newly crowned champions, third place remains within reach, and Hoddesdon have one final opportunity to extend a terrific late-season run.

#GreenMachine