Hoddesdon CC 2nd XI suffered a second successive narrow defeat to begin their Division 4B campaign on Saturday afternoon, falling four wickets short against Stevenage CC 2nd XI in an entertaining contest at Ditchmore Lane.

Despite the result, there was plenty for Adrian Lee’s side to take encouragement from after producing a vastly improved all-round performance compared to the previous weekend’s defeat against North Enfield. A fighting batting display, several disciplined bowling spells and an outstanding effort in the field ensured Hoddesdon pushed the game deep into the final overs before ultimately being denied by a superb unbeaten century from Stevenage captain and wicketkeeper Josh Lucy.

On another afternoon where margins proved painfully fine, Hoddesdon nevertheless left Stevenage with 11 valuable points and growing belief that performances are beginning to trend firmly in the right direction. After winning the toss, Stevenage skipper Lucy elected to field first under dry but slightly overcast skies at Ditchmore Lane. Conditions looked decent for cricket despite a cool breeze drifting across the ground, and Hoddesdon were eager to build on the positives shown during their opening-day defeat at Lowfield.

Unfortunately for Adrian Lee’s men, the innings began in difficult fashion.

Lee himself fell early for 2, caught and bowled by Lee Cope. Moments later Bilal Ahmad departed for 3, trapped by Phil Lucy, leaving Hoddesdon wobbling at 7-2 and staring down the barrel of another difficult afternoon. At that stage, Stevenage sensed an opportunity to completely dominate proceedings.

Instead, Hoddesdon responded magnificently.

Tyrone Mazarura counterattacked with positive intent, striking four boundaries during an entertaining 23 from 37 balls, while wicketkeeper Ben de Fig played arguably his finest innings in Hoddesdon colours to haul the visitors back into the contest. The pair rebuilt calmly and intelligently, rotating strike effectively while punishing loose deliveries whenever Stevenage lost discipline. Mazarura looked particularly fluent square of the wicket before eventually falling to Andrew Lorimer with the score on 60. But even after his dismissal, Hoddesdon continued digging in impressively.

De Fig became the central figure in the innings.

With Phil Stafford unavailable this weekend, the wicketkeeper seized his opportunity superbly. Mixing patience with aggression, de Fig struck six boundaries and a towering six during a composed 46 from 63 deliveries. His innings steadied the middle overs and gave Hoddesdon the platform they desperately needed after the disastrous start. Unfortunately, just as the visitors appeared poised to launch towards a total well beyond 200, Stevenage struck back again. Robert Aindow was caught for 1, Greg Marsh departed without scoring, and Martin Atkinson fell cheaply shortly afterwards as Hoddesdon slipped from 75-3 to 78-6 in the space of a few overs.

At that stage, another batting collapse looked possible. But once again, Hoddesdon’s lower order refused to surrender. Olly Maughan produced an excellent unbeaten 41 from 92 balls in an innings packed with determination and maturity. While not always flashy, Maughan’s resistance proved absolutely vital as he anchored the latter stages of the innings and frustrated Stevenage’s bowlers for long periods.

Connor Hunt added a lively 12 featuring three boundaries, while Freddie Webb battled hard for his 11 from 44 balls in a partnership that gradually dragged Hoddesdon back towards respectability.Even Charlie Tackley contributed valuable late runs before becoming the final wicket to fall in dramatic fashion, run out for 5 with the score on 179. All out from exactly 50 overs, Hoddesdon had recovered brilliantly from 7-2 and later 78-6 to post what felt like a genuinely competitive total.

The innings also contained one particularly eye-catching statistic — extras top-scored with 33. Stevenage’s bowlers conceded 18 wides and 14 byes during a scrappy fielding display that helped Hoddesdon keep the scoreboard ticking throughout difficult phases. Andrew Lorimer was the standout bowler for the hosts, finishing with excellent figures of 3-27 from his ten overs, while Phil Lucy and Amey Salvi both claimed two wickets apiece.

At tea, the mood inside the Hoddesdon camp was noticeably upbeat.

The batting display had shown fight, resilience and character — qualities Adrian Lee had demanded during the week following the opening-day defeat against North Enfield. And when Hoddesdon took the field with the ball, they immediately backed up that positivity. Young Charlie Tackley continued his impressive start to the season by trapping Mark Morris lbw with just the fourth ball of the innings, giving Hoddesdon the perfect breakthrough and instantly lifting energy levels in the field.

Greg Marsh then produced a superb spell of controlled bowling to remove both Daniel Edney and James Thompson, reducing Stevenage to 32-3 and suddenly placing the pressure squarely onto the home side.

At that stage, Hoddesdon were firmly on top.

Fielders buzzed around the bat, Adrian Lee rotated his bowlers smartly, and Stevenage looked rattled after their strong start had been dismantled so quickly. But cricket, as ever, can turn in an instant and Josh Lucy turned this game almost single-handedly. The Stevenage captain and wicketkeeper produced a magnificent unbeaten 104 from 148 balls to guide his side home in one of the finest innings Hoddesdon’s 2nd XI are likely to encounter this season. Lucy’s knock was not built around reckless aggression. Instead, it was a masterclass in patience, positioning and composure under pressure. He absorbed pressure during the middle overs, punished anything loose, and slowly but surely wrestled momentum back towards Stevenage. His innings included 12 boundaries and showcased the exact sort of calm leadership Hoddesdon had briefly managed to suppress during the early stages of the chase.

Importantly, Hoddesdon did not simply roll over once Lucy settled.

Connor Hunt removed Swetang Khambhatwala for a quickfire 29 after the dangerous middle-order player had briefly threatened to accelerate the scoring rate, while Martin Atkinson chipped in with the wicket of Mohammad Zobair. Freddie Webb also struck late to dismiss Safiullah Manan as Hoddesdon continued battling hard deep into the chase. Tackley, Marsh and Webb all bowled with excellent control throughout the afternoon. Tackley’s figures of 1-31 from ten overs were particularly impressive for such a young player, while Marsh returned 2-45 and Webb claimed 1-28 from his ten overs. Atkinson also produced a superbly economical spell of 1-17 from six overs.

Yet despite Hoddesdon’s relentless effort, Lucy ultimately proved the difference. Supported calmly by Amey Salvi late in the innings, the Stevenage skipper guided the hosts to 180-6 from 47 overs and secured a four-wicket victory.

While defeat leaves Hoddesdon bottom of Division 4B after two rounds of fixtures, the league table does not yet tell the full story of their performances. After heavy opening-weekend victories, Luton Town & Indians, North Enfield and Old Albanian currently lead the way on 60 points, while Stevenage’s victory lifts them into sixth place on 38 points. Hoddesdon, meanwhile, sit on 16 points after back-to-back defeats, but there is already a growing sense that this side is far more competitive than their league position currently suggests.

Speaking after the match, captain Adrian Lee was understandably disappointed with the result but full of praise for his side’s attitude and improvement.

“I actually thought we played some really good cricket in patches today,” said Lee.

“To come back from 7-2 like that showed real character. Ben de Fig was outstanding, Olly dug in brilliantly, and the bowlers worked incredibly hard for long periods."

“The difference in the end was Josh Lucy. Fair play to him, that was a seriously good innings and sometimes you just have to acknowledge quality when you see it. But there are loads of positives for us to take. We were miles more competitive than last week and you can already see partnerships starting to form and confidence growing. It’s a long season. Nobody’s getting carried away by the league table in May. We stick together, keep improving and results will come.”

And on the evidence of Saturday afternoon’s performance at Stevenage, Animal may well be right.

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