Hoddesdon 2nd XI’s Division 4B relegation was formally confirmed on Saturday, as Adrian Lee’s side were beaten by 59 runs away at Flamstead on an extremely wet afternoon at Friendless Oval. On a day when the rain wiped out the other three senior Hoddesdon fixtures, credit must go to both sides, the match officials, scorers and ground staff for somehow getting a result completed in difficult and often miserable conditions.

The defeat leaves Hoddesdon 46 points adrift of Stevenage with just one league fixture remaining, meaning survival is now mathematically beyond them. It brings a painful end to the 2nd XI’s fight to stay in the division, but it should also be remembered that they were still scrapping into the penultimate weekend because of the determination shown across the season and the bonus points collected during a difficult campaign.

Defeat Confirmed The 2nd XI's Relegation On Saturday

Hoddesdon won the toss and chose to field first, a decision that made sense given the conditions and the threat of further rain. Flamstead were restricted to 142 for 4 from 27 overs, with Hoddesdon taking four bowling points and giving themselves a target that looked achievable if they could build one solid partnership in reply.

The visitors made a superb start when veteran Martin Brown struck immediately, removing Sachith Dassanayake for a duck with the score still on nought. Brown’s return to the side brought exactly the sort of calm, experienced presence Animal had hoped for, and his seven overs for 30 runs and one wicket gave Hoddesdon control during important stages of the innings. Austin Bean also justified his return with a strong spell, taking 2 for 27 from six overs and bowling with good purpose in testing conditions. He removed Hasala Arambepola for 27 and then picked up the key wicket of Flamstead captain Roshan Don, who had made a fluent 56 from 59 balls with 12 boundaries before becoming Bean’s second victim.

Austin Bean Was The Pick Of The Bowlers

Rob Aindow gave Hoddesdon their fourth wicket, trapping Tuan Hadgie lbw for 4, while Charlie Tackley worked hard through five overs and Freddie Webb chipped in with one over. Flamstead’s eventual total was built around Don’s half-century, Arambepola’s watchful 27 and an unbeaten 33 from Ruchira Pupulewatte, whose 27-ball innings gave the home side useful late momentum. Sanjeewa Wijetunga finished 7 not out, and Flamstead’s 15 extras also helped them edge up to 142. In the context of a shortened, rain-affected game, it was a competitive score rather than an imposing one, but Hoddesdon could still feel they had given themselves a real chance if the top order could absorb the new ball.

That hope was hit almost immediately.

Olly Maughan was bowled by Haresh De Silva for nought with the score on 1, and although Phil Stafford counter-attacked impressively, wickets soon began to fall too regularly around him. Stafford’s 28 from 20 balls, including three fours and a six, was the most fluent Hoddesdon innings of the day and briefly hinted that the chase might be very much on.

Staffs Offered Some Resistance But It Wasn't Enough

Unfortunately, the main damage came from Madushan Thilina, who tore through the Hoddesdon order with a decisive spell of 5 for 23 from four overs. Martin Brown made 7, Freddie Hawkins was bowled for 1, Adrian Lee struck two boundaries in a brisk 11, and Rob Aindow fell without scoring as Thilina turned the middle of the innings firmly in Flamstead’s favour. At 39 for 5, Hoddesdon were already in serious trouble, and at 50 for 6 when Lee departed, the chase was slipping away fast. Dan Hawkins made 3, Paul Webb also made 3, and despite the lower order trying to dig in, the required partnership never materialised on a damp and difficult afternoon for batting. Freddie Webb offered some resistance with 16 from 24 balls, while Charlie Tackley added 11 from 20 in an effort to drag Hoddesdon towards a batting point. Austin Bean was left unbeaten on 1, but the innings closed on 83 all out in 17.4 overs, leaving Flamstead winners by 59 runs and taking the full 30 points.

The Hoddesdon Batting Card

Thilina was the standout bowler, but Flamstead’s attack as a whole did its job efficiently. De Silva took 1 for 18, Dasmal Liyanage claimed 2 for 17, Malith Amarasinghage picked up 1 for 12, and Mahadevan Sellan completed the innings with 1 for 10 from 2.4 overs. They bowled straight, made Hoddesdon play, and took full advantage once early wickets created pressure.

The result moved Flamstead to 353 points and kept them fifth in the Division 4B table after 17 matches. Elsewhere, the weather played a major part in the relegation picture, with Stevenage’s game against North Enfield abandoned and both sides receiving 10 points, while Preston’s match away at Old Albanian was also abandoned. That Stevenage abandonment proved decisive for Hoddesdon’s survival hopes. Stevenage moved to 259 points, while Hoddesdon’s four bowling points lifted them to 213, leaving a gap of 46 with only 30 available from the final match of the season. Preston remain bottom on 184, but for Hoddesdon, the battle to catch Stevenage is now over.

At the top, Old Albanian lead the division on 421, just one point ahead of Boxmoor on 420, with Luton Town & Indians third on 412 and Lutonian fourth on 384. North Enfield sit sixth on 308, Northampton Exiles are seventh on 271, Stevenage are eighth on 259, Hoddesdon ninth on 213 and Preston tenth on 184, leaving the final weekend to settle positions elsewhere but not Hoddesdon’s fate.

Hoddesdon Now Cannot Escape A Bottom Two Finish

Captain Adrian Lee admitted the dressing room was hurting afterwards, but he was keen to stress that the side had not gone down quietly. “It is obviously a horrible feeling when it becomes official, because nobody wants to be part of a relegation,” said Lee. “But I cannot fault the lads for still turning up, still fighting, and still trying to get something out of a very tough day.”

Animal also paid tribute to both teams for getting the game completed when so much other cricket fell to the weather. “It was wet, it was horrible at times, and you only have to look at the other senior games to see how difficult the day was,” he said. “Fair play to Flamstead and fair play to our boys as well, because everyone stuck at it and made sure there was a proper contest.”

Lee felt the bowling effort had given Hoddesdon a real foothold in the game, even if the chase unravelled too quickly. “At halfway, we were definitely in it,” he said. “Martin bowled beautifully, Austin hit good areas and got important wickets, and Rob did a good job again, so to restrict them to 142 in those conditions gave us a chance.”

The skipper was honest, though, about where the match was lost. “We needed one partnership with the bat and we just didn’t get it,” Lee added. “Staffs played nicely at the top, but once wickets started falling, we never managed to stop the slide, and their lad bowled a very good spell.”

The Skipper Paid Tribute To His Side, Despite A Difficult Season

For Hoddesdon, relegation hurts, but the final match still matters. There is pride to play for, there are standards to maintain, and there is a chance to finish a bruising campaign with the sort of performance that can offer a platform for rebuilding. The 2nd XI have had too many hard Saturdays this season, but they have also shown character in continuing to scrap when the table looked bleak. The final score will show Flamstead 142 for 4 and Hoddesdon 83 all out, but the wider story is of a side that battled through the rain, battled through a difficult season, and now has to regroup with honesty and determination.

Relegation has been confirmed, but the club’s response to it starts immediately, and Animal’s side still have one more Saturday to show the fight that kept them in the conversation for as long as it did.

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