Hoddesdon CC 3rd XI finished their 2026 Herts Premier Cricket League Division 12 East season in excellent style on Saturday, beating Ickleford CC 3rd XI by 84 runs at Hertingfordbury Cricket Ground. It was a strong, confident and highly satisfying final-day performance from Louis Webb’s side, who posted 226/7 from their 40 overs before restricting Ickleford to 142/6 in reply.

Promotion had ultimately moved beyond Hoddesdon’s reach before the final weekend, but this was still a performance that said plenty about the progress made by the side across the summer. After a difficult spell in the middle of the season, the 3rd XI rallied superbly in the final weeks and finished with another win against a side who had beaten them earlier in the campaign.

Webb's Men Ended The Season With A Victory

Ickleford won the toss and chose to bowl first, but Hoddesdon made full use of their afternoon at Hertingfordbury. The home side’s total of 226/7 was built on patience, acceleration and one outstanding stand in the middle order, before the bowlers delivered a controlled display to make sure the chase never truly got away from them.

Captain Louis Webb was delighted with the way his team signed off. “It was a really pleasing way to end the season,” said Webb. “We spoke before the game about finishing properly, because even though promotion had gone, we still wanted to show the standards we have set over the last few weeks. The lads were excellent with the bat, excellent with the ball, and it felt like a proper team win.”

The final league table shows just how competitive the division was. Enfield CC, Middx 4th XI finished top on 422 points, just one ahead of Datchworth CC 3rd XI on 421, with Hitchin CC 5th XI third on 403 and Potters Bar CC 4th XI fourth on 394. Hoddesdon ended fifth on 390 points, only four behind Potters Bar and 13 behind Hitchin, which underlines how close they came to forcing their way right into the final promotion picture.

Hoddesdon Finished 5th In The League

For a side who had endured a run of defeats earlier in the summer, that final position deserves real credit. Hoddesdon finished with 10 wins from 18 matches, alongside one cancelled game and one abandoned fixture, and their late-season form gave the campaign a completely different feel. They beat Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Potters Bar, Hatfield and Crusaders and now Ickleford during a strong finish, with only the abandoned match away to Enfield halting their run.

The batting effort was led by Connor Hunt and Mark Feely, who put together the decisive partnership of the innings. Hoddesdon had lost Nikunj Pradhan temporarily retired not out early on, before Louis Webb and Darshana Keerthichandra, known as Dash, helped rebuild the innings with a calm and important stand that gave the middle order a platform. Webb made 21 from 45 balls, while Dash continued his good recent form with 32 from 52 deliveries. Dash’s innings followed his superb match-winning 70 not out against Hatfield and Crusaders the week before, and he once again looked composed at the crease as Hoddesdon worked their way through the early stages of the innings.

At drinks, Hoddesdon were 73/1 after 20 overs, with Dash on 32 and Mark Feely just beginning to settle. It was a position that required patience as well as intent, and the home side showed both, reaching 100 in the 26th over before launching the most explosive and important passage of the match. Feely and Hunt then took control with a brilliant 118-run partnership that changed the whole shape of the innings. Hunt was outstanding, striking 68 from just 45 balls, with eight fours and two sixes, reaching his half-century from 36 balls and giving Hoddesdon the power and momentum they needed through the final third of the innings.

Connor Hunt Top Scored With An Impressive 68

Feely’s knock was just as important, and in many ways just as impressive. He made 58 from 66 balls, hitting eight fours and one six, bringing up his half-century from 59 deliveries and continuing a fine purple patch with the bat. After scoring 51 against Hitchin and 46 against Potters Bar in recent weeks, Touchy once again looked in terrific touch and ended the season as one of the side’s most reliable performers.

Touchy Bagged Another Half Century, His 2nd Of The Season

Webb was full of praise for the pair afterwards. “Connor was brilliant and gave us exactly what we needed at that stage of the innings,” he said. “Touchy has been superb recently and it was great to see him finish with another score. Their partnership changed the game, because at 90/3 we still had work to do, but they batted with real purpose and gave us something strong to defend.”

The scoring rate lifted sharply during that fourth-wicket stand. Hoddesdon reached 150 in the 32nd over, then 200 in the 37th, with Hunt and Feely combining placement, power and sensible running to keep Ickleford under pressure. Even when wickets fell late on, Henry Taylor added a useful unbeaten 10 from seven balls, while Barnaby Webb was there at the close as Hoddesdon finished on 226/7. Ickleford’s bowlers stuck at their task and had some good individual moments. Scott Dalrymple took 2/45, Graheme Poole bowled a tight spell of 2/22 from eight overs with two maidens, and Mark Howard claimed 2/28 from his four overs. Sam Taylor also picked up a wicket, but Hoddesdon’s middle-order acceleration meant the visitors were left needing 227 to win.

Ickleford began their reply with the knowledge that they had beaten Hoddesdon by 54 runs in the reverse fixture at The John Rand Recreation Ground back on 4 July. On that occasion, Ickleford made 202/7 and bowled Hoddesdon out of contention, but this time the home side looked determined to finish the season with a measure of revenge.

Henry Taylor made the early breakthrough, trapping Ramu Nenavath lbw for 9 with the score on 13. He then struck again soon after, bowling Chris Coleman for 17, and when Scott Higgins removed Tom Willoughby for 16, caught by Louis Webb, Ickleford had slipped to 44/3 inside the first 10 overs. That start gave Hoddesdon control, and they never really gave it back. Taylor finished with an excellent 2/23 from eight overs, while Higgins was typically disciplined, taking 1/22 from his eight with a maiden. Connor Hunt followed his batting heroics with a tidy spell of 0/23 from eight overs, proving again how valuable his all-round contribution was on the day.

Henry Took Crucial Early Wickets

Freddie Lee also produced a strong spell, taking 2/38 from his eight overs. He removed David Baker for 11, caught by Dash, and later had Scott Dalrymple stumped by Nikunj Pradhan for 17. That wicket was a particularly pleasing moment, with Nikunj completing the dismissal behind the stumps after having resumed his own innings earlier following his retirement. Ickleford captain Mark Howard showed plenty of resistance with a determined unbeaten 50 from 95 balls. His innings included six fours and ensured the visitors batted through their 40 overs, but Hoddesdon’s control meant the required rate continued to climb and the result became increasingly secure.

Webb completed the wicket-taking with the dismissal of Graheme Poole for 0, finishing with 1/24 from six overs. Barnaby Webb also had two overs late on, conceding nine, as Hoddesdon used six bowlers and maintained pressure throughout. Ickleford eventually closed on 142/6, still 84 runs short.

“It was a really mature bowling performance,” said Webb. “Henry set the tone beautifully, Scotty was class as always, Freddie got important wickets, Connor backed up his runs with a really tidy spell, and Barney did a job when he came on. Mark Howard batted well for them, but we made sure he never got enough support to put us under proper pressure.”

Freddie Lee Enhanced His Reputation With Another Two Wickets

The fielding also deserved praise, with Hoddesdon keeping their standards high right to the final afternoon of the season. Dash’s catch to remove Baker and Nikunj’s stumping of Dalrymple were important moments, while the overall ground fielding helped keep Ickleford from building any serious momentum. After some fielding frustrations earlier in the campaign, the improvement in that department has been another positive feature of the run-in.

The result also capped a strong personal finish for several Hoddesdon players. Feely ended as the side’s leading run scorer with 295 runs, while Louis Webb combined 234 runs with a superb 24 wickets. Nikunj Pradhan, Reece Jones, Paul Webb, Ross Maughan, Dash, Ash Hill and others all had key moments across the season, making this a campaign with contributions spread throughout the squad.

The Hoddesdon Batting Card

With the ball, Hoddesdon’s attack was one of the most consistent features of the year. Webb led the way, Scott Higgins offered control and threat, Benjamin Strong produced one of the standout performances of the season with 7/22 against Preston, Henry Taylor chipped in with important wickets, and others stepped up when required. Saturday’s win over Ickleford was a fitting final example of that depth.

For Ickleford, their season ended in sixth place on 335 points, and they had enough quality to make this a fixture Hoddesdon took seriously. Ben Mason, James Dermont, Chris Coleman, Sam Taylor and James Kench had all been danger men across the year, while Howard’s unbeaten half-century showed the resilience within their side. Hoddesdon, though, were the better team on the day and deserved their 30 points.

Webb was keen to finish by thanking the whole group. “I’m really proud of the boys,” he said. “We had a tough period where results went against us, but nobody disappeared and nobody stopped believing. To finish the season like we have done says a lot about the character in the side, and I think everyone who played for the 3rd XI this year should take credit from that.”

The captain also believes the foundations are there for the side to build on next year. “We have shown we can compete with anyone in this league,” he added. “We beat top sides, we developed players, we had lads stepping up from other teams and we created a really good spirit. Promotion did not happen this time, but there is a lot to be positive about, and we should come back stronger.”

Hoddesdon may have finished fifth, but the final table only tells part of the story. The 3rd XI ended the season with pride restored, confidence high and a clear sense that the group has moved forward. An 84-run win over Ickleford was the perfect way to close things out, and it gave everyone connected with the side a reason to look ahead with genuine optimism.

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