Offering the visitors the opportunity to bat first on a used but good looking surface, the Northchurch skipper was clearly keen to put his own team under the pressure of chasing in this final warm up game.

Leverstock Green were unable to construct a competitive score as they lost key wickets just when partnerships were beginning to develop. Principle architects of their downfall was the pace quartet of Lee Bullet Johnson, debutant overseas player Steven McGiffin, Hemel Hempstead transferee Chris Pearson and Ollie Johnson.

McGiffin (4-0-1-8) impressed with the new ball, bowling a typical Australian fourth stump line, just short of a length. Some early patience from the Leverstock Green openers soon evaporated and Koch was drawn into a shot which feathered into the welcoming gloves of Matt Suckling. McGiffin was back in the action soon after, taking a spectacular one handed, full stretch diving catch at second slip to remove the other Levvy opener, Blagden, and give Lee Johnson (8-1-1-16) his first wicket of the season.

Chris Pearson (6-0-1-18), replacing McGiffin from the pavilion end was in business straight away. With his very first delivery he induced a loose cut shot straight to Calum Lindsay who was stationed at deep point. Chris impressed with his pace and late away swing which frequently beat the bat of the opposition’s middle order men.

OJ (8-0-1-43) kept the pressure on from the Rec end throughout the middle of the innings, finding some swing both ways and encouraging the big shot over the top of a ring field. The plan paid off in his second over as Green stalwart and danger man Dave Tyson was seduced into a second consecutive expansive shot and was beaten for sideways movement to be bowled for 4 runs.

Some lower order hitting, targeting Mark ‘tweaker’ Hobley’s part-time off-spin and the left arm swing of newly fit Javelin Dave, meant that the run rate increased in the last ten overs of the inning, but also that the bowlers picked up two and three wickets respectively.

The Northchurch response got off to a steady start, with openers Suckling and Lindsay seeing off the opening barrage from accurate Leverstock Green new ball bowlers to be 33 for no loss after 8 overs. Suckling, though, fell for 18 soon after, trapped LBW by a straightening leg stump delivery from Levvy 1st change seamer Littlejohn. Church then lost two quick wickets with the score on 37, Lindsay comfortably run out after a misjudged single to mid-on and captain Vila falling first ball in similar fashion to Suckling. Fantham, making his comeback, injected some aggression into the Northchurch innings, albeit briefly. A miscued straight drive only found extra cover with the score on 54.

This brought Hobley to the crease to face down the bowlers whose home pitches he expertly curates and join McGiffin, who was growing into his inning on an unfamiliar English surface, with some unfamiliar English swing to contend with. The pair comfortably added the remaining 134 required, with Hobley the more aggressive of the pair falling just short of his hundred with 97* from just 56 balls. McGiffin played under his eyes for a measured run-a-ball 48*.

The win showcased some encouraging signs in the build up to the campaign opener in Saracens Herts League Div 3A next Saturday, when the 1st XI will be facing newly promoted Letchworth 2nd XI.