Teenager Tom Howes hit an unbeaten 66 to secure Bishop’s Stortford’s first win of the season at Shenley Village on Saturday (June 8).
The 19-year-old, who shared an 89-run stand with Adam Bassingthwaighte, steered the side to 192-4 with 3.4 overs to spare in the Saracens Hertfordshire League, Premier Division contest.
The visitors have moved up one place to eighth while the hosts remain winless and rooted to the foot of the table.
Shenley elected to bat after winning the toss and made a disastrous start as former Northamptonshire player Charlie Thurston was caught by Joe Burslem off the bowling of Sam Davis in the first over.
Captain Morgan Stanley (90) and Lathan Mahalingam took the score to 65 before the latter was run out for 41.
With the score on 102, Kris Nissen succumbed to a good catch from 17-year-old Stortford debutant Austin Osborne, again off the bowling of Davis.
Wickets fell regularly, but a 40-run partnership for the eighth wicket helped them muster 190-9 from their 50 overs.
Davis ended with 3-27 and there was also success with the ball for Richard Heywood (2-45), Dom Clutterbuck (1-30), Simon Lindop (1-32) and Osborne (1-55).
Stortford found themselves 49-3 in reply, with the hosts’ Queensland and Big Bash overseas player Patrick Dooley claiming a run out and a fine catch.
Bassingthwaighte arrived at the crease alongside Howes and the pair hit the ball to all corners of the ground as the visitors took charge.
The former’s 50 came off 38 balls and the score reached 138 before he was caught on the boundary for an excellent 62.
Howes carried on and remained undefeated on 66 alongside Burslem (12no) as Stortford secured a six-wicket success in the 47th over.
Will Heywood struck 97 as the second team triumphed by 19 runs at home to their Welwyn Garden City counterparts in Division 2B.
The hosts, who won the toss, batted first and fell to 32-3 before the skipper and Joe Bunyan (25) put on 50 together.
Stortford had moved on to 114-6 when Heywood and Joe de Souza, who hit a run-a-ball 38, joined forces for an 80-run partnership.
The captain was finally removed three runs shy of his century in the final over as his side posted 221-9 from their 50 overs.
Welwyn made steady progress in reply and there was a 72-run sixth-wicket stand between Joseph Hewitt (42) and Ed Tucker (41).
But they left themselves with a little too much to do and came up short on 202-8.
James Woollerson (3-23), Harry Pigram (2-22) and de Souza (1-44) all had success with the ball.
Joe Clune took 5-20 as thethird team secured a commanding 177-run victory at Willingale in the Tees Herts & Essex Border League, Premier Division.
He was backed up by Ruan Premadasa (3-15) as the hosts were skittled out for just 76.
Earlier, the dominant visitors had registered 253-6 from 40 overs as Harrison Barrett (62) and Adrian Wacey (80) both made half-centuries.
Thefourth team suffered a 15-run home defeat at the hands of Potter Street & Church Langley in Division One despite a record seventh-wicket partnership between Fraaz Ahmed and Simon Sargent.
Putting the visitors into bat after winning the toss seemed a good decision when Ollie Foot dismissed both openers cheaply, but their opponents recovered to post 259-7 from 40 overs thanks to a couple of half-centuries and 46 extras.
Ahmed (98) and Sargent (41no) gave Stortford hope with their record-breaking stand, but they closed on 244-7.