Knebworth Park made an impressive start to the new league season with three out of four teams winning. The first team s campaign opens this Saturday at home to St Margaretsbury in the Saracens Herts League Division One. But the second team got their leagu

Knebworth Park made an impressive start to the new league season with three out of four teams winning.

The first team's campaign opens this Saturday at home to St Margaretsbury in the Saracens Herts League Division One.

But the second team got their league season off to a flying start with a comprehensive win against newly promoted Rickmansworth in Division Two.

Shaun Robinson won his first toss as captain and put Rickmansworth in on a pitch which was only drying slowly after all the recent rain. Sam McCrow turned in a fantastic effort with the new ball, bowling 15 overs without a break to take 3-26.

McCrow was well backed up by Michael Fisher (2-24 off seven overs), Graham Fisher (2-16 off nine) and Robinson himself (2-8) as Rickmansworth were all out for 102.

Colin Letford got the reply off to a steady start, but the key to the win was the fourth-wicket partnership between Adam Sergeant (30) and Robinson (15) which took them up to 74-4 before Sergeant fell to a fine catch.

Robinson and Junior D'Abreu (15) took the score up to 96, but they fell in quick succession to leave McCrow to thump the winning runs.

A good team performance saw the third XI to victory on the opening day of the season in Division Five.

Promising innings from Alex Richmond (30) and Matt Hutchinson (22) helped the team to a total of 128 all out in the last over of the innings.

Young bowlers Charlie Randall (4-23) and Matt Hutchinson (3-27) saw Old Albanian's top order collapse to 8-3 and then 69-9.

The final pair showed real determination to edge their side closer to the target but, in the final over, Sandy Reynolds and wicketkeeper Jono Evetts ended their resistance on 115 to give the Park a deserved victory.

The fourth team went down in a dour contest against Shenley Park seconds in Division Eight.

Chris Dance grafted hard for 38 as they were bowled out for 98 on a slow batting surface. Shenley were 28-4 but got home with four wickets intact with one player retired hurt with a back injury.

There was a great winning start to the season for the fifths in Division 11.

Andy Page's career-best bowling figures of 7-50 in 23 overs and John Inman (3-56 in 19.4 overs) set up the victory in bowling out the visitors for 132. Initially Pirton had raced away to 69 without loss in the first nine overs before Page and Inman applied the brakes.

The Park were in trouble at 18-3 and then 50-4 before Inman completed an outstanding all-round captain's display with 46no in supporting vice-captain Ian Woods (68no) as the pair added 86 in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership.