Stevenage are left to carry the hopes of Comet country in the Becker Cup. They won a high-scoring third round clash against Hoddesdon in the last over. Stevenage captain Albert Sodhi lost the toss and Hoddesdon took first use of a great batting track. Hod

Stevenage are left to carry the hopes of Comet country in the Becker Cup.

They won a high-scoring third round clash against Hoddesdon in the last over.

Stevenage captain Albert Sodhi lost the toss and Hoddesdon took first use of a great batting track.

Hoddesdon raced to 150-0 from the first 16 overs, thanks to a rapid 109 from Colin and a supportive 83 by Wynne.

Stevenage slowed the run rate and picked up wickets at regular intervals.

The pick of the bowlers were Amit Dattani, Ashley Bayes and Sohail Idress. Towards the end of the innings important breakthroughs were made by Martin Nevill and Gareth Berg.

Hoddesdon posted 321 which still represented a tough ask for the Stevenage batting line-up.

Stevenage's reply got off to a quick start with Syed Ali Kazmi (29) and Gary Brown sharing a 57-run opening partnership in just seven overs.

Brown scored a fifty before holing out at deep long on.

Berg went from strength to strength and knocked up a hundred in just 69 balls.

The supporting Sodhi was well caught for 27 with a little over 80 required from the last 11 overs.

Dave Carr joined Berg at the crease and the pair shared a 50-run partnership in quick time, with Carr making 30 from 24 balls and Berg continuing to plunder the bowling.

With victory in sight, first Carr and then Berg - finally dismissed for a 91-ball 125 - were caught.

Numbers nine and 10, Mark Sinclair and Dattani, saw their side home. Sinclair clubbed two sixes in the third last over and finally a towering straight six from the second ball of the last over.

Letchworth bowed out of the Becker Cup to Hemel Hempstead in a game they could have won.

Batting first and aiming to set the visitors around 250, they were stopped in their tracks by opener Cheesewright who bowled John Hilliard and Simon Elliott for nought, leaving Letchworth 5-2.

Richard Walsh (72) and Steve March (24) then added 99 and with middle order contributions from Ben Wallis (31) and Tom Cranston (23) were set to reach a good total.

But the innings subsided as Simper (5-49) picked up all of his five wickets in his last four overs as Letchworth found various ways of getting out.

The innings closed on 214 all out off the last ball of the 50 overs, which was at least 30 runs short of what was required.

Hemel never looked in much trouble as Mohamed (91no) steered them to a five-wicket victory.

But it could have been different if he had not been dropped in the deep when in the 20s.

Herts opener Ilangaratne also hit 41 as Hemel reached their target with three overs to spare.