Baldock earn promotion

Baldock earned promotion on the last Saturday of the Saracens Herts League season. This was after a tough battle with Old Haberdashers which saw Baldock achieve 13 points and enough to hold on to fourth spot in Division Five after Berkhamsted lost. As Bal

Baldock earned promotion on the last Saturday of the Saracens Herts League season.

This was after a tough battle with Old Haberdashers which saw Baldock achieve 13 points and enough to hold on to fourth spot in Division Five after Berkhamsted lost.

As Baldock left the field, the waiting home support ran on with champagne with news that Berko had lost and promotion was secured.

It was a special moment for the weary first team who, despite a few hiccups along the way, got the promotion they deserved.

Having lost the toss and faced with a damp and green wicket, Baldock were predictably asked to bat. However the wicket played well and the Peacock brothers, James (39) and Rob (43), put on 82 for the first wicket in a stand of real class.

Both batsmen were looking untroubled until Rob was caught behind off the persevering Ali and then James followed to leave the hosts 87-2.

Andy Payne (25) steadied the ship but with his wicket came a sudden collapse and Baldock found themselves at 138-7 and staring at a low total and precious few points.

Skipper Rob Cant calmed things down and with Alistair Jones patiently got the score to 155.

Jones unleashed a barrage of cleanly struck shots to boost the total to 187 and Cant joined in taking 12 from the last over to get Baldock to 199-7 off 50 overs in the rain reduced innings.

The pair added 61 in 11 overs with Cant playing a captain's knock with an unbeaten 20 and Jones making an entertaining 42no.

Old Haberdashers lost an early wicket to Tim Dean but the second wicket took the score to 90 as both batsmen looked completely at ease on a pitch that was getting easier to bat on.

Baldock could not force the breakthrough but as news filtered through that Berko were struggling, their fortunes changed.

Tom Dupuy took a superb caught and bowled and then Dean struck again to leave Old Haberdashers at 110-3.

Baldock then put the squeeze on and Matt Ayre struck twice in two overs to make things interesting at 140-5.

However with overs running out and the visitors giving up on the run chase, wickets were proving hard to come by.

Although skipper Cant tried everything, Old Haberdashers closed on 159-5 off 44 overs to draw. Ayre took 2-17 and Dean 2-40.

Dean finished the season with an excellent 57 wickets, Jones claimed 46 wickets and James Peacock scored an impressive 600 runs.