Hitchin closed the gap at the top of the Saracens Herts League Division One on Saturday. The Lucas Lane club had a high-scoring draw at St Margaretsbury while leaders Millhillians were being heavily beaten. After being asked to bat first, Hitchin got off

Hitchin closed the gap at the top of the Saracens Herts League Division One on Saturday.

The Lucas Lane club had a high-scoring draw at St Margaretsbury while leaders Millhillians were being heavily beaten.

After being asked to bat first, Hitchin got off to great start with 67-0 off 16 overs.

Cameron Boyd fell for 42 and with the next three batsmen falling for single figures, the home side were back in the game.

Craig Millwood (72) anchored the innings and fell with the score on 189 off 46 overs.

Oliver Hammond and Phil Britton then smashed 40 off the last six overs, with Hammond making 48no off 42 balls and Britton 17no off 15 balls, as the innings closed on 229-7.

In reply, the home side were on the wrong end of a superb opening blast from Ashley Hammond who took two quick wickets to reduce them to 16-2.

A consolidation took place until Danny Fair was introduced into the attack. He clean bowled the dangerous overseas player Brad Wilson with a yorker and ended up with figures of 3-21 off 11 overs.

Any hopes that St Margaretsbury had of reaching 230 were eventually ended when the leg spin of Andy Hicks claimed four wickets in the middle order and they ended up on 168-9.

The game was drawn with Hitchin taking 19 points to St Margaretsbury's four. After Saturday's local derby against Letchworth at Lucas Lane, Hitchin travel to higher league Hemel Hempstead in the Becker KO Cup on Sunday.