Scorecard

Watford Town CC 2nd XI v Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI on Sat 23 May 2026 at 12:00
Northwood Town Cricket Club Lost by 109 runs

Match report Northwood Town made the short trip to Watford on what felt less like a cricket day and more like an audition for life in the Sahara Desert. With temperatures soaring and shade in short supply, the challenge was always going to be as much about surviving the conditions as it was about winning a cricket match.

Watford won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision that looked increasingly sensible as the afternoon wore on and the mercury continued to climb.

Despite spending 49 overs chasing leather in the heat, Northwood stuck at the task admirably. Watford's innings was built around a brisk 53 from Naveedkhan Eisakhil, supported by useful contributions from Ibrar Hanif (45), Murug Thiru (36) and Uzzy Majid (31). Every time Northwood looked like they were gaining control, another partnership emerged to keep the scoreboard moving.

The standout performer with the ball was skipper Iqbal Anjum, who bowled an excellent spell of 4 for 43 from his 10 overs. Well supported by Deepak Raj (2 for 16), Rohit Bahl and Kishan Gordhandas, Northwood managed to restrict Watford to 230 all out from 49 overs. At the halfway stage, the target looked challenging but certainly not impossible.

What nobody had accounted for, however, was just how much energy had been left out on the field.

After nearly 50 overs in blistering sunshine, Northwood's chase got off to an encouraging start thanks to Deepak Raj, who came out swinging and raced to 37 from just 20 balls. For a brief moment, thoughts of an unlikely chase began to creep into the dressing room.

Unfortunately, cricket has a habit of bringing you back down to earth.

What followed can only be described as an impressive demonstration of how quickly wickets can fall. One moment Northwood were building a platform; the next, wickets were tumbling like bowling pins. Batsmen came and went with such regularity that the scorer barely had time to sharpen his pencil.

Particular sympathy must go to those arriving in the middle order, who had spent the best part of three hours baking in the outfield before being asked to chase a competitive target. By then, some players looked so exhausted they were struggling to get out of their chairs, never mind pick gaps in the field.

Fahad Iqbal's day perfectly summed up cricket's ability to confuse. After recording a first-ball duck with the bat, he promptly turned into Glenn McGrath with the ball, taking 4 for 34 and helping dismantle Northwood's batting lineup. Clearly, he had decided batting was optional.

Cookie Latif was equally effective, finishing with 4 for 11 and ensuring any hopes of a recovery were short-lived. Karan Rajani battled hard for 26, but with wickets continuing to fall around him, the chase never truly recovered.

Northwood were eventually bowled out for 121, handing Watford a 109-run victory.

While the result was disappointing, the scoreline doesn't quite tell the full story. Fielding for 49 overs in searing heat took its toll, and by the end of the day most of the squad looked as though they needed a cold shower, a large meal and several hours of uninterrupted sleep. In truth, after that much time in the sun, some players didn't have the energy to eat, let alone chase 231.

Cricket can be a cruel game, but there will be easier days ahead. The effort and commitment in difficult conditions could not be questioned, and with a little more consistency from the batting unit, Northwood will be looking to bounce back strongly next week.

Watford Town CC 2nd XI Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
8nb 17w 2b  
for 10 wickets
27
230 (49.0 overs)		     
Naveedkhan Eisakhil lbw  I Anjum 53 41 9 129.27
Gunjan Hazarika ct  I Anjum b K Shah 4 5 1 80.0
Murug Thiru ct  D Raj b R Bahl 36 57 4 63.16
Muhammad Danyal Syed ct  R Bahl b K Gordhandas 20 46 4 43.48
Ibrar Hanif ct  D Raj b D Raj 45 85 6 52.94
Uzzy Majid b  D Raj 31 44 4 70.45
Amaan Athazaz b  I Anjum 5 10 1 50.0
Fahad Iqbal lbw  I Anjum 0 1 0
Cookie Latif ct  I Anjum b I Anjum 0 3 0
Joy Mukherjee Not Out  3 8 37.50
Siddhant Lakhanpal run out  (I Anjum) 6 7 85.71

Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Jeet Rajani3.002000.006.67
Keval Shah4.0025125.006.25
Pratik Patel6.012900.004.83
Iqbal Anjum10.0143410.754.30
Rohit Bahl10.0236136.003.60
Kishan Gordhandas10.0042142.004.20
Karan Rajani1.501700.009.27
Deepak Raj5.001628.003.20

Northwood Town Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
5nb 12w 1b 2lb 
for 10 wickets
20
121		        
Deepak Raj ct  Unsure b F Iqbal 37 20 7 185.00 2
Rohit Bahl ct  S Lakhanpal b J Mukherjee 4 2 1 200 1
Mitesh Pondha ct  Unsure b F Iqbal 11 9 2 122.22
Iqbal Anjum b  F Iqbal 1 18 5.56 1
Sanjay Shukla ct  Unsure b F Iqbal 2 9 22.22
Pratik Patel b  S Lakhanpal 3 6 50.0
Karan Rajani ct  Unsure b C Latif 26 48 3 54.17
Nishant Maniya b  C Latif 5 23 1 21.74
Jeet Rajani b  C Latif 0 1 0
Kishan Gordhandas ct  Unsure b C Latif 6 9 1 66.67
Keval Shah Not Out  6 11 1 54.55

Watford Town CC 2nd XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Joy Mukherjee3.0039139.0013.00
Fahad Iqbal7.013448.504.86
Siddhant Lakhanpal3.01616.002.00
Amaan Athazaz1.00900.009.00
Cookie Latif5.221142.752.06
Gunjan Hazarika6.021900.003.17

  • Umpire :
    Colin
  • Scorer :