Camden I v Steeple Morden (home)

12/07/25

A GAME OF FIVE HALVES

Hodders’ historic 50 sets up win in another cracking game 

Camden (20pts) 224-9 beat Steeple Morden (6pts) 191 by 33 runs

For as long as anyone can remember, the clock on the pavilion at Queens’ has stopped. On any given July or August Saturday in the past few years, it was ten minutes to three and Camden were getting thumped. But not this year. Steeple Morden, minus their century-maker from the reverse fixture, were the latest to visit.

When Krishna smashed 24 from his first twelve deliveries, it looked a good toss to lose. A score north of 200 was on the cards, but few would have predicted that the Thirds would be indebted to their number nine to get them there. Krishna was bowled by his thirteenth ball, Ketul (4) was castled. Redders (15) cut limply to point. Irtaza (5) was LBW. Robinson (4) replicated his skipper’s dismissal. Farid was bowled for 9. All of which left the Thirds on 102-6 at drinks, with Coe unbeaten on 32. The veteran opener found an ally in Karan, back down the order after opening last week. The pair took the score to 140 before Karan fell for a useful 23. Coe had brought up an excellent fifty by this stage, but when he was out for 62, the Thirds – at 157-8 in the thirty-third over – were in danger of posting a middling score. Camden’s number nine, Hodsdon, had other ideas. Sixty-three runs were plundered off the last seven overs – most of them from Hodders’ bat, and not all of them behind square on the leg side. Having contributed 5 to a ninth-wicket stand of 52, Rizwan did something unique in the storied history of the Thirds. With seven deliveries remaining, he retired out. Subbu had by this stage arrived from working a shift in the M&S warehouse and, judging by the way he had been prowling the boundary, he was keen to get involved. Somehow, Subbu (1*) was the only batsman not to hit a boundary. Hodders had no such trouble, finishing on a terrific 51* from forty-five balls as the home side posted 224-9. It later emerged that the burly Marlburian had recorded the first ever Thirds’ half century from number nine.

With the Steeple Morden openers quickly on the attack against Farid and Rizwan (0-40), it was a good job the Thirds had plenty of runs to play with. A series of misfields didn’t help, and it must be noted that nobody was claiming that this was the best fielding team they’d seen. The score had reached 80-0 after thirteen overs when Captain Redfern turned to Karan. A wicket with his first ball was quite the introduction, and ‘Deadly’ Derekar followed it up with another with his fifth. Subbu then bowled the number four, but while the opener was still there, the visitors were still very much in the hunt. With Karan having bowled four overs, Redders made a bold gamble. Time for Krishna’s leg spin. “This could go one of two ways,” remarked Sutton, watching on with Ali Khan. The first two balls were struck to the square-leg boundary, but Redders held firm. The inviting gap remained. The third ball gripped and bounced, catching the glove of the opener as he again attempted to sweep. The ball  ballooned into the gloves of Hodders. A fine piece of bowling from Krishna (1-15) and an inspired display of captaincy.

It wasn’t a trick the skipper could repeat with his own bowling, but it didn’t matter when Subbu (3-36) had already taken two more wickets – one caught by Farid – either side of Karan (8-5-12-3) returning to take a wicket with the first ball of his second spell. Farid (2-40) picked up two wickets in as many balls – one caught by Redders – and the game was all but up. Appropriately, Hodders sealed the win – by 33 runs – with a catch off the bowling of Ketul (1-17). The Thirds had come out on top in another cracking game in which the momentum had swung back and forth. “A game of five halves,” reckoned Captain Redfern.

Men of the Match: Steve Hodsdon and Karan Derekar