Harlow Under 17 won the toss and elected to bowl first on a warm evening, hoping to make early inroads with the ball. Despite a bright start, Bishop’s Stortford recovered well to post a challenging 163-5 from their 20 overs, before bowling Harlow out for 128 in 17 overs to secure a 35-run victory.

Harlow made the breakthrough in just the opening overs when J.Fuller struck to remove D Laskey for 3, leaving the visitors 4-1. However, Bishop’s Stortford rebuilt patiently through C Waugh (24) and K Wilson-Pratt, who anchored the innings superbly. Waugh found the boundary four times before falling for 24, while Wilson-Pratt remained calm throughout his unbeaten 39 from 41 balls, rotating the strike and ensuring the innings never lost momentum.

Further contributions came from C Krath, whose aggressive 27 included two sixes, and L Greenhill, who produced the innings’ most fluent knock with 30 from only 20 deliveries, striking at 150. Their partnership accelerated the scoring through the middle overs and set the platform for a strong finish. Although Harlow fought back with wickets late in the innings, Bishop’s Stortford closed on an imposing 163-5.

The wickets were shared around for Harlow. J Fuller finished with 1-27 from four overs, while T Morgan picked up 1-27, F Crook claimed 1-23, and L Forde bowled well to take 1-13 from two overs. S Robertson also kept things reasonably tight, conceding 25 runs from his three overs. However, Harlow were left to rue the 29 extras, including a number of wides, which proved significant in the context of the game.

Needing 164 to win, Harlow’s reply started badly as wickets fell regularly. The innings was given real life by a stunning counter-attacking innings from J Fuller, who blasted 53 from just 22 balls. His explosive knock featured three fours and six towering sixes, taking the attack to the Bishop’s Stortford bowlers and briefly swinging the momentum back towards Harlow. It was an innings full of confidence and clean hitting, but unfortunately he received little sustained support at the other end.

T Morgan battled hard for 15 from 26 balls, while F Crook added 9 and O Syrett made 8, but regular wickets prevented Harlow from building the partnerships required to chase down the target.

The decisive performance came from Bishop’s Stortford’s D Laskey, who produced an outstanding spell of 6 wickets for just 6 runs from three overs, ripping through the middle and lower order to end Harlow’s hopes. He was well supported by E Hill (1-17), H Frans (1-14) and C Krath (1-29) as Harlow were eventually dismissed for 128.

While the result went Bishop’s Stortford’s way, there were plenty of positives for Harlow. Fuller’s breathtaking half-century was the standout individual performance with the bat, while T Morgan, F Crook and the bowling unit all contributed at various stages. Also a mention goes to J Wren and L Forde who both played many years above their age and fielded outstandingly. Ultimately, Bishop’s Stortford’s stronger partnerships with the bat and the exceptional six-wicket spell from D Laskey proved the difference as they claimed a well-earned 35-run victory.