A Tough Afternoon, but Plenty to Build On
It was another tough afternoon for Ware Cricket Club as we went down by just two wickets to Letchworth on another sumptuously prepared Widford wicket.
With the bat, Ware were unable to post quite enough runs, with only Henry, Hugh and Aftab making it into double figures as the wickets fell regularly. It was a frustrating afternoon with the bat, but there were plenty of signs of the character and resilience that this group continues to show.
And once again, the Ware bowling attack gave us every reason to believe.
Steve Price bowled superbly, while the ever-consistent and excellent Liam once again put in a terrific spell, although both were rewarded with just a single wicket apiece. Sam also bowled superbly and was desperately unlucky not to get his name on the scorecard.
Then came the late drama.
Ben struck twice, before Henry produced a magnificent four-wicket burst — he clearly loves bowling against Letchworth! — to give Ware a genuine sniff of an unlikely victory. The late push almost stole the show, but sadly the final wicket proved just out of reach as Letchworth squeezed home by two wickets.
It was a result that hurt, particularly after such a spirited fightback, but there is plenty to be proud of. The bowling was excellent, the effort never wavered, and the willingness to keep fighting until the very end says a great deal about the character within this Ware side.
The runs will come. The luck will turn. And if we can combine a few more runs with the quality of cricket we are already producing with the ball, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead.
After the cricket, we headed to the Hertford Club for some well-earned refreshments, good company and, eventually, some dancing to the hypnotic tunes of DJ Unwin.
Another difficult result, but another reminder that this Ware team is still fighting, still together and, importantly, still believing. Better days are ahead.

Match Report: Ware Cricket Club Men’s Second XI vs Old Owens Fourth XI

Saturday 15th August 2026

For once, I can begin a match report by saying that I actually won the toss. It has taken most of the season to get here, but when the moment finally arrived, I decided to bat first and give ourselves the opportunity to put a score on the board.

Unfortunately, things did not quite go according to plan.

The opening bowling partnership from Old Owens was particularly effective, with both bowlers finding good lines and making scoring difficult. Their second bowler was especially impressive, finishing with excellent figures of 4 for 18 from his eight overs. The rest of the bowling was certainly competent, but the main issue from our perspective was that we simply failed to establish the partnerships needed to build a meaningful innings.

There were, however, some good individual contributions. Andy batted well for 25, showing good application in difficult circumstances, while Risby also dug in impressively to make a solid 32. Unfortunately, neither was able to find the extended partnership that might have allowed us to build some momentum.

As wickets continued to fall, we eventually finished on 100 all out from 35 overs. It was clearly well below the sort of total we would have wanted, but we still had the opportunity to make life difficult for Old Owens with the ball.

After tea, it was our turn to field. With our bowling options somewhat limited, Barney and Jem opened the attack and were immediately faced with two Old Owens batsmen who looked confident and very capable. They played their shots well and took advantage of the opportunities presented to them, making it difficult for our bowlers to build any sustained pressure.

Despite our efforts, the target proved far too small to defend, and Old Owens reached 101 for 1 in just 13 overs to win the game.

It would be fair to say that this wasn’t our greatest afternoon of cricket. We struggled to build partnerships with the bat and, with a limited bowling attack, found it difficult to put the opposition under any real pressure once they began their chase.

However, there is little value in dwelling on a disappointing performance. With just three fixtures remaining, our focus now needs to turn towards finishing the season strongly and making sure we put the best possible teams out for both the First XI and Second XI.

The key thing now is availability. Please get your availability updated as promptly as possible so that we can plan properly, get the strongest sides available on the pitch, and give ourselves the best possible chance of ending the season on a high.

One disappointing Saturday does not define the season. We’ve shown throughout the year what this group is capable of, and there are still three games left to put that right. Let’s regroup, get organised, and finish the season strongly.