After last week’s postponement on the Common on 5th June, the Unicorns travelled the 5 miles to friendly neighbours Wheathampstead for the rearranged Beds & Herts Regional Final of the Voneus National Village Cup.

Having defeated three-time NVC winners Reed in the second round Wheathampstead were hoping to cause another upset. However, a low-scoring match on a tricky batting wicket saw Redbourn run out winners with man of the match Ben Roe returning figures of 5 for 21 off his eight overs.

Skipper Will Hales won the toss and elected to bat but two wickets fell before the picnics of the travelling Redbourn supporters had been unpacked. Hales (4) nicked one behind to Wheato skipper Zeeshan Sialvi off George Jarvis and Conor Yorath (1) dragged the ball on to his stumps off James Mason. Seven for two off two was not the ideal start.

Wheathampstead had their tails up and while there were intermittent periods of consolidation, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Steve Richards was well caught at second slip by Ross Martin off the pacy Mason, 34 for 3 in the eighth over. In form Charlie Mack never looked at ease during his 25 ball stay at the crease and was the fourth batter dismissed at the start of the eleventh over with the score on just 44. Wheato captain Sialvi went for the kill and decided to bowl both openers out. He was rewarded with the scalp of fellow Aldwickbury School teacher, Toby Patrick, whose wicket came off the penultimate ball of Jarvis’s spell.

That made it an uncomfortable 57 for 5 after 15 overs. Dan Roe (24) was finding some fluency and punishing anything off line from the first change spinners. But the ball before the halfway drinks break he slapped a wide delivery off Joshua Danbury Nolan to point, leaving the Unicorns teetering on 74 for 6.

Ben Roe replaced his brother Dan at the crease joining the unusually subdued Alex Salter (7). Together they added 21 before Salter let his frustration get the better of him, giving Danbury Nolan his second wicket. Ben Roe (28) was using his feet well to the spinners but with the score on 112 he danced past one and was bowled to give Danbury Nolan his third victim off the last ball of his spell. Eight down. Keeper James McKay (19*) and Callum Moyle (14) knew they had to bat out the remaining eight overs to ensure they could post a defendable total and give their bowlers and captain something to work with. Moyle was dismissed in the final over but not before they had put on a crucial 35 run partnership. The innings closed on 147 for 9. George Jarvis the pick of the Wheato bowlers with 3 for 16 from his allotted eight overs.

At the break the Wheathampstead supporters would undoubtedly have been optimistic of chasing down a mediocre total.

To have any chance of winning Redbourn needed to come out of the blocks fast and that’s exactly what Callum Moyle did, cleaning up opener Sam Sturley with his fifth delivery. Runs were difficult to come by and by the 10 over mark the score was just 22 for 1. Left armer Dan Darvell was bowling a tight line and length and conceded just 3 runs off his five over spell. Ben Roe replaced Moyle (1-18) from the pavilion end and immediately had an impact dismissing the dogged Chris Martin for 6. Sam Ledger and Zeeshan Sialvi then put on Wheathampstead’s best partnership of 22. However Roe made a double strike in his fourth over, first removing Ledger (17) who chipped to short extra cover to be safely pouched by brother Dan and three balls later Ross Martin LBW for a duck.

Wheathampstead were 45 for 4 off 17 overs. In the 21st over Roe had Adam Robbins caught behind by McKay for 10. Hales cleverly brought Darvell back into the attack and he removed the dangerous Sialvi (18) with the first ball of his spell. Now it was Wheathampstead who were teetering at 64 for 6.

Ben Roe wasn’t letting up and without a run being added he removed Tom Li for his fifth wicket, caught at mid-off by Will Hales. Darvell bowled his remaining three overs finishing with the ultra-economical figures of 8 overs, 4 maidens, 1 wicket for 8 runs. Redbourn still needed to take the three remaining wickets and the captain turned to Alex Salter to mop up the tail. He duly obliged, clean bowling James Mason (5) and Joshua Danbury Nolan (13) in consecutive overs.

Conor Yorath who had struggled with control up the hill in his first spell came back on to bowl David Dabare and Wheathampstead all out for 88 to send Redbourn into the last 32.

In his first Village Cup match Ben Roe returned match-winning figures of 5 wickets for 21 (8-1-21-5).

The national rounds of the competition start immediately with Redbourn hosting Mayfield CC from East Sussex in round 5 on Sunday 19th June on the Common starting at 1pm.