Stevenage may still be fourth in Division Two A of the Herts Cricket League but they are now just 10 points off Abbots Langley at the top of the table - having beaten the leaders by one wicket in dramatic fashion.

Langley had opted to bat first at Ditchmore Lane and made 166 before being bowled out in the 48th over.

Simon Hamilton (55) and George Agius (45) had put on 74 for the third wicket but the Stevenage bowlers were relentless.

Scott Davies led them with 3-33 but there was also 2-15 for Assad Zahid and 2-23 for Manohar Kosaraju.

Stevenage's reply seemed in trouble at 74-5 but Arunesh Bhart led the fightback with a fine 40 from 39 deliveries but it still came down to the last over when three were needed.

Two singles in the first four balls tied the scores and a four on the penultimate delivery from Moses Anil (17*) gave them the win.

Ickleford though find themselves at the wrong end of the division, a five-wicket loss to Holtwhites Trinibis leaving them bottom of the pile.

They batted first after winning the toss and George Crouch and Matt Baxter put on 53 for the first wicket, with Crouch finishing on 66.

But in almost typical fashion, there was a collapse to 89-4 before Luke Marsden and Thomas Brown steadied the ship with a stand of 35.

Brown departed for 30 but Sam Draper then joined Marsden, the new pair putting on 60 with a combination of excellent running between the wickets and putting the bad ball away.

Draper finished with 47, Marsden unbeaten on 53 and Fakhar Islam with 25.

That set Holtwhites 249 to win and the visitors got off to a strong start with 50 for the first wicket.

Marsden and Nadeem Akhtar then bowled in tandem to bring the game back into Ickleford's grasp but it was Islam who was the pick of the bowlers with 3-37.

Draper got one wicket, as did Marsden, but Holtwhites got home in the final over, jumping above Ickleford in the process.

The seconds lost by six wickets to Berkhamsted, losing early wickets as they too batted first.

Duncan Jenner held things together with a superb unbeaten 52 but unfortunately, no other batsmen really contributed as Ickleford were dismissed for 122.

They still bowled well in their reply, reducing Berkhamsted to 60-4 with Dinesh Cheripalli (2-20) and Asjid Hussain (2-17) the main threats.

But a few dropped catches did not help their cause and Berkhamsted sealed the win with 18 overs to spare.

There was better news for the thirds as they beat St Margaretsbury at Holwell.

Ickleford won the toss and elected to bat, posting 160-9 in their 40 overs.

Opener Shashi Mishra made 26 as Ickleford built to 68-1 in 13 overs but the visitors slowed the scoring down until Richard Peareth's quickfire 38. 

And the home side kept the momentum in the reply.

Peareth bagged 4-18, bettered only by skipper Scott Dalrymple's 5-47.

Fittingly Peareth rounded off the day taking a catch for the final wicket as St Margaretsbury were dismissed for 103.

The fourths though were well beaten by Hitchin fifths on a slow wicket.

Ickleford recovered to 47-3 but when Phil Maguire was bowled, the middle order collapsed with Mark Brooks taking four quick wickets including a hat-trick, to leave Ickleford on 55-7.

Some big hits from Gurinder Warraich and Doug Cree took the score close to 90 but then a further collapse left Ickleford all out shy of three figures.

Hitchin's openers easily knocked off the requires runs, taking 14 overs to do so despite some good bowling from Sam Larsen, Tom Harvey, Roy Izzard and newcomer Moosa Ahktar.

Division One saw three of the bottom four teams win, including Hitchin and Letchworth.

Hitchin beat third-placed Sawbridgeworth by five wickets, Duncan Howells the hero.

He took 6-26 in his 10 overs as the host were dismissed for 216, Kian Postlethwaite chipping in with 3-20.

Will Guest (49*) and Matthew Maylin (59*) then guided the visitors to victory with an unbeaten stand of 94 for the sixth-wicket.

Letchworth also won by five wickets at home to Leverstock Green, moving off the bottom of the table.

The away side batted first and made 190-8, David Sprittles the pick of the bowlers with 4-25 although there was an honourable mention for Joe Davidson with 3-24.

Victory was then secured on the first ball of the 48th over, Nathan Sprittles (31*) and Harry Aitkenhead guiding them home.

Earlier there had been good scores from Tom Manning (34), David Sprittles (32) and Praveen Bhatti (31).

Letchworth host Hitchin on Saturday at Whitethorn Lane.

Knebworth Park also won in Division Two B, their fourth success in a row keeping them third in the table.

They beat Potters Bar seconds by four wickets but didn't have it all their own way.

Skipper Matt Hutchinson won the toss and chose to bowl first to make best use of the wicket and favourable overhead conditions. 

Opening attack Charlie Randall and Gareth Jones (3-39) bowled with patience and control, Jones cleaning up the top three batsmen and later a cheeky run out as well. 

Archie Stephens (2-14) and Dave Roberts then maintained the stranglehold before Alex Richmond cleaned up the tail, along with some good catching from Rob Morley.

A counter-attacking innings from Callum Baylis was the Bar highlight but they eventually limped to 144.

But Park's batting had a shaky start, losing both openers cheaply and then stalling during the testing bowling of Ashish Padki.

Josh Roseberry did manage 39 and a brief cameo from Stephens (24) upped the run rate but at 107-6, the game was in the balance. 

However, an unbeaten stand of 41 between Morley (29*) and Hutchinson (16*) steered them home. 

Park take on unbeaten league leaders West Herts at home on Saturday.

The second team lost by eight wickets to Old Finchleians.

Adam Sergeant (27) and Mark Woods (42) began brightly before Park slid to 49-4.

James Bedford got 40 and Jack Randall 27 not out but the total of 170-8 from 50 overs was well under par.

And so it proved despite a controlled opening spell from second-team debutant and U15 Louis Hobbs.

He was unfortunate not to pick up a wicket, Sergeant and Rafi Combarro the only ones to find a breakthrough.

A first adult half-century for U15 Ryan Sheldon-Green was the highlight as the thirds lost by 37 runs to Hertford.

His innings of 50 including two maximums and with the experienced Jonathan Cirkel adding 44, they put on a fifth-wicket stand of 73.

However, the lower order couldn't maintain the momentum and they finished on 180.

Earlier Richard Wheeler had taken 2-16 with some tight bowling for Knebworth.

The father and son pair of Ian and Trent Hildenbrandt rescued the fourth team from an even heavier defeat against Potton. 

Ian hit 57 and Trent 28, with a battling 19 from James Best helping them to 141.

That seemed below par and Potton's openers raced to a 100-run opening stand to confirm Park's fears.

The breakthrough came from U13 Lewis Fung on his senior debut, bowling one that seamed down the hill and through the gate, and there was a fine piece of fielding from Ian Hildebrandt which led to a direct hit run out an over later.

But it was too little, too late for the Park as the visitors won by eight wickets with half their overs to spare.