Northampton Exiles lost their opening Herts Division Seven game of the season by five wickets against Hemel Hempstead Thirds.

After losing the toss and being inserted by Hemel, Exiles started with a steady opening stand of 30 from Mike Bullard (14) and Amit Naik (11). However, Exiles then lost a flurry of wickets to leave them struggling at 42 for four.

Some consolidation was required and a solid innings by Shaun Lawler (26) was supported by valuable contributions from the lower order alongside extras (38). This led Exiles to finish on a below par 148 all out from 41.4 overs.

Exiles started strongly in reply with a first breakthrough provided by Yagnesh Patel (one for 21).

The side struggled to take regular wickets despite an excellent 20 overs of spin from captain Anil Mistry (one for 29) and Rakesh Gogna (one for 22).

But Hemel reached the target with six overs to spare.

Northampton Exiles Seconds lost to Hemel Hempstead Fourths by nine wickets in a one-sided Division Eight B opener.

After winning the toss and electing to bat Exiles lost early wickets but consolidated through Nikesh Shah (24) and Krishan Naik (39).

The mainstay of the innings was Steve Plum (94) who played some fine strokes and paced his innings beautifully.

After a fluent knock from Robbie Gibson (24), Exiles lost a clutter of wickets which stalled the momentum. However, a quickfire 42 from Drupesh Patel helped to lift the side to a good total of 267 all out.

But Hemel managed to reach the target comfortably for the loss of a wicket.

Northampton Exiles thirds eased to a 75-run victory over Preston fourths in Regional Division four B East.

After losing the toss and being inserted, Pratik Patel got Exiles off to a good start with Mohsin Azham (24) looking promising on his debut for the club.

Valuable contributions from Arjun Popat (17) and Abdul Arif (19) helped Exiles to a competitive total of 152 from 38 overs.

Arif and Rahul Vyas opened the bowling and an early wicket for Vyas put Preston on the back foot. Then came a masterclass from the veteran Nutan Shah, who ripped through the opposition batting line up with five wickets. Another fine debut from Niaz Shazad who took two wickets and a notable catch in the deep by Arif helped bowl Preston out for 78.