Ufford Park have gone top of the Hunts Indoor League after the 3rd round of matches and are now the only unbeaten team after a dramatic day of Indoor Cricket at Bushfield Sports Centre. Ufford and Ak11 had been joint top, but a narrow defeat for AK and a bizarre win by Ufford turned the tables.
Ufford went top with a 17-run win over 5-man Burghley Park, after a chaotic batting performance. Ufford started well and Muhammad Rizwan retired under indoor league rules with 25, but then Ufford lost 4 wickets for virtually nothing due to two bizarre run outs and two outstanding one handed catches from Pete Hewitt and collapsed to 57-4 from 3.4 overs. Rizwan returned to be batting with wicket keeper batsman Jonathan Bigham and the pair added 92 for the 5th wicket with a mixture of brutal hitting and sensible calm running. Rizwan finished unbeaten with 81 which included four sixes and eight fours while Bigham was dismissed last ball of the innings for 33.
Burghley started well in reply with Pete Hewitt and Simon Sherwin batting well and scoring quickly with 23 coming from the first over and 60 on the board after just 4 overs. However, when they were both dismissed for 23 and 32 respectively wickets tumbled to leave Burghley 84-4 with last man James Biggs batting on his own. The keeper batsman batted well scoring a quick fire unbeaten 50 but Ufford just about got over the line knowing that they had got away with one and probably would have lost if Burghley had 6 players.
Werrington went 2nd after a 3 wicket win over last years indoor league winners AK11 and also record Ak’s first indoor defeat since November 2023, when ironically, they also lost to the same opposition! Ak posted 149-5 – (which incredibly was the same score as Ufford Park) with Sufyan Mazhar 57 not out, Mohammed Nadeem Zahid (32) and Sudheer Jafeer (26) the men in form. Junaid Hussain was the pick of the bowlers for Werrington with 2-38. Chasing 150, Werrington lost two early wickets but one of the keys to success in indoor cricket is to get 1 or 2 players back in the dugout with 25 to their name. Werrington exceeded that expectation to get 3 players back with opener Shehzad Akhter returning to finish unbeaten on 43 and he received excellent support from Usman Hanif (28), Junaid Hussain (25), with Naveed Ahmed (although not retiring) scoring a quick fire 24. 59 runs were bludgeoned from the last 2.4 overs to see Werrington win by 3 wickets with 2 balls remaining.
Pak Azad made it back-to-back wins with a very convincing 6 wicket win over Wansford. All Pak Azad bowlers were tight and also bowled a good line and length to restrict Wansford to 100-3 from their 10 overs despite the best efforts of experienced campaigner Nick Bradbury (25) and talented teenager Rudra Valambhia (23). Pak Azad wicket keeper Sam Tyler was involved in all 3 dismissals with a run out and 2 stumpings and he was at the crease at the finish with an unbeaten 21 to see his side victorious with 27 balls remaining. Earlier Mohammed Danyaal and Abdul Waris had both retired with very quick batting.
Hampton made it 3rd time lucky against Bretton in the battle of the two clubs who have yet to win this season. These two clubs always produce exciting indoor matches and yet again no one was to be disappointed. Bretton’s 116-4 was built around an unbeaten 28 from Neil Buckingham, supported by 21 from Luke Mariott and 19 from Captain Andy Bennett. Hampton player Ali Ghazanfar was exceptional bowling a maiden (which is very rare in indoor cricket) and taking 1-9 from his 2 overs and also taking a stunning catch. Chasing 117 Hampton started well with Ali Shah and Saqab Ali safely back retired, but 4 quick wickets led by two exceptional direct hit run outs from Ethan Bennett swung the match back towards Bretton. However, Shah and Ali were having other ideas and through controlled hitting and good communication reduced the deficit needing 10 from the last over which they duly did with 1 ball remaining. Saqab Ali finished unbeaten on 34 with two sixes and four fours while his partner Ali Shah brought up his 50, finishing unbeaten on 52 with three sixes and three fours.
Week 3 Results – Sunday 30th November 2025.
1st match – Pak Azad beat Wansford by 6 wickets.
Wansford 100-3 from 10 overs. Nick Bradbury 25 – (Retired), Rudra Valambhia 23 (1x6), Dash Singh Janardhan 15 not out.
Pak Azad 101-0 from 5.3 overs. Mohammed Danyaal 26 – Retired (2x6 and 2x4), Abdul Waris 25 – Retired (1x6 and 2x4), Sam Tyler 21 not out.
2nd match – Hampton beat Bretton by 2 wickets.
Bretton 116-4 from 10 overs. Neil Buckingham 28 not out (2x6 and 1x4), Luke Marriott 21 (1x4), Andy Bennett 19 (1x6)
Hampton 118-4 from 9.5 overs. Ali Shah 52 not out (3x6 and 3x4), Saqab Ali 34 not out (2x6 and 4x4), Jawad Ali 15 (2x4).
3rd match – Ufford Park beat 5 man Burghley Park by 17 runs.
Ufford Park 149-5 from 10 overs. Muhammad Rizwan 81 not out (4x6 and 8x4), Jonathan Bigham 33 (3x4)
Burghley Park 132-4 from 10 overs. James Biggs 50 not out (4x6 and 2x4), Simon Sherwin 32 (1x6 and 1x4), Pete Hewitt 23 (2x6 and 2x4)
4th match – Werrington beat AK11 by 3 wickets.
AK11 149-5 from 10 overs. Sufyan Mazhar 57 not out (5x6 and 1x4), Mohammed Nadeem Zahid 32 (2x6 and 2x4), Sudheer Jafeer 26 (2x6 and 2x4). Junaid Hussain 2-38
Werrington 151-3 from 9.4 overs. Shehzad Akhter 43 not out (2x6 and 1x4), Usman Hanif 28 not out (1x6 and 2x4), Junaid Hussain 25 – Retired (2x6 and 1x4), Naveed Ahmed 24 (1x4)
FIXTURES WEEK 4 – SUNDAY 7TH DECEMBER 2025:
- 2.30pm – Hampton v Pak Azad
- 3.30pm – Ufford Park v AK11
- 4.30pm – Burghley Park v Werrington
- 5.30pm - Bretton v Wansford
The league table can be found on Play Cricket here
NOTE:
- 3 points for a win
- If points are level, league places are decided on head-to-head wins.
- If league places are still level, then positions are decided on the amount of opposition wickets taken during the season.
- Pak Azad are 2nd on head-to-head win v Werrington.
- Werrington are 3rd on head-to-head win v AK11.
- AK11 play Pak Azad on Sunday 14th December 2025.
- Wansford ahead of Burghley Park on head-to-head win.
- Burghley Park ahead of Hampton on head-to-head win.
- Hampton play Wansford on Sunday 14th December 2025.
