Welwyn Garden City still have half of the Herts Cricket League Premiership season to pull themselves out of trouble - but they will have to come from the bottom of the pile if they do it.

A four-wicket loss at home to Radlett not only dropped them below Old Owens, who shocked town rival, Potters Bar, but lifted the visitors to Digswell Park to the top of the table.

This was Welwyn's fifth loss of the campaign and carried on the pattern from the previous four where they were just unable to get all parts of their game going for long enough.

Not being able to get an above-par batting score, not being able to get early breakthroughs in Radlett's innings and missed fielding chances were just part of the problem this time around.

Radlett won the toss and put Welwyn into bat on a green wicket.

Once again Dylan Van der Westhuizen and Fayaz Homyoon started well but the former was gone with the score on 19, Randeep Sanghera in his first league game of the season snapping up his wicket.

But Homyoon pressed on and, along with Jack Clayton, the pair faced 178 balls, scoring 88.

Clayton had been untroubled through his 79-ball 45 but was suddenly bowled by Kabir Toor off his pads just before lunch to leave WGC on 107-2 in 33 overs.

Homyoon and Radha Marripati took WGC to 146 before the opener edged Suhaib Ahmad onto his pads for a season’s best 71.

Welwyn lost their way after this with wickets constantly falling as they looked for quick runs.

Off spinner Hayden Goulstone was the main beneficiary as he claimed the scalps of Marripati (26), Alex Chalker and Edward Tucker, all caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary by William Wright.

Goulstone kept going to finish on 5-64, Dylan Parker and Dan Orchard his other victims, leaving Welwyn on 226-9 in their 60 overs.

Only skipper Connor Emerton was able to score well in the lower order, finishing with 31 not out.

Any hopes of victory for the home team were soon dispelled as experienced Radlett openers Dominic Chatfield and Fraser Crawford scored 132 for the first wicket.

Clayton finally got the breakthrough with the final ball of the 29th over, trapping Chatfield for 73 off 91 balls and a brilliant pick up and throw by Tucker caused Crawford to be run out for 59.

But by the time Homyoon had David Burnell caught behind by Tim Mottershead, Homyoon then catching a shot from Toor (38), the game was lost.

An unbeaten 34-ball 37 by Goulstone saw Radlett home, winning by six wickets in the 50th over.

Welwyn host Harpenden on Saturday, needing to turn their fortunes around sharpish.