Nitin Modha’s six-wicket haul proved fatal for North London as they slid to a three-wicket defeat in their low-scoring encounter with Bessborough in Division Three of the Middlesex County Cricket League.

Asked to bat first, NL were shot out for 141, with Modha returning 6-56 – and that proved too low a total for the visitors to defend as Bessborough scraped home.

Rich Hall marked his return to the club with a solid 25 as he and Hussain Shabbir (19) guided North London to 47-1 – but, once both had fallen to Modha, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals.

Captain Jack Atchinson batted doggedly for 28 before he was stumped off Modha and NL needed contributions from tailenders Tom Wakeford (12), Freddie Issitt (9 not out) and Maaz Haffeji (8) to reach 141.

Josh Pieters (3-36) collected two early wickets when Bessborough replied, but Kushal Patel’s innings of 77 kept the home side on course for victory.

Patel eventually became Pieters’ third victim, while Rosh Tennakoon (3-18) induced a middle-order collapse, but it was too late to save NL as Hemmen Jutla (8no) steered Bessborough across the line.