Potter was hoping for a quiet afternoon in the bank holiday visit to the
picturesque ground at Great Gaddesden. However a lively opening attack
reduced Green to 2 2for 3 which caused a drastic re-think. Bambi was showing
no sign of losing his early season form in a partnership with Steve Shorey
that took the score to 65, when skipper Potter joined him for a violent 5th
wicket stand. Potter hit his first ball for 6 and didn't look back as the
pair added 106 in 52 balls Jon Bayfield finished with 87 and Paul Hurworth
struck 90 and it was left to The Sub (28 n.o.) to boost the 40 over total to
258 for 9 despite missing several reverse sweeps. Green looked sharp in the
field and they soon reduced Great Gaddesden to 138 for 7 with wickets for
Ryan Dack (1-27), The Sub (1-34), Paul Hurworth and, interestingly, Jon
Bayfield (2-29) backed up by some good catching. St.John (47) led the early
resistance but it was when Plummer was joined by Moore (21) that things
changed quite dramatically. t started when Plummer hit the ball straight to
Ivor whose foot flicked the ball up his leg a great speed to score a perfect
cannon. 86 was added for the 8th wicket at which time Green looked a beaten
side but Potter returned to pick up a couple more wickets and complete his
'five for'. with Plummer still in the home side still had a great chance
but, having reduced the deficit to 7, he was welll caught by Ryan Dack off
James Duhig. Cockinson's efforts to navigate his way out of the ground were
hampered by a large log giving the side some impromptu weight training to
lift the car off the piece of timber.
Hornchurch were coastng along, after Ananda Krishnan had removed opener
Murray early, with Gordon (42) and Savides constructing a useful 2nd wicket
partnership. A break for rain changed things with Chris Cook (3-36), Ali
Aslam (3-17) and Matt Simmons (3-11) taking wickets in quick succession as
the home side collapsed to 132 all out. The last 9 wickets went for 54 runs
and the lost 4 for just 1 run. Green's target was reduced because of the
rain but they soon lost Alex Cason and Freddy Butt. Ali Aslam (52 n.o.) was
joined by skipper Royston Smith (21) but Royston's departure at 64 meant
there was still a lot of work to do to win the game. However Thomas Oakley
(11 n.o.) gave assured support as Ali Aslam completed a fine all round
performance to finish with an undefeated half century as Green secured a 7
wicket win.
Keith Mtchell has enjoyed excellent early season form and it looked to be
more of the same as he took 3 early wickets to leave Harold Wood in trouble
at 66 for 5.Nearly 2 and a half hours were lost to rain after Wood's first 3
overs and the visitors were faced with a tricky decision in pacing their
innings. Mills, who struck the ball cleanly in his 35, and Rolls (32) put on
53 for the 6th wicket before Kiran Hindocha bowled the former and Rolls was
run out. Bones returned to pick up another couple of wickets and Fraser King
finished the innings off. With about an hour and a quarter left to bat a
target of 148 represented a stiff challenge on a pitch offering a fair
degree of movement. The Doc fell early which let in Kevin Chapman in the
unusual position of No.3. What followed was a stark contrast n batting with
Chappers striking the ball cleanly and Cockinson struggling to get the ball
off the square. However the pair ran well and 64 were added for the 2nd
wicket. Young Billy Moffatt, playing his first senior game, faced an awkward
situation and unfortunately fell early. Fraser King made a great impact on
the game with a quick 26 before he was run out with the scores level,
leaving The Hanger to saunter the winning run off the final ball.
Another miserable batting performance by the 5th XI in which only Steve
Shorey (17), James Hewitt(17) and Paul Simmons (10) made double figures, saw
them collapse to 74 all out against Stanford-le-Hope at Great & Little
Warley. This represented no problem for the visitors and, despite a wicket
apiece for John Doughty and Rob Duhig, they got home with 8 wickets in hand.
The 2nd and 3rd XI games were abandoned with the 2nd XI having just the time
to take an early Hornchurch wicket and the 3rds not getting started at all.
Green opened their Sunday League campaign with a 5 wicket win against Harold
Wood at Central Park. Dan Drury (3-36) and Trevor Oakley (2-47) both
performed well with the ball whilst Clarke's 118 held the Wood innings
together. Jon Bayfeld (51) and Alex Cason (39) made a good start until an
over ambitious 2nd run broke the partnership. There were some brief
fireworks from Smudger (38) before Thomas Oakley saw Green to victory with
an assured undefeated 40.
There was some good controlled bowling from Ryan Dack (2-21) and Kiran
Hindocha (1-28) who bowled their 8 overs at a reasonable economy rate at the
fast scoring ground at Rankins. Paul Simmons took 1 for 11 from 4 overs but
Green could not prevent the hosts from setting a target of 194 with Lees
(70) and Simmons (56) doing most of the scoring. In reply Green lost early
wickets and it was only Matt Simmons (48) who batted with any authority as
Green slumped to a disappointing 56 run defeat.
There was a distinct lack of mobility in the Green side that too to the
field against Old Victorians in the midweek match at High Beach. It was
suggested that an invitation sprint be held to determine the batting order
with Graeme Walker tipped by some to make the podium.Green's opening bowlers
were certainly not contenders with Moby and Ted Patel moving with their
customary grace and elegance. However they eached picked up a wicket to
arrest the flying start by the home side. Graeme Walker and John Coxall
brought the run rate down as the Old Vics' batting was held together by
Anderson who scored 90. Gary Pearson certainly did not look a likely
contender with his struggles to master the undulating outfield but his
father, after some sprightly fielding, surprised everyone with 3 for 9 to
finish off the innings and eye vie for a podium place. A total of 210 seemed
a bit below par but Green did not have too many batsmen in top form to make
it a formality. Billy Shorey was soon caught on the boundary but 'Pads'
Pearson joined Cockinson for a 2nd wicket stand of 63. After a shaky start,
'Pads' began to strike the ball cleanly whereas Cockinson was definitely
ruled out of the podium position n after the rare achievement of being run
out against the Old Boys. Keith Abbott (21) joined 'Pads' in a stand of 57
but they both fell within 10 runs of each other with Gary Pearson making an
excellent 84. The rate required was still a challenge but Bouncing Bill (39
n.o.) and Ivor (28 n.o.) saw Green home without further loss, leaving the
performances of the Pearson family earning them their place on the podium.
Freddie Butt (50) and Alex Cason gave Green a sold start against Fives &
Heronians at Central Park. The introduction of White (4-32) into the attack
changed the shape of the game as Green were reduced to 87 for 3. Thomas
Oakley (50) joined skipper Royston Smith (85) in a stand of 118 after which
Ananda Krishnan and Ramesh Gunalan added useful runs to take the score to
276 all out. Grahame Bull (2-25) took out the Fives openers after which
Ananda Krishnan (3-46) curtailed a mini revival with 3 wickets, reducing the
visitors to 89 for 5. Bhome (56) joined Irfan Ahmed (91), who had earlier
taken 4 wickets for 68, in a stand of 132 for the 6th wicket which
threatened to take the game away from Green. Chris Cook (3-43) broke the
partnership after which wickets fell at regular intervals leaving Fives 31
runs short.
Jon Bayfield continued his good early season form as the 2nd XI made light
work of chasing down the Colchester & East Essex total of 176. Bambi's
undefeated 81 dominated the innings with Tiraj Patel (43) and Mick Clarke
(30 n.o.) also batting well. The win was set up by some good bowling from
Minesh Gunalan (4-46), who took the first 4 wickets and Chathura Herath
(4-54) who took the last 4. In between, Dan Drury (2-18) took the other
wickets to fall in an economical spell. However, Green let a commanding
position of 104 for 8 slip as Sneath (52) staged a rearguard action.
The 3rd XI must wonder how they managed to let Harlow score a formidable 241
for 8 on an unreliable surface at Spicer's field. Suggs (3-41) was the pick
of the bowlers and Billy Greaves bowled well in taking 2 for 46) but there
was little threat elsewhere as Burton (72) and Aswani (65 n.o.) rattled up
the runs. Green's reply was held together by Gavin Castle who scored an
excellent 67 but with only 3 others making it to double figures (just),
Green finished well adrift at 169 for 8 in securing the draw.
Ryan Dack (3-24) gave the 4th XI a good start taking 2 early wickets to
leave Southend struggling at 29 for 2. The visitors seemed to have weathered
the storm until Vic Simmons removed skipper Hill for 27 after which Keith
Mitchell (3-22) removed Bunce with a jaffa. Bones and Fraser King (2-18)
didn't let Southend off the hook but they were defied for a long period by
Kearney (20) until Ryan Dack returned to remove his off stump. Green's
batting has been, at best, unreliable and although they opened with a stand
of 28, they were reduced to 83 for v5 with only Cockinson (36) showing much
resistance to Sohail who bowled beautifully for his 2 for 16. However, that
experienced campaigner Captain Fierce (19 n.o.) was joined by Kevin Chapman
(16 n.o.) and the pair saw Green home without further loss.
The batting woes of the 5th XI continued as they were shot out for 99
against Walthamstow 4th XI. Terry Dack made 20 at the top of the order but
nobody had the application to support Malcolm Waters who batted through from
number 4 for an undefeated 36. The paltry total seemed to be enough at one
stage when Walthamstow were reduced to 60 for 8 with John Doughty (6-31) and
Kiran Hindocha (3 -38) ripped through the early batting. However Green's
fielding didn't provide adequate support as they failed to take any off the
chances offered by Hussain who led the visitors to victory by 1 wicket with
an undefeated 32.
There was an early exit from the National Club Championship with a heavy
defeat at Upminster. Royston Smith (141 n.o.) was in magnificent form but
there wasn't anybody able to give him sufficient support to bat out the
overs as Green were dismissed for 250. The home side romped home despite 3
wickets from Rob Glassberg (3-28).
The Sunday 2nd XI produced an inadequate performance against St.
Margaretsbury's academy side. The home side's 1st XI contingent made the
most of a good batting surface and some poor bowling and fielding in
registering 228 for 3 in their 40 overs. Greens batting never threatened and
only Bambi (30), Dan Drury (20) and Keith Abbott making any sort of a fight
of it in a crushing 119 run defeat.
Green bowed out of the Bertie Joel Cup at the hands of the Mddlesex
Tamils at Central Park on Wednesday. The pitch offered assistance to the
bowlers throughout and green made a poor start in being reduced to 34 for 3
by the 10th over. Thomas Oakley settled things down a bit in partnership
with Smudger (62) until he fell to an excellent catch in the gulley. Chris
Haylett joined his skipper in the only substantial stand of the innings
before Royston fell with the score on 129. Chris was playing with great
maturity, mixing solid defence with good attacking strokes and was not
afraid to go over the top, when required. In this way, he managed to marshal
the tail which mad bright and breezy contributions to take the score to 200,
Chris finishing undefeated on 69. Dharmaraja did the most damage with the
ball, taking 4 for 23 in his 9 overs.
Thomas Oakley and James Duhig gave Green an excellent start in the Middlesex
Tamils innings reducing them to 18 for 2. Toast (2-30) and Bouncing Bill
(1-31 put a stranglehold on the middle order and Green seemed slight
favourites at 107 for 5. Bhonani changed the complexion of the game by
upping the tempo and looking comfortable both on the front and back foot.
His 42 turned the game around and Loganathan (77 n.o.) batted through the
whole innings, with his fair share of good fortune, to see the Tamils home.
Green were probably a front line bowler light but can take satisfaction from
the performances of Chris Haylett with the bat and James Duhig and Thomas
Oakley with the ball.
Westcliff-on-Sea seemed to hold the upper hand when Green were reduced to
18 for 13 iin reply to the home side's 50 over total of 259 for 7. Royston
Smith (43) and Paul Hurworth (23) led a partial recovery to 148 for 5 in
company with Thomas Oakley (65) who scored a fine half century. Westclff
retained favourites' status at 199 for 6 but Ramesh Gunalan shocked them
with some power hitting to lead Green to an 3 wicket victory. Ramesh
finished undefeated on 77. Green's bowlers had earlier toiled as Pratt and
Paveling each registered 50 in a century opening stand. Thomas Oakley
(2-38), Ali Aslam (2-44) and Chris Cook (1-33) each bowled an economical 10
over spell to exert an element of control on a fast scoring ground.
Former Green man Grant Apicella (64) score a half century as Harold Wood
posted a formidable 255 for 8 at Central Park on Saturday. Mick Clarke
(3-68) and John Doughty (2-58) did the damage with the ball but late runs
dented there figures somewhat. In response, Green seldom looked in the hunt
although there were good innings from both Michael Clarke (57) and Jon
Bayfield (43).
Green's 3rd XI were coasting comfortably as the hundred came up on the board
with just 1 wicket down. Sir Harold (55) looked in good form in his first
innings of the season as did Gavin Castle (38). An alarming collapse
followed to 139 all out with last man John Coxall being the highest
contributor with 5. Ayush Singh did most of the damage with 6 for 24.
Wanstead 4th XI were put on the back foot by James Haylett (2-21) but got
home fairly comfortably by a 5 wicket margin.
John Woodland (48) put Chingford in a sound position of 50 for 2 against the
4th XI at the Peter May Centre. The former England captain must have been
turning in his grave at the unreliable surface which was exploited to the
full by Keith Mtchell who took 5 for 8 in 10 overs including the bonus
wicket held at slip by Vic Simmons. Kevin Chapman, Kiran Hindocha and Adam
Savery took a wicket apiece with Ted Patel taking 2 early wickets for 29.
Green struggled in reply losing Cockinson, Pads and Luke Hartman cheaply but
The Doc was in resolute form and saw the team home in company with Herbie
who finished the game in style with a 6. Both the not out batsmen recorded
31.
The 5th XI attack did fairly well to restrict Loughton to 179 at Great and
Little Warley with Rob Duhig (2-35), Muddy Waters (2-40), Craig Burd (2-70)
and Terry Dack (1-14) all taking wickets. Green looked to be without a
chance after losing 4 early wickets. Muddy Waters (33) led the revival with
33 but then Craig Burd surprised everyone with some lusty hitting in an
innings of 45 which briefly raised hopes of an unlikely win. Once he was
dismissed the visitors were defied by a brace of Duhigs.
Green established a good position in restricting local rivals Upminster to
203 for 9 in 45 overs. Matt Simmons (3-36), Simon Jeffries (3-46) and The
Pig (2-26) were mainly responsible with the dangerous Ison falling to the
venerable porker. The heavens opened just 7 overs into Green's innings with
the score on 26 for 1.
Jon Bayfield (64) began in dominant form against Harold Wood in the Sunday
friendly at Central Park. after he was dismissed it was the familiar story
of a batting collapse by the Sunday 2nds with only Keith Abbott showing the
required applcation with an undefeated 31 as Green mustered 164 for 9. Only
one over was possible for Wood before heavy rain came.
Freddie Butt (57) hit form at last in a good opening partnership in the
first league game of the new season in Divison 1. Potter (33) was first to
go with the score on 81 but, after a brief slump to 118 for 3, Ramesh
Gunalan (28) and Thomas Oakley (34) took Green to a respectable 50 over
total of 218 for 6 which included a boost from 33 extras. Wickets fell at
regular intervals in the Hadleigh & Thundersley reply with Ananda Krishnan
in fine form n taking 4 for 37. He had good support from Matt Simmons (2-33)
and Ali Aslam (3-30) as the visitors finished 48 runs adrift.
West Essex looked posed to post a bg total when coasting at 150 for 2
against the 2nd XI at The Rolls. However, James Duhig (2-30), Mck Clarke
(2-40), Dan Drury (3-15) and Chris Haylett (2-6) turned the game on its head
with the home side slumping to 191 all out. Jon Bayfield (76) and Mick
Clarke (54) dominated Green's innings as they coasted to a comfortable 5
wicket victory inside 42 overs.
Bowling dominated the 4th XI fixture against South Woodford at Ilford
Wanderers. South Woodford slumped from 43 for 2 to 78 all out thanks largely
to Keith Mitchell who bowled magnificently in taking 6 for 11 from 10.3
overs. Kevin Chapman (2-12) had taken the first two wickets in a lively
opening spell whilst Ted Patel (1-29) and Kiran Hindocha (1-20) took the
other wickets. The visitors' opening attack of Sohal and Usmain Khan were
more than a handful and, after losing 'Pads' Pearson for 10, Cockinson (25)
and Luke Hartman (24) looked to have made the game safe in taking the score
to 52 for 1. The introduction of Smith and Haroon Ikram precipitated a
collapse to 60 for 5 but The Doc held firm until just before Green limped
across the line.
Rob Duhig (2-68) dismissed both openers in the 5th XI game against Benfleet
but consistent batting throughout the inniings saw the home side reach 202
for 6 in the 42nd over. Craig Burd (2-50) took a couple of wickets whilst
Malcolm Waters and Paul Simmons took 1 apiece. Too much time had been lost
to rain to make victory a realistic prospect but Steve Shorey (32) and Paul
Simmons (26) batted well as Green closed on 111 for 3.
The 3rd XI game at Hadleigh and Thndersley was called off after only a few
overs. It is not known whether the hosts were intimidated by the sight of
Aaron Hills opening the batting but we suspect it is more likely to be
because of the wet conditions.
Graham Bull struck early by removing Gladwin first ball in the 1st round of
the Conference Cup at Saffron Walden. Barrs (59) scored a useful half
century as Walden posted 196 for 8 from their 45 overs. Matt Simmons
continued his impressive early season form in taking 4 for 23 in his 9 over
spell whilst Graham Bull finished with 2 for 18. Green began badly with the
early loss of Alex Cason. Paul Hurworth (28), Ananda Krishnan (27) and
Royston Smith (31)each made a start without playing the substantial innings
required but the innings fell away badly apart from some late resistance
from Bully (21). Hill and Larsen shared 7 wickets whilst former Green man
Scott Baker conceded a mere 14 runs in his 9 overs.
A weakened Green 2nd XI were surprisingly asked to bat in the game against
Hockerill and were soon in trouble at 37 for 5. Only Adam Mathias (17) made
double figures from the top 6 and t was left to some resistance down the
order from Terry Dack (12), Vic Simmons (18) and Ted Patel (15) to take the
score above 100. Green's attack bowled with accuracy on a very slow pitch
but, after John Coxall achieved an early breakthrough, Sanders and Hudson
took the score to 54 before the next wicket fell. Youngsters Adam Savery,
who took 3 for 21, and Kiran Hindocha, who took 1 for 11 from his 12 overs,
brought Green back into the game but Dewey saw them home in the 45th over.
The midweek side began their campaign with a 6 wicket defeat off the
final ball at Little Hadham. There was plenty in the wicket (except pace)
after Green decided to bat on winning the toss. Mason-Smth and Oxborrow
bowled tidy spells and, although Potter briefly threatened to take the game
out of reach with some clean hitting allied to some shots that were not out
of place n the rural setting, Green were soon struggling at 68 for 4. A
stand of 47 between Steve Shorey (25) and Russell Savidge (49) rescued the
situation and the latter continued to strike the ball well until an
over-ambitious reverse sweep ent straight into the hands of gulley when he
was 1 short of a half century. There was brief resistance from The Pig but
the final 4 wickets went down in a clatter for 9 runs. A total of 174 seemed
to be a reasonably challenging target in the conditions.
Ryan Dack bowled a good line in his opening 6 over spell and deservedly
picked up a couple of wickets for 17. The Sub then began a 12 over spell
into a gale force wind and, despite being hit for 6 first ball, bowled with
commendable control to take 2 for 27 as Green reduced the home side to 70
for 4. The fielding left a bit to be desired in the bitter conditions and
batting became easier as the pitch dried and the ball became softer after a
couple of visits to the adjacent river. Jaynes (55n.o.) and Oxborrow (52 n.o.)
showed commendable patience in timing the chase to perfection.
Green soon lost Potter and Freddie in their league cup encounter at
Horndon-on-the-Hill but a stunning 3rd wiicket stand between Royston Smith
(102) and Ramesh Gunalan (89) knocked the stuffing out of the home side.
Thomas Oakley (32), Ananda Krishnan (36) and Chris Cook (22 n.o.) continued
the run riot as Green closed on 331 for 6 from their 45 overs. James Duhig
made an early breakthrough in the reply but Joyce (40) and West (66)
threatened to strike back with positive batting. It was spinner Matt Simmons
who really undermined Horndon with a 5 wicket haul for just 21 in 7 overs as
they were dismissed for225 despite some resistance from Marson (48).
The 2nd XI scored a respectable 216 for 3 in their friendly game against
Hockley with half centuries for Martin Cason (57), Chris Haylett (51 n.o.)
and Micky Clarke (50). Jack taylor chipped in with an undefeated 25. In
reply, there was some encouragement for Green's bowlers with two wickets
apiece for Jack Taylor (2-25) and Rob Duhig (2-34) but they could not
prevent the visitors taking the spoils in the final over with 4 wickets in
hand.
The 3rd XI suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Goresbrook in
2009 and did not fare much better this time around .On a wicket of
unpredictable bounce, playing shots proved difficult and Goresbrook must
have been more than happy with their 40 over total of 185 for 9. John
Doughty (3-35), paul Sutton (2-23) and Paul Simmons (2-25) took the wickets
and there was a fine spell from Ryan Dack at the start of the match. Steve
Shorey was disappointed that his two catches at Hockerill were not mentioned
on the website and we are more than happy to make amends by congratulating
him on his 50% record on that day (admittedly one of the other chances took
his hand to boundary with it). Ivor doubled his rate this time around to
100% but, unfortunately, it was a 100% drop rate as he spilled a chance at
mid-wicket. The Green batting capitulated with only Gavin castle showing the
technique and application required in his 49 and Paul Sutton briefly
entertaining thoughts of an unlikely victory with 22. A 54 run margin of
defeat was an accurate reflection on the game.
Green made the trip over the river to the pleasant Bexley ground with a
much weakened side following 3 late withdrawals. The home side seemed
comfortable enough without threatening to dominate until James Duhig (2-59)
broke the opening stand, courtesy of a catch by the Pig in the gulley. After
the opening attack were rested, the scoring rate increased until Haley took
one too many liberties against the Pig and was stumped. Woodgate continued
to nurdle the ball around but the fireworks came from Pointer who blasted a
very quick 62 before retiring, much to the relief of the Green attack. He
survived a chance on the cover boundary but hit the ball vast distances in
claiming his four 6s. The final 40 over total was 264 for 4 but this is less
than seemed likely at the 30 over mark. Woodgate batted through for a good
87 not out.
Green were reliant on a few batsmen to make an impression but nobody really
got going. Smudger hit a few fine blows in his 40 including the novelty of
striking some free hits that were signalled with alacrity by Rocket Ron.
Ron, as usual, was quick on the draw but managed to hand Smudger a life by
an early no ball call registering before his middle stump was broken. A
crushing defeat made bearable by the choice of beer in the host's bar.
Darren Frampton (107) scored an excellent century for visitors Belhus in the
Sunday friendly game at Central Park. He had little assistance however as
Belhus struggled to 182 for 6 from their 40 overs with Matt Simmons
continuing his fine form of the previous day with 3 for 38 whilst The Hanger
made a miraculous recovery from the previous day to take 2 for 21. Green
made a steady start to their reply through Billy Shorey (15) and The Onion
(20). Paul Simmons looked in good touch before falling for 30 but that was
the last success with the ball for Belhus as Matt Simmons (75 n.o.) and
Kevin Chapman (25 n.o.) saw Green to a 7 wicket victory.
Green did the double over Hartley country Club with solid performances by
by 1st and 2nd XIs.
Potter (70) made his 2nd half century of the year whilst Thomas Oakley
scored a quick-fire 33. Ananda Krishnan chipped in with 29 but Green failed
to bat out the full 40 overs, being dismissed for 212 with 2 balls left.
Thomas also shone with the ball taking 4 for 19 and was backed up by Matt
Simmons whose 2 for 39 included the scalp of former Kent county player, Min
Patel, who fell to a fine boundary catch by James Duhig. This was a welcome
start for the 1st XI who suffered a crushing defeat in the corresponding
game last year.
The Pig has become an expert on finding flat tracks on which to offer his
services as an opener and managed to persuade the skipper to allow him to
make amends for his 9 in a similar position last year. This he duly
accomplished scoring 45 in an excellent opening stand with Jon Bayfield (76)
who looked in decent touch. Chris Haylett (42) and Jack Taylor also made
useful runs, as did Mick Clarke whose injury that forced him to retire hurt
remains a mystery and may well be pursued by the statisticians. The 40 over
total of 255 for 4 was challenging for an early season game but the home
side made a decent fist of the chase but the bowling of Jack Taylor
(3-27),Chris Haylett (2-10) and Rob Duhig (2-30) reestricted them to 245
giving Green a 10 run victory.
The 3rd XI could not make it 3 out of 3 as they fell to a 6 wicket defeat at
High Beach. The home side encouraged Green to bat first and, after the early
loss of 'Pads' Pearson, Cockinson and Billy Bosh looked secure without
setting the world on fire. When the former departed Gavin Castle looked in
no trouble at all. Billy seemed to tire and finally perished in the 30th
over for 47 allowing Suggs and the Inspector to give the total a much needed
late boost. Ryan Dack made a breakthrough in the first over and generally
bowled and fielded well taking 2 catches to add to his 2 wickets for 36. The
home side were ahead of the rate very early and Green suffered for failing
to take their chances. Mitchell Collett picked up a couple of wickets but
High Beach eased home with just over 3 wickets to spare and 6 wickets in
hand.
There was a disappointing performance by the only side to play on Sunday.
Brentwood Victorians chose to bat first and lost a wicket to the first ball
of the match, courtesy of James Duhig. Wickets fell fairly regularly but
there was late resistance to take the core for 196 for 7 in the allotted 40
overs. Green too made a bad start, losing Jon Bayfield early on. Martin
Cason broke the early shackles with a couple of big hits in his 21 whilst
Cockinson hung around for a while for 24. Crucially, Royston Smith was
dismissed cheaply and it was only skipper Matt Simmons who could have been
satisfied with his innings as Green slumped to 147 all out. Nine of the
batsmen were bowled which suggests a lack of application on a decent if slow
track.
The 2010 season got underway in welcome sunshine.
The 1st XI got off to a winning start with a close encounter at High Roding.
Smudger (73) made some useful early season runs games, Green failed to bat
out the overs and were dismissed for 256 leaving a frustrated Whale high and
dry. Hussein (111) played an excellent innings but Munesh(2-40) and Ramesh
(2-13) each took a brace of wickets whilst Ananda took 3 for 28 to leave the
hosts 9 short.
A weak 2nd XI went down to a comprehensive defeat at Hokerill. Graham Cook
(2-32) and The Pig (3-29) were the notable wicket takers but there was some
good work with the ball by Ryan Dack, Mitchell Collett and Adam Savery who
were backed up well in the field. Green held Hockerill to a respectable 225
for 9 but were never really in the hunt. Cockinson hung around for a while
for 22 without ever looking like a sprinter between the wickets and there
were some late lusty blows from The Pig (28) but all tono avail with 130
runs being the margin of defeat.
The result of the Sunday game was insignificant following a nasty injury to
one of the Penn Street players who split his knee cap (with plenty of other
damage in the knee area) sliding to prevent a four. With proceedings halted
whilst the ambulance was called, Green's innings was closed prematurely on
266 for 5 following a blistering ton by Martin Cason (108 n.o.) and a hard
hit 52 from Potter. Chris Haylett chipped in with 32 as the Penn Street boys
kept to their task in good spirits. The Pig (3-17) and Kevin Chapman (2-15)
found conditions to their liking as Penn Street were dismissed for 95.
The Indoor League season came to a close at St. Edwards school on Sunday
as the "D" team followed the "A's" & "B's" by winning their respective
Havering League division. With the "C's" finishing in a comfortable 5th
place behind the "B's" in division one and the over 40's "A" side runners up
at Chelmsford in January (not forgetting the Rampant Griffons just missing
out on the semi finals), it has most certainly been a vintage winter for
those who took part.
The "D's" final match was something of an anti-climax as opponents Noak Hill
Taverners failed to show, thereby gifting the 12 points needed for the title
to the Green. Given that nearest rivals Abridge had also enjoyed one such
walkover perhaps it was meant to finish that way? Instead an enjoyable
practice match took place as Tony Clarke and his able assistants joined in
with TC himself producing a stunning run out & "Bones" Mitchell taking 3
catches (yes 3!!!).
Thanks to Tony Clarke and his team of umpires plus Robin for scoring in what
has been another enjoyable and well run winter season. We now move onto the
more serious matter of the summer season hoping that the winter success is a
sign of things to come!