Freeman and Horne make VP's day

The Green pairing of Alastair Horne and Michael Freeman gave their services to the Vice President's XI and pulled off an unlikely win off the last ball in the traditional fixture of the bank holiday weekend.
Rob Glassberg (67) got Green off to a flyer with Royston Smith (23) keeping up the momentum. Former Essex player Don Topley scored a belligerent 72 and, in keeping with tradition, Gavin Castle remained undefeated on 43.
Greg Churchill (42) and Jon Powell (45) put the VP's XI in a useful position but 2 wickets apiece for Rob Glassberg (2-15), Mick Clarke (2-16) and Don Topley (2-34) looked to have swung the game Green's way until the 9th wicket heroics from Horne (43 n.o.) and Freeman (40 n.o.) saw them to victory with a bye from the last ball.
Thanks to Terry Jackson for hosting another wondetrful day and restricting the length of his speech. Thanks too to the girls for putting on such a magnificent spread for the players and guests.

Bayfield Hammers The Vics

Jon Bayfield (52) led the way with a half century in the 40 over friendly against Brentwood Victorians. Ian Gibbs (39), Chris Brett (26) and James Lock (24 n.o.) all made runs as green cantered to victory in just 33 overs.
Earlier Al Surrey (2-19) and Dave Mocock (2-31) had helped restrict the hosts to a modest 167 for 7 on the old county ground.

Jumbo's Five Turns Game at Fives

A fine spell of bowling by Simon Jeffries turned the game against Fives & Heronians. All batsmen seemed to thrive against the pace bowling but a brake was applied when Misbah Uddin (2-63) and Jo Jayasuriya  (2-48) came on to bowl spin. However, the introduction of Jumbo to the attack had a dramatic impact as he took 5 for 20 in just a handful of overs to dismiss the home side for 233.
In response, Jon Powell (42),  Ian Russell  (33) and Rob Glassberg (31 n.o.) all batted positively but it was Royston Smith (104 n.o.) who led the side to victory, reaching his century with a match-winning six.
The gap at the top has been closed to 11 points following Brentwood's draw with Orsett. Surprisingly, Colchester took only 2 points from their game against bottom of the table Hadleigh and are now 28 points adrift in 3rd place.

Leaders Loughton Sneak Home Against 2nds

The 2nd XI failed to break out of the relegation zone in division one following a narrow defeat to leaders Loughton. Gavin Castle battled for an undefeated 85 and Martin Cason scored 37 but Green came up 8 runs short of maximum batting points.
Loughton were troubled by the spin of Ali Horne (5-56) but reached their target thanks to an undefeated 71 by Greenhill. Russell Savidge bowled well in taking 2 for 30.
With Leigh and Westcliff both securing a maximum 20 points the final 2 league games are crucial for survival in Division One.

Stalemate at the Top for 3rd XI

The 3rd XI managed to retain top spot in Division One after a draw with their nearest challengers, Hutton. The visitors posted a demanding 186 for 8 on a difficult pitch at Ilford Wanderers. Ahmed Kiani (3-42) and Keith Mitchell (3-78) took 3 wickets apiece. In response, Green never really looked likely to overhaul the total despite useful knocks from Gerry Reardon (42), Graham Cook (40) and Ahmed Kiani (33 n.o.) and held on for the draw at 157 for 7.
The 3rd XI are now assured of promotion but the gap between them and Hutton is now just 3 points.

Green Run Out Winners Thanks to Muddy

Malcolm Waters (72 n.o.) and Kevin Brailey (57) steered the 4th XI to a 5 wicket victory at Hutton on Saturday. Chasing 193 for victory, Green found themselves in trouble as both Cockinson and Pete Harvey struggled to come to terms with the idiosyncrasies of Muddy's running. The pair dominated the bowling with some excellent batting against a fair attack. The Point's departure caused a minor flurry of wickets as Brad Scott and Tonker Wyatt fell in quick succession but Al Surrey surprised onlookers with a few pleasant strokes as he stayed with Muddy to complete the job.
Earlier the Green bowlers had set up a promising position with James Haylett, Dean Pruscino, Andy Cook and Al Surrey  (2-29) all taking wickets and Joanne Cook bowling a good economical spell. However the pressure eased off as the Hutton batsmen counter-attacking with Frost in particular in fine form. With the 200 in sight a magnificent catch in the deep by Kevin Brailey and two behind the stumps by Cockinson brought the innings to an abrupt end with Dean (4-46) ending up with a well-deserved 4 wicket haul.
The gap at the top of the table is now just 5 points following Brentwood's surprise defeat although, with two tough games to come, Green will do well to hold on to 2nd spot.

Tame Draw for 5ths in Friendly

The 5th XI posted a useful 195 for 8 declared in their friendly game against Harold Wood. Keith Walmsley made 51 with youngsters Alex Cason (36) and Adam Green (23) also amongst the runs.
Surprisingly Wood made no effort to chase the target despite losing only 2 wickets, both to Tiraj Patel (2-10)and played out a tame draw reaching 148 in their 47 overs.

Russell Sparks Run Riot

A delayed start to the game at Sawbridgeworth allowed a bit of R&R for the players with the bar open and the test match on the television. After lunch Green took advantage of ideal batting conditions to rattle up 301 for 3 declared in 41 overs. Ian Russell (126), Michael Freeman (52), James Wyatt (51 n.o.) and Rob Glassberg (49) all scored freely.
This total seemed insufficient as Sawbridgeworth hit the accelerator. Adam Green (2-37) bowled an excellent opening spell but it was Dave Brown (3-51) who caused the batsmen most concern and helped apply the brake. The Sub kept the fielders interested in the surrounding forestry and Fat Cas winkled a couple out with his occasional leg spin. Rob Glassberg finished things off with a 3 ball spell in which he took 2 for 6.

Disappointing Day at Wilmington

There were more barrels of beer than players as the midweek XI arrived at Wilmington's cricket week and mini beer festival. With only 6 players at the scheduled start a series of substitutes enabled the game to get underway until the home side managed to reach 10 players. Mick (38) and Josh Barnard (48) took full advantage of the short boundary with Chris Brett (32) and Al Surrey (37 n.o.) also making quick runs but it was Adam Green who impressed the most with 59 not out including 4 sixes.
Wilmington were never in the hunt with Dave Brown (3 for 43) and Steve Gawler (3-31) using the damp pitch well. Aaron Hills (2-8) proved too brisk for the lower order as the innings was wrapped up in just 26.3 overs.

Hadleigh Gorge Themselves From Smudger's Trolley

The 1st XI suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Hadleigh & Thundersley in the Sunday League game at Central Park. Taking the field with 9 men, Green found it hard to stem the flow of runs despite an early wicket for Chris Brett. With Smudger suffering the previous night's festivities wandering in the outfield and Mick Clarke on strike in the covers causing much work for the hard working Bambi, there was little the fielding side could do. Aaron Hills finally made a breakthrough in a lively spell at which point Fat Cas turned up (from officiating at a junior game) only to make frequent visits to his Big Mac on the boundary. The few fielders on view stood up well to the onslaught and took 3 wickets with run outs. Mick Clarke took 3 wickets to haul back the visitors but Smudger recalled the days of Brian Haylett as the distant houses were peppered with cricket balls in his 3 over spell which yielded 44 runs and 2 wickets. How we longed for the economy that Pipey may have brought to the proceedings.
Bambi (33) and Mick Clarke (34) set off at the required rate but the wheels came off in the sixties when 3 wickets fell for just 6 runs including the prolific Smith. The Inspector was joined by Martin Cason and the pair began to rebuild the innings but could not sustain the required rate. Clouseau's departure precipitated a collapse as new batsmen tried vainly to make a dent in what became a monumental target.

Stortford Scrape Home

The Sunday 2nd XI slipped to a one wicket defeat in a 40 over contest against Bishops Stortford I following a stand of 20 runs for the last wicket. Mick Barnard (30) and Al Surrey were largely responsible for the 40 over total of 153 for 9. Despite Pipey taking 4 for 30 and James Lock (2-22) and Al Surrey (2-24) taking a couple of wickets apiece the home side managed to scramble home in the last over.
This represented a magnificent achievement by Al Surrey whose face matched his newly acquired hair colour an hour before the start following the excesses of the previous night.

1st XI Frustrated by Chingford

A magnificent undefeated century by Jo Jayasuriya (133 n.o.) dominated a fine batting performance on a difficult pitch against promotion hopefuls Chingford. Royston Smith (43) and Ian Russell (46 n.o.) helped Jo take the score to 244 for 2 declared.
The visitors' challenge was extinguished almost immediately with Mick Clarke (4-56) in fine form. However, Chingford dug in to frustrate Green's title ambitions losing only 1 wicket in the final 25 overs.
With Brentwood gaining 18 points from their victory over Woodford Wells, a gap of 17 points has opened up at the top and much will depend on the result of the game between Colchester and Brentwood in two weeks time.

2nds Surprised by Upminster Tactics

The 2nd XI found promotion chasing Upminster surprisingly unenterprising in their drawn game on Saturday. Chris Gibbon was in fine form with the ball taking 5 for 39 as the home side were reduced to 184 all out. Trevor Oakley gave excellent support with 3 for 67. Green lost wickets fairly regularly in pursuit of the runs and, despite Gavin Castle's undefeated 60 and 37 from Martin Cason, settled for a draw on 167 for 8.

Fox Fires 3rds With Seven

John Coxall (7-55) bowled superbly with support from Keith Mitchell (2-56) at Chingford as the hosts were bowled out for 147 There was a welcome return to form for Gerry Reardon (60 n.o.) as Green retained their top spot with an 8 wicket victory. Andy Symes (34) and Ian Gibbs (30 n.o.) were also in fine form with the bat.

Jack's Back to See 4ths Home

A good all round bowling performance saw a weak Upminster batting side dismissed for just 82 at Ilford Wanderers on Saturday. Al Surrey (3-16) and Andy Cook (3-19) took 3 apiece after James Haylett (2-4) had taken the first two wickets for just 4 runs. Aaron Hills and Ian Beaumont picked up a wicket apiece to finish off.
The Visitors' new ball attack proved more than a handful dismissing both of Green's openers with just 2 on the board. However Kevin Brailey (33) and Jack Brennan (34 n.o.) survived the onslaught to see Green home by 7 wickets with the former bowled round his legs attempting to sweep the occasional leg-spinner Langston.

Go Slow Green So Close to Victory

The 5th XI batted on beyond 52 overs having just failed to achieve 4 batting points that would have prompted the declaration (149 for 6 at 52 overs). Muddy Waters (62 n.o.) dominated the batting with Keith Walmsley (21), Alex Cason (20) and Adam Green (20) also making runs but the side did not really recover from their slow start.
Kevin Chapman (4-23) soon put Wanstead in trouble but a crucial drop by Pipey off his own bowling allowed the home side to survive finishing on 92 for 9.

Sunday 2nds Let Down by Opponents

The Sunday 2nd XI were let down by opponents Queens Park this week. A replacement fixture was found against Kingfisher but they too cried off - by text at midnight on Saturday!

Excellent Smudger Steers Green to Victory

 Royston Smith led his side to victory over 3rd placed Colchester in the gloom at Central Park. Rain interrupted play near the end of the Colchester innings but on the resumption the visitors were soon dismissed for 201.
Green's reply ran into a spot of trouble in a demanding run chase but Smudger played a fine innings of 89 n.o. to see Green home with Chris Cook (19 n.o.) offering valuable assistance at the end.

2nds Miscalculate Wickford Challenge

Ali Horne (55 n.o.) boosted the 2nd XI score to 202 for 5 before the rain came. Bambi, The Point and The Inspector all made useful contributions. With a long break looking likely skipper Toast declared in an effort to keep the game open. This decision backfired as play resumed quite quickly and the home side cantered home by 7 wickets.

Bowlers Keep 3rds Top

The 3rd XI maintained top spot with victory at Woodford Green on Saturday. The bowling attack continued the good work this season by bowling out the hosts for just 127, a total that was passed for the loss of 5 wickets. With 3rd placed Harlow losing again, the top two have pulled away but there is a tough run in for the 3rds to tackle.

South Woodford Surprised by Surrey's Six

A fine opening spell by James Haylett put South Woodford on the back foot at Ilford Wanderers on Saturday. James removed the visitors' opener with an inswinging yorker and was generally difficult to get away. By contrast, both Al Surrey and Andy Cook struggled to find a consistent line and length. However both stuck manfully to the task to pick up a couple of wickets each and, with Dave Lock chipping in, South Woodford were struggling at 90 for 6. The 7th wicket stand produced the best batting of the innings until rain drove the players from the field at 146 for 6. On the resumption, Al Surrey took the last 4 wickets to finish with 6 for 53 as Green found themselves facing a lower total than expected of 166.
With the wicket freshened and planty of time lost, such a total did not appear straightforward in the very poor light but Ken Moore (59) and Cockinson (50) put on 122 for the first wicket. Both departed in quick succession but Herbie (21 n.o.) saw the side home with some fine shots and an all run four.

Another Five for Pipey

The 5th XI bowled out Loughton for 137 with Pipey Harris (5-40) taking yet another 5 wicket haul. Green were untroubled in knocking off the runs for the loss of 5 wickets.

Nazeing Hit by Cookie's Ton

Chris Cook (110) returned to form with a century in the midweek game against Nazeing Common. Finding a partner to stay with him proved difficult as Gorsy, Harry Potter and Mick Clarke departed in fairly quick succession. Chris Brett then joined Cookie to score his 2nd succesive 50. Once both had departed it was left to Toast (29) to add afew lusty blows to take the score t 260.
Nazeing got off to bad start with The Sub and Pipey both taking a couple of wickets without conceding too many runs. There was no respite from the change bowlers as The Pig took 4 middle order wickets. A stubborn stand was ended by Clarkie's smart run out at the bowler's end and Toast wrapped up proceedings with a plumb LBW.

Hills Too Hot for Upminster

The pace of Aaron Hills proved too much for Upminster as he took 5 for 28 in bowling the home side out for just 164 in the Sunday League.
The Inspector (52 n.o.) led the reply with an unbeaten half century with Mick Clarke chipping in with 31 and Jon Powell 29 as Green eased home by 5 wickets.

Haylett's Four Downs Goresbrook

After Harry Potter had been dismissed for his usual duck, Bambi gave the 2nd XI a blistering start in the 40 over friendly against Goresbrook. He raced to 75 from just 15 overs in contrast to the sedate effort by skipper Al Surrey (42) at the other end. Alex Cason went cheaply and Bambi proved just as quick on the finger as Al Surrey and Herbie Gosnell went LBW, both victims of low bounce. Chris Brett (61 n.o.) and James Lock (37 n.o.) then dominated proceedings adding over 70 from the last 6 overs to boost the score to 250.
Lloyd Edwards took a wicket in the first over of the reply and Adam Green took another in a useful spell but it was James Haylett who undermined Goresbrook's effort bowling a good line and length. James Lock picked up a couple of wickets including a fantastic slip catch by Chris Brett,but not even the introduction of Al Surrey (yes, the skipper and vice skipper get a game in this side) and Herbie to the attack threatened the total.

Firsts Falter at Chelmsford

The 1st XI's campaign came unstuck with a poor performance at Chelmsford. Although Mick Clarke bowled a long spell to contain at one end, runs flowed far too freely at the other as Chelmsford amassed 287 for 4. Jo Jayasuriya was the only successful bowler, taking all of the 4 wickets that fell at a cost of 77 runs.
Green were never really in the hunt despite good knocks from Rob Glassberg (63) and Jon Powell (58) and just held on at 229 for 9 with minor contributions from Mick Clarke (29 n.o.), Royston Smith (24), Simon Jeffries (20) and Misbah Uddin (20).

Lock and Gibbon Lead Recovery for 2nd XI

The Silver Fox Routs West Essex

The 3rd XI maintained top spot in the league with victory against West Essex in a low scoring game at Ilford Wanderers. The Silver Fox was largely responsible for bowling out the visitors for 84 by taking 5 for 31. As usual, there were wickets too for Keith Mitchell (3-14).
It was not plain sailing for Green as six wickets were lost in passing the modest target but Graham Cook saw them to victory with 25 n.o.

Ken Moore Drives 4ths to Win at Walthamstow

Youngsters James Haylett (1 for 4 from 7 overs) and Alex Cason (0 for 3 from 4overs) set the tone for the 4th XI game against Walthamstow. Stow struggled to get the score moving but managed to rally to 135 all out by the 51st over. Kevin Brailey (3-17) ripped out the middle order with 3 wickets and Dean Pruscino (2-29) mopped up the last two.
Ken Moore (65 n.o.) was in splendid form as he put on 92 for the 1st wicket with Cockinson (42) who had more lives than the proverbial cat. Ken continued to dominate as Green eased home to win by 9 wickets.

5ths Win Again to Maintain 2nd Place

Green Crash Out of Bertie Joel

The 1st XI crashed out of the Bertie Joel cup with a miserable performance at Purley. Sent in to bat in difficult conditions, there was little resistance to a good bowling attack as Green were bowled out for a paltry 65. Purley found little difficulty in knocking off the runs for the loss of 2 wickets.

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Sub Leads Subs to Win

The Sub led a team of understudies to a 14 run victory in the Sunday League game against Wickford. With most of the regulars absent on Cup duty, the top of the batting order laid a solid foundation with Martin Cason (37),Jon Bayfield (35) and Gavin Castle (23) all making runs. The lower order fell away as Wickford's Deller enjoyed his second profitable outing at Central Park this year.
A total of 165 from 40 overs did not seem exceptional but Lloyd Edwards (3-21) produced a fine opening spell to have the visitors reeling. At the other end the skipper bowled a miserly spell, conceding just 14 runs from his 8 overs in which he picked up a wicket. Aaron Hills bowling fast and even hinting at control took the key wicket of Deller with his first ball and 5 wickets were down for less than 30 runs. The balance then swung Wickford's way as runs came freely but Chris Brett and James Lock (2-31) took wickets at crucial times to peg back the rate. Aaron returned to finish off proceedings with the final wicket.

East Hanningfield Fall Prey to Ancient & Modern

The opposite ends of the age spectrum combined to see the Sunday 3rd XI to victory over East Hanningfield. Young James Haylett took 3 for 9 and super-veteran Pipey Harris 4 for 12 as the home side were bowled out for 101.
Earlier Mick Barnard (60), Graham Cook (35) and Herbie Gosnell (24) all batted well in as Green made 152 for 8 from 45 overs but the astounding statistic of the day came from the stand-in wicket keeper Herbie Gosnell who took 3 catches.

Hat Trick of Hat Tricks for Hayletts

Two weeks ago we reported that Chris and James Haylett had taken hat tricks in successive weeks. Now the Hayletts have completed a hat-trick of hat-tricks with Chris performed the feat again, this time against Wanstead U13. However this performance was unable to prevent a 32 run defeat.