Russell and Smith Flay Hainault & Clayhall on Vice President's Day

Vice President's day was celebrated in sensational style when the Shepherd Neame League Cup semi final against Hainault & Clayhall was staged instead of the traditional invitation fixture.
Shaun McMurray was dismissed early but Freddy Butt made a typically beligerent 38. The real fireworks followed as Ian Russell (128) and Royston Smith (105 n.o.) shared a pulsating 3rd wicket stand as Green rattled up 297 for 5 in 45 overs.
The bowlers were similarly dominant with James Wyatt (3-18), Ananda Krishnan (2-19) ripped out the top of the order. There was little resistance as the dispirited visitors were shot out for 74.

Semi Final Victim of Another Wash Out

It was another washout on Sunday. The League Cup semi final against Hainault & Clayhall was unable to start with puddles on the square and has now been re-scheduled at home on Vice President's day, Sunday 26th August. It is understood that 'The Fish' will be showing his customary hospitality on the day. Harry Potter seemed optimistic about playing the Sunday League game at home despite evidence to the contrary whilst the 2nds turned back on the A127 following a late call off.

Lower Order Boosts 1st XI

A steady batting performance saw Green establish a reasonable position at Saffron Walden but they then found themselves of being bowled out too cheaply as wickets fell. Shaun McMurray (43), Royston Smith (32) and Ian Russell (27) al betted well early on but it was the lower order that established a challenging score of 273 for 8. Rob Glassberg (46) and Chammy Mudalige (45) led the way with Ananda Krishnan making the home side pay with 44.
Walden rarely threatened with Mick Clarke bowling well to take 2 for 27. Eventually the sides called it a day with rain falling and prospects of a result looking slim leaving Giles Ecclestone stranded on 99 n.o.

Improved Batting But 2nds Lose Again

It was Alex Cason (67) to the fore again as the 2nd XI managed to post a respectable total of 230 for 9 at home to Saffron Walden at Central Park. Chris Cook (44), Jon Bayfield 32) and Vijay Srinivasan (25 n.o.) ensured that visitors did not capitalise on The Inspector's golden duck.
Walden made light of the task, knocking off the runs before the end of the 43rd over despite a good spell from 4th XI skipper Al Surrey (2-43).

Gibbs and Apicella Continue Recent Good Form

Ian Gibbs(81) was, once again, in good form with the bat as he and Grant Apicella (50) helped the 3rd XI establish a good total of 248 for 6 against Ilford at Ilford Wanderers. Paul Hurworth (30) and Thomas Oakley (27) both batted well to boost the total.
A close finish looked in prospect with the visitors poised at 146 for 2 but rain took a hand and the game was abandoned.

Mini Fightback by Occasional Players in Vain for 4th XI

The 4th XI were hoping for a good start when they found themselves put in by South Woodford at Highfield Road. However an unreliable surface accounted for openers Ken Moore and Cockinson, before Nick Carpenter, Matt Simmons, Harry Lennon and John Doughty fell in quick succession. Rob Duhig remained defiant for 20 overs but his dismissal left Green on 47 for 7. Then 13 year old Tom Farquharson (24) played some fine shots in partnership with Phil Pearce (27). Phil hasn't sported white too often in recent years but counter-attacked with Paul Duhig, who had Martin Cason's gear wrapped twice around him to make it fit, providing solid support at the other end. Green eventually mustered 107 to offer an outside hope of getting something from the game.
The Whale picked up an early wicket from a good catch by Nick Carpenter whilst Tom Farquharson snapped up a caught & bowled from a lively 4 over spell. JD was in fine form taking 3 for 23 from 15 overs but with little support at the other end, Sheikh led the home side to victory by 6 wickets with an undefeated half century.

Hanger Bounced Out in Dour Struggle

The 5th XI were involved in a dour struggle against Horndon-on-the-Hill at Great & Little Warley on Saturday. With the situation tight towards the bottom of the table, Green were reluctant to concede ground to close rivals and batted 51 overs to finish on 114 for 6 in pursuit of 156 for victory. Vic Simmons scored 36 whilst the Doc and Goochie scored 25 and 24 n.o. respectively. The highlight of Green's innings was the bizarre dismissal of The Hanger who was caught and bowled by Terry Hills after a firmly struck shot rebounded off the non-striker's pads. sadly there is no video evidence of the dismissal or The Skipper's return to the pavilion.
Earlier Ross Frost (2-30), Kevin Hewitt (2-33) and Vic Simmons (2-34) all bowled well to restrict Horndon to 155 for 9.

Alex Gets His 1,000 Up at Hawks

Alex Cason reached 1,000 runs for the season in his innings of 37 in the 113 run Sunday League victory against Hawks. We have been assured that the number has been checked rather than relying on his father's dodgy mathematics which cost Alex last year. Alex's contribution was part of a huge 40 over total of 302 for 5 in which Ananda Krishnan shone with 98. Rob Glassberg (53 n.o.) too was in good form whilst Smudger and Shaun McMurray chipped in with 39 and 20 respectively.
Hawks were never in the hunt with Jack Taylor (4-30) and Thomas Oakley (2-3) hastening their demise to 189 all out.

Clouseau to the Rescue After Jason's Five Wicket Haul

Late call ups to the 1st XI left an already weak 2nd XI with a fight on their hands in the friendly conference fixture against Old Easthamians. Jason Parry bowled a good opening spell taking 5 for 37 to put the visitors in trouble at 79 for 6 but with the other bowling lacking the same penetration, a century stand for the 7th wicket enabled them to declare on 214 for 6. Pipey Harris and Andy Cook took some fearful stick in the closing overs.
Green made a disastrous start losing 4 cheap wickets. However James Haylett (23 n.o.) joined the Inspector (73 n.o.) and the pair played out the draw in comparative comfort.

Victory Over GP&R Keeps Green on Top

Green maintained their place at the top of the Shepherd Neame Premier League with victory over local rivals Gidea Park & Romford.. Batting was not easy at Central Park and it was Liam Ferns (49 n.o.) and Ian Russell (43) who were mainly responsible for getting Green above 200 with Chammy (32) making a notable contribution down the order.
GP&R found the going just as tough against spinners Chammy (4-56) and Ricky Gill (3-41) and with Mick Clarke (2-41) also picking up a couple of wickets they were bowled out for 178 leaving them 29 runs short.

Defeat Puts 2nds in Danger

A weakened Ardleigh Green 2nd XI took the field at Gallows Corner and struggled to 150 for 8 from 52 overs. With some people airing their whites for the first time in many years, it was the reliable contributors Alex Cason (48) and Gavin Castle (27) who laid a respectable foundation with Thomas Oakley playing a good innings for 28.
Ahmad Kiani (3-29) and Keith Mitchell (2-37) bowled well in the reply but could not prevent GP&R securing victory by 4 wickets.
This defeat drags the 2nd XI into the relegation fight yet again with improved performances required in the remaining 4 games.

Old Timers Turn It On for 3rd XI

In a depleted side, it was the old timers Ian Gibbs and John Coxall who came to the fore to secure victory against Walthamstow by 37 runs. Batting first, Gibbo played extremely well to score 91. Grant Apicella (39) and Jack Taylor both continued their recent good form to enable Green to declare on 200 for 9.
The visitors looked comfortable in the chase but The Silver Fox turned the game around with his first ever hat-trick in a spell of 6 for 21 as they slumped to 163 all out.
The game was marred by the theft of the car of one of the visiting players. This type of theft where keys are taken from the changing rooms seems to be increasing and so please do not leave valuables unattended.

All Rounder Matt Steers 4th XI Home

With an unprecedented availability crisis, Green fielded a much weakened team for the 4th XI fixture at Walthamstow. Stand-in skipper Herbie Gosnell won the toss and inserted the home side but things didn't go exactly to plan. Tom Farquharson bowled an excellent opening spell get lift and movement at a lively pace and John Doughty kept the other end sewn up. It was nut until Paul Simmons came on that the breakthrough came courtesy of a good catch by Herbie. Walthamstow continued to bat well until a fine catch by Ken Moore gave Matt Simmons the first of his 6 wickets. The middle order fell quickly but there was strong resistance in the tail and the innings closed on 185 with Pipey Harris claiming 3 wickets.
Such a total looked well beyond a fragile batting line up when 3 wickets fell before 20 runs had been scored. Matt Simmons then joined Cockinson and the pair played very circumspectly to keep an attack, which belied their lowly league position, at bay. As the last hour approached the score accelerated and last week's undefeated century stand was followed up with a 4th XI record for the 4th wicket of 170. Matt Simmons (66 n.o.) batted splendidly for a 2nd consecutive half century whilst Geoff Robinson finished on 65 n.o.

5th XI Boosted by Hewitt

The 5th XI looked to be in danger of losing a vital relegation match against Southend when they were dismissed for just 112 on Saturday. Kevin Hewitt top scored with 28 whilst Adam and Garry Green both made 27.
A vital and good catch by James Hewitt made the difference to the Southend innings as their innings subsequently fell away to be 70 all out. Vic Simmons (4-20), Kevin Hewitt (3-15) and James Duhig (2-15) did the damage with the ball.

Midweek XI Rescued by a Fox and a Whale

The midweek XI found themselves in trouble against Old Victorians as a fragile batting line-up failed. Chammy and Alex Cason represented the best chance of a decent total but both fell cheaply. Jack Taylor showed some resistance with some attacking strokes in his 37 but his departure saw Green slump to 70 for 8. The Old Vics were fearful that the game might not allow them to take tea and relaxed their approach somewhat as John Doughty (45) mad the runs he is always talking about with John Coxall playing with unusual restraint for 20.
Krunic was in good form for the home side who looked to be heading for a comfortable victory until he was removed by Chammy in a 1 over spell after The Whale had broken the partnership in the previous over with a spell of similar length. The Old Vics then fell behind the rate  as James Duhig and Tiraj Patel bowled tidily. Any result was possible at the start of the last over but the game ended in a mutually satisfactory draw.

Sunday League Batting Falls Short

The batting woes of the Sunday League team continued when they were dismissed by East Essex for just 114. Only Chammy (23) and Potter (22) registerd a scorein a disappointing response to a target of 126. Chammy had earlier done the damage with the ball taking 4 for 16 with good back-up from Al Surrey (3-37).

Maiden 50 for Jack at Terling

Jack Taylor (76)registered his maiden 50 in senior cricket in the Sunday 2nd XI friendly at Terling. Neil Cook (19) had given the innings a flying start and Ian Gibbs looked in good form until falling to a good low catch. The Inspector (73 n.o.) joined Jack in a century 3rd wicket stand as the fielding side maintained a good standard in the hot weather.
James Haylett (3-21) struck in the first over for Green. Thereafter Rob Duhig, Chris Haylett, Dan Carpenter and Thomas Oakley all chipped in with wickets before Andy Cook (3-21) polished off the tail.

Victory at Chingford Puts Green Back on Top

Green moved back to the top of the Premier Division with a convincing win at previous leaders Chingford. Having been inserted, early wickets fell but Royston Smith (73) and Rob Glassberg (43) created a strong position at the lunch break. Both fell immediately afterwards but Ananda Krishnan (32) and Shaun McMurray (29) ensured a respectable total of 248 was achieved with Harries taking 5 for 43 for the home side..
Ananda was in sparkling form with the ball too as the home side toiled on the deteriorating surface. With Chammy Mudalige (3-29) and Mick Clarke 2-42) also bowling well, Chingford were dismissed for 166 despite half centuries from Hill and Caroles.

Dismal 2nds Shot Out for 86

There was little application from the 2nd XI batsmen who struggled against the swinging ball and were shot out for just 86. There were few problems for Chingford who knocked off the runs for the loss of just 1 wicket.

3rd XI  Batting Recovery in Vain

The 3rd XI found themselves in early trouble against Fives & Heronians at Ilford Wanderers on Saturday. Sir Harold (39), Jack Taylor (30 n.o.), Fierce (24) and Rob Newton (23) led a partial recovery as Green closed on 175 for 7.
The visitors found little to inconvenience them as they reached the target for the loss of 2 wickets.

No Reward for 4th Team Go Slow

A weakened 4th XI feared the worst on losing the toss and being inserted against Gidea Park & Romford at Gallows Corner. After recent poor performances, skipper Al Surrey re-jigged the batting order with no sign of improvement. Tiraj Patel went for 0 followed quickly by Steve Doughty for 7. Ken Moore looked in good touch until a splendid catch in the gulley ended his innings. Big Al benefited from some fielding lapses in amassing 7 at the dizzy heights of number 4. Gary Pearson went first ball continuing a run of LBWs. Chris Haylett twinkled briefly before nicking one behind to leave Green at 63 for 6 and in danger of a very early finish. At this point Cockinson joined Matt Simmons with the objective of survival in a collapsible batting order. The pair scored very slowly and with the score at just over 100 after 52 overs, Green were forced to bat on. Some of the senior Park players thought that there should have been a declaration to hand them an easy win and showed their irritation at being left out in the field. Matt Simmons played some good shots and ended with a well deserved undefeated half century as Green closed on 164 for 6.
An early chance went begging as Green sought the early breakthrough to put them in with a chance. The Whale bowled an economical spell in which he picked up the first wicket but, once he had asked to come off, there was insufficient control to put Park under pressure. Tom Farquharson bowled a good spell and removed Trayler with a snorter. Thereafter, 2 dropped catches in the deep condemned Green to an 8 wicket defeat.

Neil Cook Leads 5th XI Defiance

James Duhig (2-23) emerged with much credit taking two of the 4 wickets to fall in the 5th Xi encounter with league leaders Chingford 4th XI. An early declaration by the home side allowed them plenty of time to bowl out a weakened Green side but there were defiant knocks from Neil Cook (52), The Doc (34), Kevin Hewitt (24 n.o.) and James Hewitt (19 n.o.) allowed Green to challenge briefly but finally hang for a draw at 176 for 5.