It's Sweet for Savery at Little Hadham

Little Hadham must have thought they had fallen for the most outrageous rope-a-dope tactics at the hands of Green's Sunday 2nd XI (or X as it was). In sweltering heat, the home side were inserted and instantly treated to a glorious buffet by Ted Patel (4-0-39-1) who managed to take a wicket when their skipper dragged one on from a yard wide. Mitchell Collett (1-22) bowled a reasonable 6 over spell once he got his line right and got a wicket courtesy of a fine diving catch by Adam Savery at point. Tiraj bowled well for his 5 wickets and Adam Savery bowled reasonably for 10 overs which went for 63. The declaration came afterv41 overs, 15 minutes before the scheduled tea interval at 237 for 7.
An opening stand of 123 between Tiraj(66) and Aaron Hills (64) was more than we could have hoped for. However, once the stand was broken the predictable collapse ensued with 5 batsmen (including Cockinson, whose attempt to cut a ball of looping bounce hardly stung the fielder's hands) making 8 between them as the score slumped to 175 for 7. Defeat seemed inevitable even though Clouseau was still batting and not indisposed to taking a single early in the over to preserve his not out. However there was an unlikely hero when Steve 'Desperate Dan' Savery bludgeoned 19 n.o. in an 8th wicket stand of 65 to win the game.
Little Hadham thought they had been conned but seemed OK about it down the pub afterwards.

Alarming Slump at Orsett

The 1st XI let a promising position slip at Orsett where the nos 9 and 10, Khan (44) and Landman (30) respectively, wth a little help from Reader (10) at 11 managed to pull the score ound to 211. This undid the good work of James Duhig (7-4-11-1) and Ali Aslam (5-59) who had undermined the early Orsett batting despite resistance from Sirwardhane and Sargent who both scored 40. Chris Cook (2-20) also picked up a couple of wickets before Green let it slip. Worse was to follow as a lack of application combined with some awful running saw Green slump to 109 all out with only Smudger (33) doing anything of note. Sirwardhane (3-26) and Mendes (4-22) did the damage for the home side who ran out winners by 102 runs.
Matt Sutton (77) dominated the 2nd XI innings of 227 against Leigh-on-Sea at Central Park. Partnerships of 74, with Chris Haylett (33), and 37, with Joanne Cook (17) helped Green recovered from 13 for 2. Most other batsmen made double figures with a crucial partnership of 41 for the 7th wicket between James Haylett (19) and Dan Drury (12) giving the total a much needed boost. Green's early attack lacked potency and it was left to old stagers Paul Sutton (3-67) and Keith Mitchell (4-63) to bowl Green back into the game and secure the draw with the visitors finishing on 203 for 7.
It was a similar story for the 3rd XI where Green had to rely on John Coxall (3-39) and John Doughty to rein in Hutton at lford wanderers. Sedano (76) gave the visitors a good start and Carpenter (52) registered a late half century for Hutton. Green also struggled with the bat with only Malcolm waters (44) and Laura Owens (40) making an impression as Green finished well short on 115 for 6.
Kevin Chapman (2-29) made an early breakthrough in a lively opening spell and with Ted Patel picking up a wicket at the other end, the 4th XI established a good position. The Hutton batsmen, Steinberg (28), Southgate (28) and York (39), continued to play their shots to promise a challenging total. However, Vic Simmons, Fraser King and Tom Greaves each picked up a wicket to add to a direct hit from Kevin Chapman as Green retained a degree of control before Adam green (3-29) finished off the tail. Green had to survive a tricky 10 over spell before tea, losing Pads Pearson in the process. After the interval, York threatened briefly with his leg spin but Cockinson (90 n.o.) and Billy Shorey (61n.o.) had few alarms in reaching the target without further loss.
For the first time in their history, Green had to call of a league game due to limited availability when the away game at Hadleigh & Thundersley was cancelled. We regret not being able to provide our opponents with a game on the day and hope that this situation does not arise again.

Potter's Pfeiffer and a Big Dack at the T20

A bumper crowd gathered at Central Park to see the first round of the Shepherd Neame Competition against Hainault & Clayhall. Whilst Norm & Terry Dack barbecued the 'Big Dacks', Green began badly losing Freddie, Potter and Chris Cook with not many on the board. Bambi held the top of the innings together with assistance from Smudger. The latter's attempt to go down the track proved his undoing when he was bowled and Bambi was similarly lured out of his ground to be stumped. Green looked destined for a small total but Thomas Oakley and Matt Sutton fought back to set a decent target of 137 on a pitch that wasn't the most reliable seen at the ground. Alex Cason made an immediate impact with two quick wickets but the visitors looked quite comfortable in their chase. In a moment of inspiration (madness), Smudger threw the ball to Potter who turned the game Green's way with a 5 wicket haul. Unfortunately the next round is away and so the catering staff will not be required.

Firsts and Fourths Lose Their 100% Records

The gap at the top of first division closed on Saturday when green lost to their closest rivals, South Woodford, by 3 wickets. There was another poor start with Potter and Ali Aslam falling with only 26 on the board. Freddie (38) and Smudger (47) took the score to 76 after which Thomas Oakley took over with an excellent 49. Tom was supported by Ananda Krishnan (25) and Chris Cook (15) ensured that Green passed 200. South Woodford made a much better start with Rizwan Akram making 50 out of an opening partnership of 79. Shirt (41), Browne (40) and Acharya (30 n.o.) all scored steadily to ensure that the visitors got home despite 3 wickets for Ali Aslam (3-74).
The 2nd XI were progressing nicely at Gidea Park & Romford with Martin Cason (71) and Chris Haylett (29) taking the score beyond 100 with just two wickets down. The departure of skipper Cas precipitated a collapse to 141 all out with McKie taking 6 for 24. Such a modest total was unlikely to inconvenience Park who took just 26 overs to reach the target with Thomas undefeated on 62 and Collier 48 still there at the end.
Lowly Westcliff-on-Sea doubled their points total for the season with openers Colwill (102 n.o.) and Lawford (101) both making centuries in a 41 over total of 228 for 1. With time lost to rain, a draw seemed the most likely result and so it proved as Paul Sutton (53 n.o.) and Joanne Cook (47 n.o.) comfortably ensuring the draw.
Without Keith Mitchell, the 4th XI toiled in the field against Upminster 5th XI at Ilford Wanderers. There were a few new faces in the visitors line up and they appeared much stronger than their league position would suggest. D'Cruz (31) and Mitchell put on 67 for the first wicket after which the latter progressed to a good century in a stand of 129 with Wyatt who made 62. Two late wickets by The Doc (2-20) gave Green their single bowling point. After the early loss of Cockinson Pads Pearson and Luke Hartman (15) added 60 for the 2nd wicket. The Doc (36) was in solid form adding a further 72 with Pads before a flurry of wickets left Green struggling a little. Pads departed for a well made 67, Matt Savery made a useful 12 and Adam Green, in his first game of the season, struck the ball well in his 25. However, Green didn't really threaten Upminster's total despite a generous return of 55 overs from the visitors.
The 5th XI stuck to their task well in restricting Wanstead to 210 for 7 in 49 overs with The Whale taking 3 wickets and Kazmi striking 75. Early wickets put the task beyond the Panthers although Malcolm waters was his usual reliable self with 44. Muddy was out with the game drawing to a close and it was left to Adam Savery to bat out the last 3 balls for a draw.

One-Sided Affair at Hartley

The midweek fixture at Hartley Country Club proved to be a one-sided affair with the youthful hosts showing excellent application in the field to restrict Green to 212 for 8 with Graeme Walker (57 n.o.), Keith Abbott (34), Pads Pearson (23) and Potter (22) getting start s but not taking full advantage of the good batting conditions. There was a distinct lack of application at the top of the order and Green were indebted to the Onion and Bouncing Bill in being able to set a remotely decent total. The home side declined to offer their lesser players a bat and Green managed only 3 wickets including a retired out from one of the openers after scoring 150.

Two Maiden Tons and a Missing Bail

Shenfield made a flying start in the first of the time games in 1st XI division one. Alex Cason (2-17), however, made two crucial breakthroughs to set the home side back. After Richtor (62) had established a good position with Weber (21), Ali Aslam (4-53) and Thomas Oakley (2-30) got into the middle order before Ananda Krishnan (2-51) returned to knock over the tail. A target of 181 seemed straightforward on the fast scoring Shenfield ground but wickets fell regularly to Arshad Ali (4-43) after Potter's good start and Green were indebted to another fine innings of 51 from Thomas Oakley to see them home. Ali Aslam (24) and Royston Smith (29) also made telling contributions in the 4 wicket win.
The 2nd XI, once again, fell victim to late drop-outs in their match against table topping Ilford. James Duhig (4-46) and Dan Drury (3-38) both bowled impressively but were thwarted by the 3 players in the visiting team who managed double figures. Overseas player Shaharyar Aslam (98) , Khan (39) and Muzamdar (35) enabled Ilford to declare on 226 for 9. Shaharyar Aslam wasn't finished there as he took 8 for 32 as Green's response fell well short on 158 with only Martin Cason (54) and The Sub (38) making a significant contribution.
Sian Ruck (3-18) put the skids under Hainault & Clayhall 3rd XI by removing the middle order after Billy Greaves and Toast had each taken an early wicket. There were two wickets apiece for Suggs (2-26) and the Silver Fox (2-10) as the visitors subsided to 111 all out. Sir Harold (39) was the main contributor to the 5 wicket win with useful runs coming from Laura Owens (19) and Joanne cook (16).
The runs could barely keep up with the overs as Hainault & Clayhall 4th XI struggled against Kevin Chapman (11-4-10-3) and Arjun Minocha (5-3-6-0). Keith Mitchell (4-18) was indebted to some surprising agility by The Hanger to claim his first wicket after which he and Kiran Hindocha (3-31) ensured that there was no recovery by the home side despite late resistance from Bhardwaj (20). Hainault & Clayhall had a useful attack for such conditions but, after the early loss of 'Pads' Pearson, Kevin Chapman struck the ball cleanly for a quick half century whilst Cockinson bored everyone to death at the other end.
There was a welcome first win for the 5th XI by 94 runs against Fives & Heronians IV at Great & Little Warley. In a riches to rags tale, The Pig found himself as a 5th XI batsman only 1 week after a starring role bowling for the 1st XI.His batting performance was overshadowed by an excellent maiden century for Billy Shorey (104) as the pair put Green in a commanding position 0f 170 for 2. However, the traditional batting frailties emerged and Green struggled to make 200 with only the Whale getting into double figures. The pitch was ideally suited to The Whale's bowling and he ripped through the visitors batting, taking 6 for 19. Rob Duhig too bowled well and finished with 2 for 12 as Fives were dismissed for 107.
There was another maiden ton on Sunday as Dan Drury (105) made the most of good batting conditions at Galleywood. The Onion (25) forged a good opening partnership with Dan and Clouseau (35 n.o.) helped himself to a lat not out. In between James Duhig failed to impress. James was more impressive with the ball, coming on late in the day to break a partnership that promised to steal the game away from Green. After his first dismissal, one of the bails disappeared only to reappear several overs later at the other end having been caught up in the wicket keeper's gear.

LFB Push Green Hard in Kevan Ellis Trophy

Despite a grim forecast, the weather stayed dry for the annual match against the London Fire Brigade for the Kevan Ellis Trophy. Andy Phillips won the toss and elected to bat and soon reaped his reward when he was cleaned out for 0 by the "ball of the day" from James Duhig. Daley (38) and Norris (51) kept scorer Pipey, who was glad of some company in the box for the afternoon, busy until the latter was caught by a flying Ivor at mid wicket. Tony Clarke ended Daley's 20 over vigil but Montgomery (28), Sampat (17) and Dinre (30) all struck the ball well to threaten a large total. However, the innings fell away with Simon Brown (3 -34) and James Duhig (4-23) precipitating a slump to 190 all out. Marie's traditional filling tea saw many Green players opt to drop down the order and it was left to Sir Harold (16) and Ivor to face the lively brigade attack. Ivor retired to the shelter of the pavilion having been struck a couple of painful blows amidships after which Martin Cason (61) and Cockinson (32) increased the rate. There was still time for a cameo from Smudger and something less impressive from James Duhig before Green finished the winners by 4 wickets. Tony, Jeanne and Kim were on hand for the presentations to complete another excellent day in memory of one of Ardleigh Green's best.

Green No Busted Flush Despite Two Pairs

Chingford seemed to have a fairly straightforward task of reaching Green's modest total especially after a rain break caused a further reduction target. However, ether through inspiration or luck, Smudger tossed the ball to The Pig to toil away up the hill. And what a masterstroke it was as The Pig bowled a 9 over spell for only 14 runs, picking up 2 wickets in the process. The visitors never really recovered from 22 for 3 and although Kimon, McMurray and O'Sullivan dug in, they were bowled out for 160, 11 runs short of the runs required .Ananda Krishnan (3-51) and Ali Aslam (2-38) were also amongst the wickets with Chris Cook and Royston Smth picking up 1 each. Green's total was built around modest scores ranging from Freddie Butt (37) down to Ananda Krishnan (20) with Royston Smith (29), Thomas Oakley (24) and Chris Gibbon (21 n.o.) all making scores of 20 plus. It was Funky's late stand with The Pig that made the difference between the sides.
An injury to Mick Clarke overshadowed the disappoiintment of a heavy defeat for the 2nd XI. Mck has a fractured arm which will keep him out of action for a while and his all round talents will certainly be missed. The top of the order failed with the first 3 wickets going down for just 30. Jack Taylor (35) helped rally the side along with skipper Martin Cason (46). Joel Barnett (19) and The Sub (29 n. o) continued the recovery as Green closed on 186 for 9. However, this was never really enough on a fast scoring ground and Vaja (73 n.o.), Bopara (58) and Zafar (36 n.o.) knocked the runs off without too much trouble with only Joel Barnett picking up a wicket.
The 3rd XI won a cliff-hanger against Chelmsford at Ilford Wanderers with the visitors losing there final wicket with 3 required for victory. Suggs (36) led the way with the bat, gaining good middle order support from the 3 ladies, Joanne Cook (26), Laura Owens (19) and Sian Ruck (14). Terry Dack, promoted belatedly to the 3rd XI, made a valuable contribution with an undefeated 19. Sian, Laura and Aaron Hlls took early wickets in Chelmsford's reply but it was the modest pace of Suggs (3 -28) and John Coxall (4-22) who ran through the side. What a contrast for Sian, who just recently played for New Zeland in the Womenn's World T20 final, to find herself amongst the creaking limbs of the 3rd XI.
Old Parkonians raced away in the 4th XI game at Oakfields with Karunakaran (47), Jameel (44) and Bhanuchi (35) setting up a powerful position of 146 for 3. It was young Kiran Hindocha who bowled Green back into the game taking 4 for 51 in 15 overs. green's fielding was hardly scintillating although a couple of good catches by Matt Simmons were crucial and Craig Burd took an excellent caught and bowled off one that he pitched to the unlucky Thorpe. Chasing 243, Green could have done with a better start than losing Cockinson to the first ball of the innings. A stand of 127 between Gary Pearson (47 and Andy Symes built a foundation and, one Pads had been dismissed, Captain Fierce played ever more expansively in company with The Doc (43 n.o.) to finish the game undefeated on a career best 129.Phil Pearce (50) and Malcolm Waters (55) put Green in an unusually promising position in a good 3rd wicket stand after the Shoreys had been dismissed cheaply. A middle order collapse followed as Green looked destined for a heavy defeat but The Whale (31 n.o.) found some good support from Mitchell Collett (17) and the 9th wicket stand took the score towards 200 Whetstone completed a fine spell of bowling by taking the last two wickets to finish with 5 for 25. Earlier, Patel (61) and Ali (45) dominated the Brentwood innings with only Malcolm Waters (3-18) returning decent figures.
A miserable Sunday performance proved that you don't get too much for two pairs with Cockinson and Potter completing a wretched double for the weekend. On a sluggish pitch, Green failed to show the application required to chase down Hornchurch Athletic's modest 170 with far too many players falling to the big shot. Jon Bayfield made 51 and Royston Smith 20 but there wasn't much else in a paltry 103. There were two wickets each for The Sub (2-12), Potter (2-14), The soldier (2-18) and Rob Duhig (2-28) but Athletic recovered from a slow start to post a decent total. Adam Savery alone can be spared criticism in the field as he chased everything, took a catch and a wicket.
There was some good batting by the 2nd XI for whom Clouseau (43 n.o.), Aaron Hills (41), Matt Simmons (36 n.o.) and Billy Shorey (35) all contributed to a total of 219 for 4 from just 34 overs. However, Green's bowlers did not have much penetration and, although Pads (2-10) took 2 wickets in a rare bowl, Little Hallingbury comfortably held on at 127 for 5 from 38 overs.