Under 15's Leave Shenfield Shell Shocked

After a narrow one wicket loss to Hornchurch in their first match of the Chelmsford Indoor League Green were looking for improvement against Shenfield second time out.
After putting the opposition in to bat and despite five of the players being under 14 they produced a superb bowling and fielding display to restrict the powerful Shenfield line up to 91-2. An excellent catch by Scott Daws off of James Haylett plus a smart run out with the same two players involved produced the wickets. Haylett, Jack Taylor, Matt Simmons and Tiraj Patel all bowled well with remarkably only one wide and two no balls being conceded in the ten overs, something which was later to prove significant.
The Green reply got away to a solid start and after five overs 46 were on the board without loss with Scott Daws retiring after a hard hit 25. In the next over Alex Cason was unlucky to be given out caught behind for 19 and as the pressure mounted Jack Taylor (1), Tiraj Patel (4) and Matt Simmons (4) were all run out in the scramble for runs. With an over to go and 22 required to win things looked bleak until Shenfield succumbed to the pressure bowling four straight wides ! The returning Daws and Haylett however kept their heads scoring off every ball and when Daws played the fifth ball of the over for two the match was over, or so everybody thought. Inexplicably the umpires decided that the scores were in fact level even though both scorers and the players thought otherwise. Green however were not to be denied and Haylett pushed a comfortable two from the final ball leaving Green victors and Shenfield shaking their heads. Man of the match Daws finished 31 n.o., with Haylett 9 n.o. and the gift of 25 extras undoubtedly the deciding factor.

Over 40s Ease Past Fives

The potential banana skin that was set before the Over 40s turned into a full fruit salad as the guys tucked in manfully to secure the most comfortable win of the season.
Losing the toss, Green found themselves in the field with Fives making a good start at 31 from 3 overs. The introduction of Bones by the fourth over put a stop to all that as he bowled 3 immaculate overs for just 9 runs.
The Pig had his most productive day in the field claiming 2 wickets and 2 run-outs with Coxy picking up a deserved LBW so that by the end Fives were just looking to survive as they closed on a disappointing 65-5.
With our own version of the Hammerettes providing valuable support from the balcony Sir Harold and the Inspector made mincemeat of the target , both cruising to retirement in different ways, Sir H producing a flurry of boundaries and Clouseau with a more measured approach. That left Gibbo to carve the winning runs as we sailed towards the
knock-out stage ( on 6th Jan) without losing a wicket, and a thoroughly deserved pre-Xmas drink in the Red Lion.

The Lips See U15/O50 to Victory

The Over50/Under 15 side claimed a second successive victory in the indoor competition at Chelmsford although it is too late to allow any chance of reaching the play offs.
Skipper Vic Simmons inserted Colchester & East Essex and James Haylett (2-11) struck immediately taking 2 wickets with the assistance of some fine catching. Tiraj Patel (1-17) took a wicket with his first ball and then Vic Simmons (1-6) and Gavin Castle (2-15) tied the later batsmen down before wrapping up the innings off the last ball. James Haylett gave a fine performance in the field with 3 catches.
The Lip brothers, (Clouseau and Cason Junior) made their customary steady start. The Inspector (29 n.o.) was first to retire followed shortly by Alex Cason (25). Cockinson, James Haylett and Vic Simmons were all run out in the late scramble for runs but the return of Castle saw Green home in the company of Tiraj.

Ladies Win League to Reach Play Offs

The Ladies team completed an unbeaten campaign with a convincing victory against Maldon to finish top of the League and qualify for the play offs on 3rd January.
Batting first, Joanne Cook(39), Liz Giles (25) and Amy Harvey (25) took full toll of the Maldon bowlers as Green accumulated 155. Maldon were no match for our ladies and were dismissed for just 26.

Brave Under 11s Fall Again

Green's latest match in the Chelmsford indoor league saw them once again field a young side with only one under 11 plus five under 10's against a powerful Ilford line up.
Ilford gave a masterful display of running between the wickets finishing on 110-4 which represented a fine effort from the Green bowlers with the wicket haul being their best so far. Conner Daws took 2-28 with a caught & bowled and a catch by Paul Simmons producing the wickets. There were also two run out's following smart work from both Thomas Loomes & Daws. Arjun Minocha bowled a tight spell backed up by Simmons & Calvin Allen.
After a quick fire 13 from Simmons both Allen & Loomes failed to trouble the scorers and things looked bleak. However a splendid rearguard action from George Burke (3), Daws (2) and Minocha (11 n.o.) ensured that the overs were batted out with Green finishing on 45-5.

U15/O50s Win at Last

Green's over 50 / under 15 side finally secured their first victory of the winter at Chelmsford on Friday evening at the fifth time of asking. The rearranged fixture against Roding Valley saw a thirty minute delay to the start as traffic chaos on the A12 left Valley two players short and Green one (Keith Mitchell). With Green under 11 Paul Simmons guesting for the opposition the match eventually got under way with both sides reduced to five players two of which were adults.

Valley elected to bat and ultimately posted a challenging 91-2 from their ten overs with A. Biggs (28) & Viskan (27) both retiring. Matt Simmons took 1-31 from his three overs and John Doughty 1-20 also from three bowling Paul Simmons with the final ball of the innings for a gallant 3 runs.

On paper the target looked well within reach however Green's batting during the previous matches had been far from convincing. This time however a splendid opening partnership ensued between Jack Taylor (26 retired) & Alex Cason (25 retired) as they mixed sensible running with aggression.

With extra's contributing 22 it was left to the somewhat more senior pairing of Vic Simmons (12 n.o.) & Doughty (7 n.o.) to see Green home (92-0) with seven balls to spare despite two tidy overs from Paul Simmons.

Although making the final is now beyond Green they will be hoping to finish with a flourish in next Wednesday's final match against Colchester.

'B's Falter in Final Over

The 'B' side did well to have a surprisingly close encounter against Upminster. With The Inspector mysteriously absent (we assume more decorating duties), a brace of Casons opened proceedings at a sedate rate until the larger version departed for 20. A clatter of wickets followed with Alex Cason, The Onion, Cockinson and The Pig not causing too much concern to the scorer. However Chris Brett hit out effectively to make 29 and boost the score to 81.
The Pig struck almost immediately in reply with the aid of a fine catch by Chris Brett who in turn took the 2nd wicket. The bowling lacked its usual accuracy but Upminster were kept waiting for victory until the final over.

Cas Makes the Breakthrough

The Over 40s were back to their winning ways with a 26 run victory against Great Baddow. After being put into bat, Green made a bad start when Sir Harold was once again run out following a mix up with Clouseau. The Inspector and Fat Cas (13) took the score to 44 when the latter was well caught of a firm drive. The Inspector retired on 27 after which The Pig (13 n.o.) and Gibbo (21 n.o.) increased the rate with some good running boosting the score to 99 with 21 off the final over.
Baddow made a good start and were level with the Green score after 4 overs. An inspired bowling change saw Fat Cas (2-15) strike immediately as the run chase faded in the final overs.

Over50/Under15s Go West (30/11/05)

The Over50/Under15 side maintained their losing sequence to the West Clan despite a magnificent batting performance by Alex Cason.
The evening began badly with the opposition clearly on the phyllosan and belying their supposedly advanced years. A second blow occurred in the first over when poor visibility and poor acoustics in the Chelmsford indoor centre deprived Keith Mitchell of an immediate breakthrough. The young openers took full advantage to retire aided and abetted by some poor bowling and fielding. Matt Simmons bowled economically and Alex Cason performed heroics to cut off a string of fours. The only success came late on when Green picked up 3 run outs.
Set 98 to win, things looked bleak when Clouseau was run out for 14, and slightly worse when the umpires signal of a run was overturned on the insistence of the fielding side. Alex cason batted well to retire and Cockinson struggled to 11 before running James Haylett and himself out in quick succession. Keith Mitchell perished in the same way allowing Alex Cason to return. With 26 required off the final over Alex struck a 4 and two 6s to strike panic in the West Clan. When the umpire signalled 6 to the penultimate ball an unlikely victory looked on but for some reason the fielding side held sway and the decision was changed to a single and the game put beyond reach. There were more heroics off the last ball with a sprawling stop to deprive Alex of a 50 as he ended 49 not out.
A game to forget.

Joanne Called Up for England Squad

Congratulations to Joanne Cook who has been selected for the England Women's Under 19 Regional Squad.
This is the culmination of a successful year for Jo who has excelled for Essex at Under 15 and Under 17 level. As captain of the Under 15 team, she led them to victory in the National final and also the Under 15 Horsham tournament. Batting at No 3, Jo scored 423 runs at an average of 31.67 with a highest score of 75 against Cambridgeshire Under 15s. She also took 22 wickets at 16.28 apiece with fine performances against Kent U15 (5-0-16-6), Cambridgeshire U15 (7-2-14-4) and Cumbria (5-1-6-3).
Not surprisingly Joanne won the Essex County Cricket Club Best Player award at under 15 level. She also won the Essex Women's Coaches Player of the Year.
Joanne performed admirably for Ardleigh Green as well participating in the Under 16 Matchplay team for which she was the top bowler highlighted by a fine performance with the ball against South Woodford (7-1-20-4). Jo also represented the 4th XI senior team in 7 matches in the Shepherd Neame Essex League, notably hitting the winning runs in a partnership with her dad in a tense game at Hornchurch.

Same Again For Green

After a successful 2005, it was little surprise that the club officials remain much the same for 2006. All of the saturday skippers remain the same and Chris Cook once again skippers the Sunday 1st XI. The only change sees Trevor Oakley take over the 2nd XI on Sunday.

Many of those stalwarts who do so much work of the pitch remain in post. There is one change with Stacey Nichols taking over as Social Secretary after a fine 2 year stint by The Trolley.

A full list can be seen by clicking this link.

Winter Lottery

The draw will start on Saturday 2nd December and run for 20 weeks through to Saturday 15th April with the usual £50.00 prize per week and "bonus" win of £100.00 on the last Saturday of each month. The last draw of the year on New Years Eve will be a "Super Saturday" with not only the £100.00 bonus ball winner but also £20.00 prizes for each of the six normal lotto numbers drawn on the night. The cost will remain unchanged at £2.00 per week but due to it being during the winter months & no regular cricket it's a case of cash up front as the Finance Committee will not be in a position to chase people.

All existing holders of numbers have been written to & advised of the position to see if they wish to participate. If anyone has not received notification or has not responded please contact Andy Symes. Similarly if you are not an existing lottery number holder & wish to participate during the Winter contact Andy to secure a number. It will be on a "first come first served basis" .

Mitchell Back to Batting Form

Asked to bat by Roding Valley Gavin Castle and Alex Cason got away to a fast start and with 21 on the board after three overs things looked promising. However the wheels quickly came off as Cason was yorked for two and Clouseau fell LBW for 18. Tiraj Patel was joined by Vic Simmons and suddenly the runs started to dry up. The Hanger was run out for ten quickly followed by Keith Mitchell (0) who was unable to reproduce his exploits of the previous Friday for the over 40's. Having tried unsuccessfully to play some forcing shots, the master of the run out added another to his tally as he wandered aimlessly out of his ground. With 52 on the board and an over to go Patel (18) and James Haylett (13 n.o.) scored a splendid 18 form the last over as Green closed on 70-5.
The Green attack produced some tight early overs and with only 21 scored from the first four overs the match looked to be in the balance. However from this point Valley rode their luck and gave Green a lesson in how to run between the wickets indoors as they chased the total down with ease. The only success came via a run out in the ninth over following some smart work by Haylett. The match finished in somewhat bizarre fashion as Mitchell allowed the ball to hit the wall for a single not realising that the scores were level as Valley got home with a full over to spare.

Under 11s Shine in Defeat

Green's under 11's produced another battling performance at Chelmsford in their second match of the winter in what is going to be a very difficult series of games given their lack of experience indoors and age profile of the side.
Asked to bat by High Roding, Paul Simmons (11), Harry Lennon (7), Fraser King (21), Arjun Minocha (7 n.o.) & Conner Daws (6 n.o. - a six from the final ball of the innings) all make valuable contributions in a total of 72-3.
Roding never looked in trouble despite consistent bowling from Minocha, Simmons, Calvin Allen & Daws as they got home with eight balls to spare (76-1), Green's lone success coming via a run out.

Castle Dominates Hill for First 'B' Team Win

The 'B' side made a traditional start by losing a wicket in the first over. Surprisingly it was skipper Toast who succumbed rather than specialist Graham Cook. Cookie batted with uncharacteristic restraint in company with a dominant Clouseau who soon reached retirement on 25. Cookie then opened up but perished after a useful contribution. The Pig and Cockinson carried on the good work and The Inspector (50) caught fire when he returned to the crease, striking 3 successive sixes in the penultimate over.
With a target of 103, Noak Hill needed a good start but lost a wicket to The Pig's first ball and another with his 3rd. He was denied a hat trick when the inside edge eluded keeper Cockinson. Thomas Oakley then bowled his 3 overs taking 2 wickets for just 2 runs as Hill failed to make 20.

First Defeat for Over 40s

The Over 40s slipped to their first defeat in the indoor league at Chelmsford. Forced to make 3 changes to the established side, Coggeshall started brightly until John Coxall made the breakthrough. The batsmen worked the ball well to the corners and Green's fielding failed to provide the support required to some respectable bowling. Inspector Clouseau applied a brake but with Blakwell returning to hit out strongly in the later stages, the target was boosted to 85.
Mick Barnard fell almost immediately when he drilled the ball back to the bowler and hit him in the chest with the ball rebounding some distance to be well caught by the diving mid off. Gibbo got a faint nick behind after which Clouseau and Cockinson set about re-building. Cockinson (11) too got a thin edge behind and the game seemed to be up. However runs came from the unexpected source of Bones Mitchell (20 n.o.) who nudged the ball around with great certainty. Clouseau too picked up the tempo but with 20 required from the last over, their brave effort fell 5 runs short.

Under 13s Sneak Home Against Baddow

Green got of to flier in this latest group game with Thomas Oakley retiring @ 25 after only 3.3 overs. He was well supported early on by Tom Greaves who scored 6. However Thomas's retirement was quickly followed by a flurry of wickets as Tom Greaves, Tom Farqueson (4) and Dalton Calcott (3) all fell in quick succession. That left James Perkins who was making his debut indoors and Ashley Cason to keep the scoreboard ticking over. When James was out for 19 that let back in Thomas for an over and a couple of balls and Ashley and him added 32 runs of the 8 balls leaving Ashley unbeaten on 19 and Thomas on 38.
Great Baddow reply got of to good start as they reached 46 of only the first 4 overs. That led to the introduction of Ashley Cason 2 overs 0 -12, who applied the breaks as the batsmen were unable to play the slower balls. With 2 batsmen then retiring in quick succession and 3 run outs time ran out as Baddow finished 4 runs short with James Perkins 2 overs 0 - 14 and Thomas Oakley 2 overs 0 - 14 kept their cool at the end.
A good first win for the under 13's in what is really an under 12 side.

Ian Dale

It is with great sadness that we report the death of one of our life members, Ian Dale.

"Dumps" joined the Club in 1953 and retired from playing in 1984 scoring some 12763 runs and taking 135 wickets. After a short break Ian took up umpiring becoming one of the most respected panel umpires on the circuit before ill health forced him to finally retire to the sidelines. However this season he was back into action scoring for the Saturday 1st XI renewing many old acquaintances on the way.

His no nonsense approach to game will be sadly missed and we send our condolences to his family.

Over 40s Roll On

The latest Over 40s game followed a familiar pattern with a solid start from Clouseau (26 ret) and Sir Harold (22) before the latter was run out. Martin Cason and Ian Gibbs managed to increase the tempo but the total of 90 was disappointing.
Raphael made a good start and it looked as though the loss of a bowler, The Pig, might prove to be a problem. However, wickets fell at crucial times to put Raphael behind the clock and Keith Mitchell duly wrapped up the 3rd consecutive win in the final over.
Sir Harold has now been relieved of his pub selection duties having led the team to the most crowded pub in Essex and then turn up elsewhere.

Bumper Haul on Awards Night

Green were well represented at the SNEL Presentation Dinner. In the presence of Freddie Trueman and Trevor Bailey, John Coxall picked up the Champions' Penant for the 3rd XI whilst Royston Smith, Andy Cook and Vic Simmons received the pennants for the 1st XI, 4th XI and 5th XI respectively. Michael Clarke picked up an award as the leading bowler in Division 1.

Creditable First Outing for Under 11s

Green's under 11's went into their opening match at The County Ground with some trepidation with five of the side either under 9's or 10's and nobody having played indoor cricket before.

However a fine effort in the field with tidy bowling spells from Arjun Minocha, Paul Simmons, Conner Daws & Thomas Loomes allied to some determined fielding kept their more experienced (and older) opposition down to 96. Green were unlucky not to take wickets on several occasions and stood up well in the later stages as Chelmsford were able to run on everything due to their wickets in hand.

The Green reply was steady with Simmons (14), Matthew Ross (12), Minocha (5 n.o.) and George Burke (2 n.o.) all contributing as they reached a creditable 50-2 in what was a fine first attempt at the indoor game.

Hornchurch Hammer 'B' Team

The 'B' Team indoor campaign got off to an unsuccessful start when there batting collapsed against Hornchurch. Struggling against an unusually high bouncing ball, Graham Cook, Gavin Castle, Keith Abott and Martin Cason all perished cheaply. Cockinson and The Pig rallied briefly to take the score to a paltry 42.
Hornchurch set off at a cracking pace although they too seemed to be disturbed by the bounce when Green's bowlers adjusted to the required length. The only high spot cam from a splendid catch in front of the boundary wall by The Pig as the opposition were cheering the six.

Time Runs Out for Old Brentwoods

The Over 40s showed improved batting form in their latest victory agains Old Brentwoods in the indoor league at Chelmsford. Clouseau, stung into action after his performance for the Under15/Over50s, and Sir Harold both set off in aggressive manner to retire on reaching 25. Fat Cas and Gibbo kept up the momentum enabling Green to reach 110 for the loss of just 1 wicket.
Old Brentwoods set off with gusto, being well ahead of the rate after 4 overs. The Green fielding stood up well with the first of 4 run outs to break the opening stand. This wicket changed the complexion of the game and, with the bowlers in control, Green achieved victory by 27 runs.

Inspector Clouseau? - More Like PC Plod

Green suffered their 2nd defeat in the The Under 15 / Over 50 competition at Chelmsford when they lost to the West Clan by the narrow margin of 5 runs. West Clan got off to a flyer with 50 runs coming from the 1st 4 overs. However, the wily Hanger made the breakthrough after which a resolute bowling and fielding performance bowled out the opposition for just 72.
Alex Cason (17) looked in fine form in partnership with Gavin Castle until unfortunately run out. The rate slowed with seemingly easy runs turned down but Tiraj Patel (17) played some good shots before he too was run out. With 13 required off the final over, The Inspector continued to eschew runs on offer as he reached 24 not out from the full 10 overs. With just two wickets lost chasing a modest total it seems that Green threw this game away.

Tough Start for Under 13s

The Under 13s, fielding mainly under 12s, had a tough opening game against Bentley. Bentley batted first scoring 120 - 2 of 10 overs with Chris Haylett taking 1- 21 off 2 overs. The other wicket was a run out as their first 3 batsmen all retired.
In reply Green scored 67 - 4 Chris Haylett retiring at 25 but unable to score when he got back in. Tom Farqueson a patient 22, and the others were unlucky as they had to try and increase the run rate.
Other players were Tom Greaves, Dalton Calcott, Ashley Cason & James Hewitt.

Back to List

Basildon No Match for Mitchell

The Over 40s got off to a good start in the indoor competition at Chelmsford. Put in to bat, Clouseau soon fell to a long hop but Sir Harold (21) was in fine form until run out. Fat Cas hit powerfully and retired on 25 and the rate was kept up by Gibbo (23) and The Pig (12), both of whom were run out, as Green reached 99 for 4 from the allotted 10 overs.
Basildon & Pitsea got off to a solid start until Keith Mitchell made the breakthrough. An over by Sir Harold briefly threatened Green's dominant position but Bones returned to take 3 for 5 in his 3 overs as Basildon were restricted to 64 for 5.