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30th April
Brentwood 1st XI - 104 for 5
Shenfield 1st XI - 102 all out
Brentwood won by 5 wickets
Shepherd Neame Essex League Cup 1st Round
Report by Richard Whitehall
Brentwood entered their first competitive game of the season in high spirits. Their record in this competition is excellent, having reached the semi-final two years ago and being losing finalists last year. They were further buoyed thanks to the presence of their newest recruits, Indian test player Hrishikesh Kanitkar and ex-Leicestershire player Damian Brandy.
Richard Whitehall, who is entering his third year as Brentwood 1st XI Captain, won the toss and on a typical, wet early season wicket decided to bowl first. It was clear from the first over that scoring runs was going to prove difficult. Brentwood's first wicket of the season came courtesy of alert fielding from 16 year-old Joe Surtees who ran out Rob Tappin with a direct hit from mid-off, to leave Shenfield reeling on 2-1. Whitehall then picked up a brace of lbw decisions, which coupled with a catch by Jon Walford at slip meant that the top-order of Shenfield's batting had departed with less than 30 runs scored. Whitehall's success was a surprise in as much as his opening partner Brandy had looked the more potent of the two bowlers. At times Whitehall appeared so rusty that his run-up was reminiscent of that of an arthritic giraffe.
Brentwood retained control of the match following the introduction of Walford, Ian Belchamber and finally Kanitkar. All of whom bowled accurately and gave the Shenfield batsmen little chance to score runs. But it was Belchamber, mixing flight and spin with a metronomic accuracy who was the pick of the Brentwood bowlers, returning the impressive figures of 3-9 as Shenfield were all out for only 102.
Brentwood began chasing the target with confidence. Both Walford and Ben Debenham looked in command of the bowling. The score was over 50 when the first signs of unease appeared when Shenfield's inexperienced 16-year-old seam bowler clean bowled Walford and Kanitkar in successive balls. And when Brandy was caught and bowled in the very next over, Brentwood looked shaky at 55-3. However Debenham steadied the ship and with help from Benjamin Cocklin and Tony Jones the target was reached with 5 wickets and 17 overs to spare.
This was a confidence boosting start to the season for Brentwood. Of particular note was the excellent bowling and fielding performance. However tougher games lie ahead in both league and cup, not least from the two league games against Shenfield in the coming season.
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7th May
Brentwood 1st XI - 84 for 2
Basildon & Pitsea 1st XI - 83 all out
Brentwood won by 8 wickets
Shepherd Neame Essex League Cup 2nd Round
Report by Richard Whitehall
A devastating opening spell of bowling from new recruit Damian Brandy gave Brentwood a facile victory over Basildon & Pitsea on Saturday and took them into the Quarter Finals of the League Cup for the third successive season.
Following a hailstorm in the half-hour proceeding the scheduled start time, the game was reduced to 40 overs. Richard Whitehall won the toss for the second successive game and once again elected to bowl first. The visitors lost their first wicket in only the second over when Brandy found the edge of the opener's bat and was comfortably caught by wicket-keeper Benjamin Cocklin. This was the first of six wickets for Brandy who bowled with accuracy but also extracted bounce from what otherwise seemed to be a benign wicket. He claimed the scalp of Indian first-class cricketer Sangani thanks to a sharp catch by Hrishikesh Kanitkar in the gully. Another catch by Cocklin was followed by middle-order batsmen Noble and Parker being clean-bowled and after only 10 overs Basildon were 23-5. Jonathan Walford replaced Whitehall at the pavilion end following a typically frugal spell from the skipper and immediately picked up the wicket of Gray who was out lbw for 8. Brandy claimed the 7th wicket of the innings and his 6th when Chris Boon showed superb reactions at short-leg to catch Steve Brown who was out without scoring. Brandy's bowling figures of 6 wickets for only 14 runs from 8 overs accurately reflected his excellent performance. Darren George scored 22 quick runs to bolster the Basildon total, but wickets from spin bowlers Ian Belchamber and Kanitkar finished the innings as the visitors were all out for 83.
Brentwood's batsmen attacked the low total with relish. Despite losing Walford for only 9 when clean-bowled by Brown, Ben Debenham and Kanitkar pushed the score quickly towards the target. Debenham was batting with confidence and had scored 21 when he was run out by excellent fielding in the covers. Kanitkar put last weeks disappointment of his first ball dismissal behind him and showed superb timing, scoring boundaries on both sides of the wicket. His undoubted class was evident and the portents for the season are excellent. Kanitkar and Brandy saw Brentwood to victory with eight wickets and 21 overs in hand.
For the second successive week this was a superb bowling and fielding performance from Brentwood as they aim to win the cup following their loss in the final last year. However they will need to maintain this standard throughout the coming weeks as they strive for promotion to the Premier League. The league campaign starts on Saturday when Fives & Heronians are the visitors to the Old County Ground.
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14th May
Brentwood 1st XI - 279-4
Fives & Heronians 1st XI - 277-6 declared
Brentwood won by 6 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
Indian international cricketer Hrishikesh Kanitkar scored a superb unbeaten 103 to lead Brentwood to an improbable victory in their first league game of the season. Brentwood chased the mammoth total of 277 runs in only 41.5 overs to kick-start their promotion campaign in the best way possible.
For the third week running Brentwood captain Richard Whitehall won the toss and elected to bowl first. The wicket at the Old County Ground looked hard and proved to be excellent to bat on. Damian Brandy and Whitehall opened the bowling and initially bowled tightly to restrict the visiting opening batsman to only singles. It was Brandy who made the breakthrough, continuing his good form from last week. He induced a false stroke from Edwards and Benjamin Cocklin took the catch behind the wicket. However as the new ball became less hard it was clear that the bat would dominate the ball. Foley and Danny Stevens began to score more quickly as Brentwood bowled the occasional loose ball. However just as Fives seemed to be getting on top, first Brandy and then Jon Walford took successive wickets to leave the visitors on 61-3 from 15 overs. This brought together Terry Ballard and Ian Rotsey for a partnership that was to dictate the course of the match. Ballard survived a difficult chance at first slip off the bowling of Walford before cutting loose. He played a wide variety of aggressive strokes and despite the fielders' best efforts boundaries began to flow. Whitehall introduced the off-spin of Kanitkar, but Ballard took to the Indian's bowling with relish. Ballard was well supported by Rotsey who was able to rotate the strike well. The score raced past 200 and with a maximum of 15 overs remaining a huge total seemed certain. Brandy took a superb caught and bowled to dismiss Rotsey for 32, but Britton replaced him and added 31 runs himself before being well caught by Joe Surtees on the long-off boundary. Ballard continued to score many boundaries until Whitehall, who had brought himself back into the attack, extracted bounce from the wicket and Cocklin took an excellent catch standing up to the wicket to dismiss him for 119. Fives' captain Stevens declared the innings with the score on 277-6 from 49 overs, 3 overs short of the expected 52.
A target of 278 was a very difficult one, but on the excellent wicket with the outfield very firm Brentwood believed they had a good chance of victory. They batted positively from the outset. Jon Walford immediately took the attack to the Fives bowlers and in particular West Indian pace bowler Richardson. Walford dominated the bowling and the score was on 44 off only 6 overs when Ben Debenham was clean bowled by an excellent yorker from Richardson having faced just 5 balls. This brought Kanitkar to the wicket to begin his match-winning innings. Walford continued to play the more aggressive shots and boundaries flowed. The score soon passed 100 and victory became more likely. However Walford was out for 70 off only 73 balls when he pulled a short ball from Coleman to mid-wicket. Damian Brandy came in to bat at number 4 and with more than 150 runs required from the last 20 overs it was clear that Brentwood would have to score in excess of 7 runs per over if they were to win the game. The two batsmen however looked in complete control of the bowling. Most impressive was that they were able to manoeuvre the ball around the field to score at the required rate whilst only taking minimal risk. Both Kanitkar and Brandy scored boundaries when necessary and in consequence the required run-rate began to fall. Kanitkar reached his 100 off only 95 balls to tumultuous applause from the clubhouse. However when Brandy was out for 64, Fives sensed an opportunity. This was soon dashed as Cocklin hit his first ball for 4. Cocklin was caught-behind for 11, before Tony Jones hit two boundaries to complete the outstanding victory. Kanitkar was not out at the other end having scored 103.
This was a superb victory and showed the ability that Brentwood possess this season. Manager Jeff Salt said "In all my fifty years in club cricket this was the best chase I have seen. The team has immense potential." Brentwood face a tough game against Chingford at the OCG next week.
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21st May
Brentwood 1st XI - 216-7
Chingford 1st XI - 231-9 declared
Match Drawn
Report by Richard Whitehall
A superb innings of 155 from Indian international Hrishikesh Kanitkar went unrewarded as Brentwood had to settle for a draw against fellow promotion hopefuls Chingford on Saturday.
For the fourth successive week Richard Whitehall won the toss and elected to field. In doing so Whitehall was hopeful that the forecast showers would miss the Old County Ground. He was to be disappointed.
It was clear from the first few overs that the wicket would not be an easy one to bat on, but the outfield remained fast and a high score was possible. Whitehall opened the bowling in partnership with Damian Brandy and both extracted prodigious movement from the wicket but were unlucky not to take wickets. It was Whitehall who finally made the breakthrough when an edge behind was caught by wicket-keeper Benjamin Cocklin. But after 12 overs Chingford had lost only 1 wicket and had scored 43 runs due to the bowlers mixing occasional loose balls with what seemed to be unplayable ones. The introduction of Joe Fryd prove effective as he clean bowled Jones and this sparked Whitehall into action as he first had Niraj Odedra caught by Kerry Branson, before Chingford Captain Hill edged to Brandy at 2nd slip.
This left Chingford struggling on 63-4. However the Chingford middle-order reacted to this setback in an aggressive manner and boundaries began to flow. Left-arm spinner Ian Belchamber bore the brunt of the attack, although he did claim the wicket of Runciman. The forecast shower did arrive and play was suspended for 20 minutes. The archaic rules of the Essex League meant that this time was effectively taken off Brentwood's innings with Chingford still able to bat 52 overs. This lost time was to cost Brentwood dear. Chingford's lower order then rallied to their cause with Jon Walford and Richard Whitehall conceding 55 runs in the last 8 overs to allow Chingford to declare on 231-9. Walford finished with figures of 3-70 and Whitehall 4-72.
Brentwood had only 65 minutes and 20 overs in which to chase the total and therefore knew a run-rate of 6 an over was likely to be required. Chingford opened the bowling with Indian off-spinner Niraj Odedra who very quickly took the wicket of Walford caught at mid-off without scoring. This brought Kanitkar to the crease aiming to follow on from the century he scored last week. It was soon clear that he was maintaining his sparkling form. He took the attack to the Chingford bowlers and in particular Odedra. Kanitkar was being ably supported by Ben Debenham and a partnership began to build. As the final 20 overs were called by the umpires Brentwood stood on 88-1, needing 144 more runs to win. Kanitkar continued to dominate the bowling, playing a more aggressive innings than last week and he soon passed 50 and moved quickly towards his second successive 100. Debenham also played many excellent shots as he too reached 50. With 10 overs to go 79 runs were still needed for victory. Debenham was dismissed for 57, but Kanitkar continued to score boundaries at will. However the Brentwood middle order found it difficult to rotate the strike to Kanitkar and then lost their wickets attempting to hit boundaries. The consequence was that wickets fell without runs being scored and despite Kanitkar moving beyond 150 with only two overs left Brentwood still needed 31 to win. Whitehall skied a catch to Odedra at long-off first ball and despite further lusty blows from Kanitkar, when the Indian was dismissed for 155 in the last over, Brentwood were still 15 runs short and had to settle for the draw.
To some extent Brentwood can consider themselves unlucky. They scored at 5.4 runs per over, compared to Chingford's run-rate of only 4.4 and despite taking 2 more wickets than the visitors gained 3 less points from the game. However they must look to improve upon their own weak areas in accuracy of bowling and middle-order batting as they face a tough game away to newly promoted Ardleigh Green on Saturday.
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28th May
Ardleigh Green 1st XI - 225-8 declared
Brentwood 1st XI - 227-7
Brentwood won by 3 wickets
Report by Mark Tyler
Having won the toss, Brentwood captain Richard Whitehall decided to field and in hindsight, with Ardleigh Green 135-1 after 26 overs, he may have been left to rue his decision.
On a flat pitch, and very questionable outfield, Ardleigh Green were enjoying batting. After the early loss of Powell, Ardleigh captain Roy Smith and opener J. Jayasuriya progressed at a comfortable five runs per over. Brentwood bowled well, and with good field placement, restricted the flow of runs. The introduction of Ian Belchamber at one end and Hrishi Kanitkar at the other soon paid dividends with runs being harder to come by. Both bowlers bowled very tightly and the quick fall of wickets restricted Ardleigh's batsmen. Wicket keeper, Ben Cocklin played a large part in this Brentwood recovery with three stumpings and a run out. Two stumpings were very cleanly taken and luck played a large part in the other stumping and the run out with Cocklin using all parts of his body. Tight bowling for the last 26 overs restricted Ardleigh to a very gettable 225-8 declared, with Jayasuriya finishing with 87 and Smith on 58. Belchamber finished with 2-43 and Kanitkar an impressive 4-35.
Brentwood went out to bat, having already chased much higher totals previously in the season, and felt confident about winning the match. An excellent opening stand between Jon Walford and Kanitkar saw them half way there at a run rate of six per over. Walford was out shortly after this for 30 runs although Damian Brandy and Kanitkar continued to progress at a steady rate. Some tight bowling from Ardleigh saw them slow down the run rate and with the added pressure wickets began to fall. Kanitkar fell for a fluent 76 and shortly after Ben Debenham was out LBW. Brandy soon followed to an excellent slower ball and suddenly Brentwood were looking less like the favourites. Mark Tyler and Paul Larner then built a small stand although Larner was bowled soon after. In a tight finish it was left to Tyler, Whitehall and Belchamber to provide the necessary runs with Belchamber hitting the winning runs with one over remaining. In the end Brentwood were left to reflect on a match that was much tighter than it should have been and, with more sensible batting, they should have cantered to an easier victory.
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4th June
Brentwood 1st XI - 192-2
Hadleigh & Thundersley 1st XI - 190 all out
Brentwood won by 8 wickets
Report by Damian Brandy
A third magnificent century from overseas batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar helped promotion hopefuls Brentwood canter home in a one-sided affair at the Old County Ground.
For the 6th week running Captain Richard Whitehall won the toss and inevitably inserted Hadleigh on a slightly damp Brentwood wicket. In conditions that favoured seam bowling Brentwood's trio of medium pacers would be right to feel they were slightly below their best. Damian Brandy never quite settled from the reserve ground end and Whitehall having dismissed two of Hadleigh's top three including the prize wicket of overseas batting star Devang Ghandi for 9 within his first 3 overs may have felt disappointed with 2-19. Jon Walford replaced Brandy and quickly settled into a testing line and length. His early spell was rewarded with 2 wickets courtesy of some well-drilled slip fielders. Only Tibbenham from Hadleigh's top order showed any sort of application and compiled a slow but determined 48 before becoming one of 2 wickets for left-arm spinner Belchamber, and the third of 4 dismissals for keeper Ben Cocklin.
At 52 overs the batting side were curiously placed on 149-7 just a run short of securing 4 batting points but decided to bat on before being bowled out for 190 in 63.1 overs. Walford, the pick of the bowlers with 3-11 from his 9 overs, and 15 year-old Tim Barbone playing his first league game in the first team showed skill and control beyond his years with his off-breaks returning 1-52 from 15 promising overs.
Brentwood's reply was typically aggressive. Once again they faced the prospect of having to score at very nearly 5 an over to reach their target of 191. Walford and Kanitkar tore the heart out of any hopes Hadleigh may have had of gaining some points out of the game. The contrasting left handers put Hadleigh's in-disciplined bowling and poor fielding to the sword scoring on average 2 runs a minute in an opening stand of 140. Walford with a more upright technique, not dissimilar to that of Marcus Trescothick, drove the ball with power and authority all round the wicket, he was given a reprieve on 51 when a fairly straight forward chance at mid-on was grassed but that took nothing away from a fluent and entertaining innings that ended when he spooned a ball that popped off a length and was caught and bowled for 70.
Kanitkar in typical sub-continental fashion manipulated the field with mastery. In particular his ability to pick spin bowling apart almost without breaking sweat was remarkable though he was no less brutal on the medium pace bowlers. He comfortably compiled his third century in Brentwood colours taking less than an hour and 40 minutes and 29 overs to do so. As Walford was dismissed Mark Tyler came and went without troubling the scorers and Brandy was left 6 not out to complete an eight wicket victory.
Brentwood travel to arch rivals Shenfield next week with important points to be gained for both sides. Ominously on this evidence Brentwood in top gear may prove just too strong for most in this division.
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11th June
Shenfield 1st XI - 200 all out
Brentwood 1st XI - 306-2 declared
Brentwood won by 106 runs
Report by Richard Whitehall
A superb all-round performance from Brentwood took them to an emphatic victory over local rivals Shenfield on Saturday.
Having lost the toss for the first time this season, Brentwood were put in to bat by Shenfield captain David Wright buoyed by his side's recent back-to-back victories. It was soon clear that this was a potentially high scoring game given the hard wicket and fast outfield. Ben Debenham was the first Brentwood batsman to get going, although after a number of boundaries he was clean bowled by a full in-swinging delivery from Matt Weaver having scored 25. This brought Hrishikesh Kanitkar to the wicket to partner Jon Walford. Having been frustrated early on in his innings as he consistently found the fielders, it was Walford who took the attack to Shenfield as Kanitkar played himself in. Walford began to hit the ball cleanly and runs flowed easily across the quick outfield. Walford soon reached his fifty and looked in imperious form. Indeed it was not only the Shenfield bowlers who bore the brunt of his attack, but he was also to break 3 bats during the innings! As Kanitkar also hit full stride the portents for the afternoon looked excellent from a Brentwood perspective. Both batsmen were scoring runs with ease on both sides of the wicket, rarely needing to hit the ball in the air. Shenfield continued to toil and when Kanitkar was finally dismissed for 124 the total had reached 290 and the partnership with Walford was over 250. Walford carried his bat for a superb total of 128 until the innings was declared on 306-2 off 52 overs.
With Shenfield having scored above 300 against Premier League Ilford the previous week Brentwood knew they could not take their opponents lightly. However 3 early wickets from Damian Brandy soon put Shenfield on the back-foot. Brandy bowled at a lively pace, hitting the wicket hard and benefiting from some uneven bounce. Captain Richard Whitehall also gained a wicket in the first 10 overs to leave Shenfield on 25-4. But Walter and Jon Weber batted with confidence as they put together a lengthy partnership. Whitehall rested Brandy and brought Joe Fryd into the attack. The change reaped immediate dividends as Fryd skidded a ball off the wicket and trapped Weber lbw for a score of 25. Fryd then dismissed Walter and Walton who were caught by Paul Larner and Benjamin Cocklin respectively. Whitehall continued to rotate his bowlers as the overs ticked away and the pressure to force a victory increased. Whitehall and Brandy returned to the attack to take a wicket each and left Shenfield 9 wickets down with 7 overs to go. Keane was proving difficult to dislodge having been dropped by Cocklin and he patiently reached his fifty as Brentwood allowed him some easy runs in their attempt to get the number 11 Tony Hill on strike. However the youngster proved to be equally as belligerent as the overs ticked away. With only 13 balls left Hill edged Kanitkar, whereupon Cocklin atoned for his previous error and took the vital catch standing up to the stumps.
This was an impressive victory having been forced to bat first. Brentwood still lie in 2nd position, but now only 1 point behind Chingford and 6 ahead of Ardleigh Green. Next week they travel to 4th placed Woodford Wells.
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18th June
Woodford Wells 1st XI - 132 all out
Brentwood 1st XI - 134-2
Brentwood won by 8 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
A superb bowling and fielding performance from Brentwood on Saturday led them to an emphatic victory over Woodford Wells and took them to the top of Division 1.
Uncertainty surrounded the game as Woodford Wells were hosting the first game back on their re-laid square. Therefore it was with uncertainty that Richard Whitehall elected to bowl first having won the toss. Without Damian Brandy who was absent with illness it was Joe Fryd who opened the bowling and following the first ball it was clear that there was little bounce in the wicket. Whitehall opened from the other end and in his first over took two wickets. Firstly Gunalan was well caught by Ben Debenham at second slip and then a yorker trapped Rob Leiper in front of his stumps lbw. More was to come in the fourth over when Semper played an extravagant drive only to see it end up in the safe hands of Dean Goddard and the very next ball Laas edged behind to wicket-keeper Ben Cocklin. Wells were left reeling at 22-4, with Whitehall having taken all of the wickets. Gunalan and Rogers went about adding some stability to The Wells innings, but no sooner had their partnership looked solid when Debenham took another good catch off the bowling of Jon Walford to dismiss Gunalan for what proved to be a top-score of 26. Ian Belchamber's left-arm spin was proving to be difficult to score runs off and he enticed two of the home side's batsmen to play across the line and to be trapped leg-before wicket. Mark Webber led a rearguard action for The Wells, but his 21 not out could only take the batting side to 132 before Belchamber, Whitehall and finally Fryd took the remaining wickets. Whitehall finished with figures of 5-28.
Given the variable bounce in the wicket this looked no formality for Brentwood. However Walford began to ease those fears with a number of crisp boundaries as in partnership with Debenham the score passed fifty. Walford became a victim of the low bounce of the wicket when he was bowled by Semper having scored an excellent 37 runs. Ben Debenham was joined by Hrishikesh Kanitkar and the two consolidated well, defending stoically but being prepared to hit boundaries when loose balls were bowled. Woodford Wells took the new ball with only 30 runs required by Brentwood for victory and a flurry of wides and byes took Brentwood to within 5 of victory when Marlon Cornelius clean bowled Debenham for 29. Nigel McKay batted at 4 and watched as the victory was sealed with 4 byes off Cornelius's bowling.
Brentwood should be pleased to reach the top of Division 1 having played excellent cricket in all of the first 6 matches of the season. However the Division includes many good sides and Brentwood cannot afford to allow any semblance of complacency to creep in to their attitude. Next week Orsett visit the OCG.
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25th June
Orsett 1st XI - 203-9 declared
Brentwood 1st XI - 207-7
Brentwood won by 3 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
Brentwood moved twenty points clear at the top of Division 1 following an inconsistent yet successful performance against local rivals Orsett at the Old County Ground on Saturday.
Following heavy storms the previous day, the normally batsman friendly wicket at Brentwood looked like it might offer some help to the bowlers and with overhead conditions overcast it was Orsett Captain Wayne Read who won the toss, deciding to bat first. From the first ball, which Damian Brandy bowled a wide, it was clear that the Brentwood seam bowlers were not sufficiently focussed and were going to have trouble controlling the ball. Richard Whitehall and Jonathan Walford suffered from the same problem and the Orsett score raced to 32 with the help of no-less than 27 extras! In the meantime Brandy had dismissed Darren Polyblank who was caught by Benjamin Cocklin, but it was clear that Brentwood were not in command of the game. The introduction of Ian Belchamber and Joe Fryd began to drag Brentwood back into the match. Both bowlers bowled accurately and Orsett began to slowdown. Fryd gained due reward for his super spell when he too combined with Cocklin to dismiss Turner and Sargent. Belchamber also contributed the wicket of Small who was out lbw. Only Paul Shaw of the visitors was batting confidently however when Whitehall came back into the attack he enticed a false drive from the batsman who was caught by Walford at extra-cover having scored 45. The game had now changed round and it was Brentwood who were on top as Orsett struggled on 120-5. However Read and Sherlock batted well for the visitors as they targeted the 200 runs they required for maximum batting points. Belchamber continued to bowl tightly, but runs were being scored from the other end. Belchamber eventually had Read caught by Peter Morgan for 24 and Whitehall clean bowled Sherlock for 36. It looked as if Orsett would struggle to reach 200, but a flurry of runs off Whitehall's last over from the bat of Madder took the visitors to 203. Belchamber finished with the superb figures of 3-42 off 18 overs.
Brentwood set about their reply positively. Both opening batsmen, Walford and Ben Debenham hit boundaries early on off Orsett seam bowlers Polyblank and Tidman. They had added over 50 runs when Walford missed an in-swinging delivery from Madder and was clean bowled for 24. Debenham continued to bat well and was aided by Hrishikesh Kanitkar who continued to look in imperious form. The required run-rate was around a comfortable 4 an over, but Brentwood were given a scare when both Debenham for 40 and Kanitkar 36 were dismissed in quick succession. Damian Brandy took over the dominant role in the run chase as he was first joined by Peter Morgan and then Matthew Westwood. However Brandy was caught-behind off the bowling of Dave Cracknell for 32 by Kevin Sargent when Brentwood were still 55 runs short of their target. Ben Cocklin rose to the challenge and batted in a way not seen since last season as he quickly, but with little risk, scored 33 runs to take Brentwood to the brink of victory before he became the first victim for Polyblank. It was left to Captain Whitehall to score the winning boundary with 4 balls to spare.
This was a decent overall performance from Brentwood given their abject start to the game. However despite the lead they now hold at the top of the division they must be wary of any complacency. On Saturday they face a resurgent Colchester side at The Old County Ground.
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2nd July
Brentwood 1st XI - 266-3
Colchester & East Essex 1st XI - 217-8
Match Drawn
Report by Damian Brandy
Tim Barbone saved Brentwood's blushes capturing 4 wickets to stifle Colchester's run chase at the Old County Ground.
Brentwood, asked to bat first under leaden skies and on a damp pitch with copious grass covering, batted with assurance and skill to post a formidable 266 for the loss of just 3 wickets in 52 overs. In form left-handers Walford and Kanitkar were once again the enforcers. In a stand of 87 for the second wicket they built on a solid opening partnership between Walford and Debenham of 79 of which Debenham's contribution was 28. Walford eventually fell to a swinging delivery from Gough that rattled the off-stump for 90 but Kanitkar marched to his 5th league century of the season in only his 8th game from the very last ball of the innings. Colchester may feel a little disappointed with not being able to make further in-roads into the Brentwood batting early on. Left arm quickie Quartermaine, an overseas import from New Zealand, bowled too short to trouble the batsmen and the back-up bowling lacked the penetration to worry the league leaders. Only Gough in his 5 overs found a length suitable to the conditions and was rewarded with the late wickets of Walford and Brandy.
With 10 minutes shy of three hours to bat 4th placed Colchester made their intentions clear from the very beginning. Openers Russell and McQueen were quick to seize on anything remotely loose and scampered between the wickets like rats in an aqueduct. As the proverb goes, fortune favoured the brave. Russell was caught at slip by Westwood off Brandy, but not before the umpire had raised his arm to signal Brandy had over stepped. And both managed to dissect and lob the field to perfection. When the hundred was up for the loss of no wickets after only an hour of Colchester's innings Brentwood's alarm bells began to ring.
From the outset Colchester had to score consistently at 6 an over to haul in their target but had been given the best possible start with an opening stand of 117 in an hour and ten minutes. With seam proving increasingly in-effective Whitehall turned to his spinners for divine intervention. Belchamber struck first trapping the left-handed Russell LBW for 53 but it was Barbone who was the chief destroyer. The 14-year-old was able to keep his cool and discipline at a crucial time of the game ending with figures of 4-47, and although he was initially unable to stem the flow of runs his persistence paid dividends in the form of wickets. Colchester's middle order of Kennedy, Quartermaine and DePrez were all pouched deep on the leg-side boundary off Barbone and when McQueen was beaten by a quicker one from Belchamber and bowled for an entertaining 73 Colchester found themselves at 185 for 6 with 7 overs left. Whitehall recalled himself to the attack and struck immediately to inject a hint of tension to the final overs but Colchester hung on for a draw finishing on 217-8.
With one game left before the turn around Brentwood remain the only un-beaten side in Essex and top division 1. However, Whitehall and his men know they must maintain their good form to stave off imposing threats from the chasing pack and travel to Chelmer Park next weekend.
Brentwood took 11 points from the game and Colchester 5 points.
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9th July
Chelmsford 1st XI - 164 all out
Brentwood 1st XI - 113 all out
Brentwood lost by 51 runs
Report by Richard Whitehall
Brentwood's unbeaten run came to a crashing halt on Saturday when they were bowled out for only 113 and well beaten by Chelmsford at Chelmer Park.
With a victory in mind Richard Whitehall won the toss and elected to bowl first. The captain opened the bowling in tandem with Damian Brandy. They bowled a good line outside off-stump and although a few boundaries were conceded, Brentwood were rewarded with the wickets of Matt Thurston and both Nick and Chris Prowting in the first 12 overs. All of the 3 were caught by an in-form Benjamin Cocklin behind the stumps. Paul Jones and Rob Semple set about rescuing the Chelmsford innings. They were successful in stopping the flow of wickets, but found that the run-rate also slowed down. Whitehall decided to bowl his two spinners, Tim Barbone and Ian Belchamber, together for the second half of the innings. Both bowled tightly and pressure began to build on the Chelmsford batsmen as it became obvious that the wicket was helpful to spin bowling. It was 14 year-old Barbone who made the breakthrough, clean bowling Semple for 30. The spin prodigy then also quickly accounted for the wickets of Hayto and Wasyluk. Only Jones was showing much resistance and the Chelmsford skipper had compiled an excellent 47 when he was caught and bowled by the relatively veteran Belchamber. The Chelmsford lower order batted sensibly and took their score past 150 to gain 4 batting points, but were eventually bowled out for 166. Barbone finished with figures of 4-39 off 17 overs and Belchamber 2-49 off 14.
Although this was a much lower score than Brentwood had needed to chase in previous games, given the nature of the wicket this was not going to be an easy task. If they had any illusions to the contrary then they were soon dispelled when Jon Walford was out off the 2nd ball of the game lbw to Eddie Lawrence. Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ben Debenham built a useful partnership for the 2nd wicket. Importantly they forced Lawrence out of the attack as he began to concede runs and suffer from a no-ball problem. However just as it looked like Brentwood were getting on top of the game Kanitkar tried to hit Poole into the leg-side and was well-caught by Hayto at cover-point. This encouraged Chelmsford to bring Lawrence back into the game, but from the opposite end. It was to prove a crucial decision as he soon dismissed Debenham who was adjudged lbw for 19. Damian Brandy was batting with confidence at no.4 but he too was to perish to Lawrence when he was given-out caught behind for 28. Brentwood's task still looked manageable as they had to score at only 2.8 an over. However wickets fell with alarming regularity as the accurate Chelmsford bowling received its reward. With 6 wickets down Jones called on his Australian seamer Wasyluk who took two wickets in his first and only over. Lawrence took Chelmsford to victory, finishing off the Brentwood innings in quick time, accounting for Whitehall and Barbone in the very next over.
With fellow promotion hopefuls Ardleigh Green and Chingford both winning Brentwood slipped to 2nd place in Division 1, one point behind Ardleigh and 12 ahead of Chingford. With the first half of the season completed Brentwood can look back with pride having played good cricket in most games, however in a strong division they know they face a difficult second half of the season if their goal of promotion is to be achieved.
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16th July
Fives & Heronians 1st XI - 275-5
Brentwood 1st XI - 277-1
Brentwood won by 9 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
Brentwood returned to winning ways on Saturday with a comprehensive 9 wicket victory over Fives & Heronians with Vice-captain Jonathan Walford scoring a superb 138 not out.
One look at the wicket and outfield at The Paddock was enough to convince anyone that bat would dominate ball. With this in mind Richard Whitehall had no hesitation in bowling first once he had won the toss. Sure enough, runs began to flow from the first over. Nick Rotsey opening the batting for Fives was looking to play attacking shots at any loose bowling. He rode his look with a number of edges but also hit some crisp cover drives. Damian Brandy bore the brunt of Rotsey's aggression and after 5 overs was removed from the attack. Whitehall who had beaten the bat on a number of occasions replaced himself after 8 overs and this left Brentwood with an all-spin attack of Ian Belchamber and Tim Barbone. Both bowlers bowled with impressive accuracy and the run-rate fell from 6 to only 4-an-over. With the pressure now switched on to the batsmen it was Rotsey who felt the need to take chances. Barbone was unlucky not to take advantage of this as first a stumping was missed and then a catch dropped off his bowling. After 35 overs Fives were 165-0, Rotsey's big hitting began to pay off and after 25 runs were hit off 2 of his overs Barbone was removed from the attack. Whitehall replaced him and soon had Rotsey caught by Paul Larner at long-on having scored 97. Daniel Stevens came in at number 3 and quickly hit top gear taking Whitehall for two boundaries through mid-wicket. But Whitehall got revenge when he extracted bounce from the wicket and Stevens was well caught by Ben Cocklin. At the other end Gary Edwards was continuing to play the anchor role for Fives and was 80 not out. As other batsmen tried to push the score past 250 and beyond, wickets fell with Brandy bowling Ballard and Whorlow being run out. Off the penultimate ball Belchamber had Palmer stumped by Cocklin. Fives declared at 275-5 off 52 overs, with Edwards 104 not out off 162 balls.
With last week's loss to Chelmsford fresh in their minds, Brentwood knew they had to be fully focussed to chase such a high score even given the excellent wicket and small boundaries. Ben Debenham and Jon Walford were helped early on by some poor cricket from Fives who gave away a number of byes and wides. Fives were forced to take the new ball after 4 overs and Clark and Kay bowled well. They successfully slowed down the Brentwood scoring rate. However as the shine came off the ball so Brentwood resumed command with Debenham in particular hitting the ball cleanly. Walford was first to the half-century mark but was soon followed by Debenham. Walford was now timing the ball better as Fives began to wilt in the late afternoon sunshine. Walford offered a chink of light when he skied the ball to mid-on, but the Five's fielder was not able to hold the regulation catch. Debenham seemed distracted by this as he played a loose shot the very next ball to be clean bowled by Whorlow. This brought Hrishikesh Kanitkar to the wicket and the Indian international immediately looked in command of the bowling, hitting Ballard easily over mid-on for boundaries. Walford took this as his signal to open up and boundaries flowed at an alarming rate and he soon reached his century. Victory was completed with 4 overs to spare. Kanitkar was 45 not out, but it was Walford who was the star scoring 138 not out off 162 balls.
This emphatic victory will have helped Brentwood to put last week's defeat behind them. However with all of their rivals at the top of the Division winning, the race for promotion remains as tight as ever. Next week Brentwood travel away to play 3rd placed Chingford.
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23rd July
Brentwood 1st XI - 185 (52 overs)
Chingford 1st XI - 186 (52 overs)
Chingford won
Report by Damian Brandy
Despite a fine all-round performance from Hrishikesh Kanitkar Brentwood suffered their second league defeat of the 2005 campaign to leave the promotion chase wide open.
Winning the toss and deciding to bat on a dry wicket devoid of any grass, Brentwood captain Whitehall would have been fairly happy with his sides effort to post 185 in their allotted 52 overs. It was no surprise to see Odedra, Chingford's reliable off-spinner, take the new ball from the pavilion end and bowl unchanged throughout Brentwood's innings. The finger spinner ended with figures of 4-76 from 26 overs enabling his side to keep a strangle hold on Kanitkar and Brandy as they inched their way to respectability. The free-scoring Jon Walford was the first wicket to fall, stumped in the 13th over for 11, a sign that runs would be hard to come by on a very low and slow strip. Brandy then joined Kanitkar with the score on 47 and they shared a second wicket partnership of 121 in 31 overs. Brandy, having been given a reprieve twice in the space of 4 overs by the same fielder, was far less comfortable in the conditions than Kanitkar but made an important 58 before chipping to short mid-wicket with the score on 168. Kanitkar fell soon after, beaten by a ball that kept low and bowled him attempting to cut, but not before he had made exactly 100. It was his most testing innings for the club so far, with opportunities to score limited courtesy of the discipline showed by all Chingford's bowlers, but any chance he was given he capitalised on. Understandably Brentwood's subsequent batsmen found it difficult to insert any urgency into the closing overs and wickets fell with regularity. Leg-spinner Bass was also in the wickets with 3-27 from 5 overs at the death.
With rain threatening Chingford captain Hill set about their target of 185 in 90 minutes plus 20 overs with relish. Brentwood's efforts in the field have let them down at times this season so far and once again it was their bowling and fielding that was to be their un-doing. Chances went begging behind the stumps and opportunities to score were all too plentiful. Whitehall used only 3 bowlers in Chingford's innings, ironically his decision to use spin for 44 overs allowed Chingford to receive 50 overs in return. Hill played a true captain's innings finishing 88 not out after opening the batting and received valuable support all the way down his top order, except for McMurray who was athletically caught and bowled for 0 by Kanitkar.
Belchamber, in similar fashion to Odedra earlier, bowled un-changed from the pavilion end finishing with 1-86 from 25 overs but it was Kanitkar who through subtle changes in pace and variation was the biggest threat to a home win, however, even he wasn't able to prevent boundaries being scored at key times for Chingford to maintain the required rate. Once Kanitkar had bowled Kirnon for 32, with Chingford still requiring 26 for victory Brentwood sensed a chance of avoiding defeat but Rhone batting at number seven struck the ball sweetly, taking the pressure off his captain and sealing a Chingford victory.
Brentwood although not quite at their best this week should take some consolation from the fact that Chingford are a side well suited to their home conditions, or visa versa, and emerging from the game with 8 points maintains their second place position.
Brentwood face league leaders Ardleigh Green next week in a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash.
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30th July
Brentwood 1st XI - 201-8 declared
Ardleigh Green 1st XI - 123-0
Match Abandoned
Report by Richard Whitehall
A heavy burst of rain towards the end of Saturday afternoon caused the abandonment of the top of the table clash, just as Brentwood looked to be heading for a 2nd successive defeat.
Ardleigh Green skipper Royston Smith won the toss and decided to bowl first on a wicket that was soft due to the previous week's rain. It was clear that batting would be difficult from the first few overs, particularly due to the accurate bowling of Michael Clarke. Brentwood were scoring at only around 2 an over, when after 12 overs Chris Boon misread Clarke's slower ball and was caught by Ian Russell at mid-wicket. This bought Hrishikesh Kanitkar to the crease. The Indian partnered Jon Walford and the two set about building a suitable total. The run-rate began to rise as the two battled in the difficult conditions and stamped their authority on the game. With the total on 123 Kanitkar was dismissed by Clarke after edging the ball to Misbah Uddin in the gully. Walford continued to bat well, but wickets fell at the other end with Brandy, Morgan and Branson being the victims. Whilst a total of 230 had seemed likely at one stage it was now clear that Brentwood would have to bat well to reach 200 and gain maximum batting points. The lower middle-order of Cocklin, Whitehall and Belchamber took Brentwood into the late 180s before Joe Fryd batting at number 10 hit a quickfire 10 as Brentwood declared on 201.
Brentwood knew that if they bowled well this would be a difficult total for Green to chase. However the Brentwood bowlers started poorly. They presented Jon Powell with many easy boundaries, of which he duly took advantage. The score moved along quickly and captain Whitehall was forced to rotate his bowlers quickly. Ian Belchamber and Tim Barbone began to exert some control, but the Green score was still accelerating quickly. At 6 o'clock rain clouds began to encircle the ground and the visitors started to play more aggressively knowing that some batting time would be lost. The shower came at 6.10 and was so heavy that it left standing water on the Brentwood square. The umpires had no choice but to call an end to proceedings and with only 22 overs bowled in the second innings neither side was able to claim bonus points.
3rd placed Chingford lost to Orsett, which means that here is no change at the top of Division 1, with Ardleigh 5 points ahead of Brentwood and Chingford another 3 points behind. Next week Brentwood travel to Hadleigh & Thundersley.
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6th August
Brentwood 1st XI - 222-8
Hadleigh & Thundersley 1st XI - 90 all out
Brentwood won by 132 runs
Report by Richard Whitehall
Following 2 poor performances, Brentwood bounced back in style on Saturday to comprehensively beat Hadleigh & Thundersley and reclaim top spot in Division 1.
Richard Whitehall lost the toss and surprisingly Hadleigh Captain Andrew Fleming decided to field first. Jonathan Walford and the returning Ben Debenham opened the batting for Brentwood. Runs were difficult to come by as Revell and Lowes bowled accurately on a wicket which was helpful for bowlers. Just as the two were beginning to exercise their superiority Debenham was well run out by Lowes having scored 11. Hrishikesh Kanitkar batted at 3, but even the Indian international found run scoring difficult as Lowes in particular continued to take advantage of the uneven pace and bounce in the wicket. However both batsmen were ruthless on the few bad balls bowled by Hadleigh, the score moved towards 100 and Walford soon reached his fifty. Shortly after the drinks break Kanitkar was caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Paul Baker and when Walford fell lbw to the same bowler the score was 120-3 and the Brentwood innings could have been in some trouble. Brentwood's middle-order reacted well as Damian Brandy, Matthew Westwood and Chris Boon all contributed well to partnerships that edged the batting side towards 200. This was followed by a late flurry from Ben Cocklin and Ian Belchamber who scored 30 runs in the last 3 overs, including some lusty blows for 6, to take Brentwood to a decent total of 222.
With 3 hours to bowl, Brentwood sensed the opportunity to bowl out Hadleigh and claim a maximum 20 points. Opening bowlers Brandy and Whitehall, who had performed poorly last week, bowled like they had a point to prove on Saturday. Both bowled with excellent accuracy and put enormous pressure on the home side's batsmen. Brandy was the first to strike when he trapped Pandit leg-before in front of his stumps having scored 7. This dismissal brought Indian star batsman Devang Ghandi to the wicket. In a crucial passage of play both bowlers continued to bowl well, yet the Hadleigh number 3 also played some sublime attacking shots and moved to 24, before Richard Whitehall induced a false cover drive from Ghandi and Matt Westwood took a superb diving catch low to his left. This was the signal for Brentwood to begin attacking and push for victory. Whitehall changed his bowlers around, first using Joe Fryd and then two of his spinners Tim Barbone and Ian Belchamber. It was the spinners who were the more dangerous as the drying wicket offered prodigious turn. Barbone snared the obdurate Lowes lbw before repeating the dismissal to get rid of Fleming. With the floodgates now open wickets tumbled, Belchamber removed Tibbenham who was well caught-behind by Cocklin and then clean bowled Board. With 18 overs left, Brentwood wrapped up victory when Cocklin stumped Patel once more off the bowling of Belchamber. Barbone finished with figures of 4-12 and Belchamber 4-15.
With this victory, Brentwood returned to first place in the division and are 10 points ahead of Ardleigh Green who lie in 2nd place and 16 points ahead of Colchester in 3rd. On Saturday Brentwood face a difficult home game against local rivals Shenfield.
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12th August
Photos from the Tom Davey Memorial Match
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13th August
Shenfield 1st XI - 208
Brentwood 1st XI - 209-4
Brentwood won by 6 wickets
Report by Damian Brandy
As the scrap for promotion places in Division One gathers momentum so does the fight to stave off relegation. Brentwood and Shenfield, local rivals chasing promotion and fighting relegation respectively, produced a thrilling game at the Old County Ground on Saturday. Stand-in captain Jon Walford won the toss and inserted a Shenfield side in search of valuable bonus points. Brandy, who has been a little wayward in recent weeks and without regular opening partner Whitehall bowled with hostility and control and in tandem with David Balroop, who also extracted seam movement from an otherwise sublime batting strip, to make life difficult for Shenfields opening pair of Tappin and Weber. Weber was first to go when his attacking inclinations got the better of him and he played on to Balroop for 25. Brandy continued to cause the left-handed Tappin problems with bounce and movement off the seam but he knuckled down and scored a patient 41 before becoming one of two victims for rising star Tim Barbone. With the score on 173 for 4 and the dismissal of Australian all-rounder Matt Weaver for a spirited 49 both sides were forced inside as the umpires decided the persistent rain and bad light was not fit to continue playing in.
With the clouds beginning to fill in and prospects of play seemingly unlikely an early tea was called with Shenfield still needing another 4.3 overs to complete their innings. Both teams must be commended for their cooperation and keenness in difficult circumstances to get the game going again after a nearly an hour was lost and rain was still falling but there was much to gain for both. Play eventually resumed at 5:15 on a wicket that had taken more rain than the covers were designed to allow through and under low threatening storm clouds bringing frequent showers. Shenfield eventually finished on 208 thanks mainly to some late blows from Hazel and Walter the later finishing unbeaten on 39. Spinners Belchamber and Barbone finishing with two wickets apiece.
At such a crucial stage of the season with 4 teams still hotly contesting the top two spots it was vital Brentwood gained full points from this game. Especially given the fact that there was a chance other teams had abandoned due to the adverse weather.
With that in mind their target was clear, 209 runs in what would turn out to be 31 overs in near darkness and frequent heavy showers. Prolific left-handers Walford and Kanitkar opened the innings and managed to exceed the required run rate capitalising on some slightly ragged new ball bowling from Shenfield in a stand of 75 in 10 overs. Kanitkar was first out caught at mid-wicket for 35 from just 32 balls but had laid the foundation for a thrilling chase. Brentwood requiring 134 from the final 20 overs were indebted to a partnership of 76 in 13 overs between captain Walford and Brandy. The duo calmly guided their side to within striking distance during their 66 minute stand, with clinical boundary hitting and alert running between the wickets being the features. However when Walford was yorked by off-spinner Lugg for a courageous 73 it seemed the game would slip from Brentwoods grasp.
With 56 from 7 overs still needed in gathering gloom and driving rain it was Brandy who shone through for Brentwood. In consecutive overs off left-arm spinner Wright, Brandy smashed 15 and 13 with shots all round the wicket to ease the tension and maintain a glimmer of hope. With Debenham run out for 6 due to a brilliant bit of work by Weber at mid-wicket former Brentwood captain Graham Walker was bought to the crease with Brentwood requiring 8 from the final over. Walker dug-out an accurate Yorker from Wright's first ball, then clipped his second to long on for a single leaving Brandy to hit 7 from 4 deliveries. Unsurprisingly, due to the wet conditions, Wright's control was beginning to waver and duly delivered a full toss which Brandy swiped high and long over deep square leg for 6 leaving one needed from 3 deliveries. Although he was dismissed the very next ball for 74 from 66 balls his work was done and Westwood was left to hit the winning runs.
Both sides could walk away happy with the days work with every point being so crucial at this stage of the season. Brentwood welcome back regular captain Richard Whitehall and keeper Ben Cocklin for the visiting Woodford Wells next week in the knowledge that the Division One championship now lies in their own hands.
(Brentwood 18 points; Shenfield 9 points).
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20th August
Woodford Wells 1st XI - 223 all out
Brentwood 1st XI - 227-4
Brentwood won by 6 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
A superb unbeaten 98 by Damian Brandy saw Brentwood to a 3rd consecutive victory and brought promotion to the Premier League a step closer.
Richard Whitehall returned to captain the side and having won the toss decided to bowl first. Damian Brandy bowled what turned out to be an eventful first over. Three of the first four balls were dispatched to the boundary by Will Rogers before Brandy produced a superb ball which Rogers edged to wicket-keeper Benjamin Cocklin. Whitehall clean-bowled Rob Leiper the very next over and then had Wells number four McEwan caught by Tim Barbone for 7 to leave the visitors reeling on 32-3. Woodford Wells continued to bat without due caution, meaning that although runs continued to flow at 5 an over, they also lost wickets at an alarming rate. Brandy was the chief beneficiary picking up Semper and R. Gunalan, with left-arm spinner Ian Belchamber removing the eccentric batting of Mordrick. Opening batsman S. Gunalan, who had survived 3 dropped catches, reached 69, before taking a risky second run only to be run out by Belchamber. Wells collapsed quickly to a score of 189-9, before a last wicket partnership between Smith and Webber used up precious overs and took the score to 223, before Joe Fryd clean bowled Smith for 28.
Jonathan Walford led Brentwood's reply with confidence. He quickly moved to 27, before left-arm slow bowler Smith trapped him lbw. Smith then followed up with the prize wicket of Hrishikesh Kanitkar who was caught by S. Gunalan at mid-on trying to clear the infield. This left Ben Debenham and Damian Brandy at the wicket for Brentwood. The two batsmen set about rebuilding the innings batting watchfully. Wells began to rotate their bowlers to try and break the partnership, but without success. As Debenham and Brandy began to increase their scoring rate, Wells took the new ball and turned to their seam bowlers Rogers and Watkins. But the Brentwood batsmen took this in their stride and as the last 20 overs were called Brentwood needed only 117. Both Brandy and Debenham reached their half-centuries, scoring at the required run-rate with relative ease. Only when Debenham was caught and bowled by Smith for 59 were there any worries in the Brentwood camp. However Brandy continued to bat imperiously and was ably supported by Graham Walker. It was fitting that it was Brandy who hit the winning runs in the last over when he cover drove Mordrick for 4, to take his score to 98.
Brentwood are now 17 points clear of 2nd placed Ardleigh Green and 29 points ahead of Colchester in 3rd. Next week they travel to local rivals Orsett, knowing that a victory may secure promotion to the Premier League.
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27th August
Brentwood 1st XI - 203-8
Orsett 1st XI - 178-9
Match Drawn
Report by Richard Whitehall
Brentwood all but secured promotion to the Premier League following an excellent performance on Saturday against local rivals Orsett.
The Orsett wicket has a reputation for inconsistent bounce and with that in mind Richard Whitehall decided to bat first after winning the toss. The decision meant that the Brentwood batsmen would have a difficult afternoon, but equally were able to bat with less pressure. Jonathan Walford and Ben Debenham opened the batting for Brentwood, but Walford was soon out when a delivery from Dave Cracknell failed to bounce as expected and snuck underneath his bat clean bowling him. Hrishikesh Kanitkar came to the wicket playing his last game of the season for Brentwood before returning to his domestic cricket in India. Both Debenham and Kanitkar were forced to bat watchfully as the Orsett bowlers bowled with excellent accuracy. After 26 overs Brentwood were 78-1 and had a good platform to push towards maximum batting points at 200. The two batsmen took the score passed 100 before Debenham was bowled by Derek Stanton having scored 44. Damian Brandy was lbw 2 balls later and when Kanitkar was caught on the boundary by Madder off the bowling of Shovlar for 58 the Brentwood innings looked to be stalling. Paul Larner and Matt Westwood also fell quickly to increase the pressure on Brentwood. But Graham Walker and Benjamin Cocklin put together a crucial partnership, which was continued by Whitehall when Cocklin was out. Walker was the dominant batsman scoring at around a run a ball. He finished the innings in style with a sumptuous cover driven boundary to take Brentwood to 203 allowing Whitehall to declare with maximum batting points.
Brentwood opened the bowling with spinners Tim Barbone and Ian Belchamber to take advantage of the prodigious turn available from the pitch. Paul Shaw batted superbly and looked in few problems. However at the other end Darren Polyblank was less assure and eventually edged a catch behind to Cocklin off the bowling of Barbone. Shaw continued to bat well and was supported by Goodhind as Orsett moved to 88-1 and seemed to be favourites for victory. However Goodhind tried to take a quick single to cover point and was superbly run out by Paul Larner with a direct hit. This was the catalyst for a number of quick wickets as Brentwood's seam bowlers Whitehall and Brandy came in to the attack. Crucially Brandy trapped Shaw lbw for 55. With 6 overs to go Orsett required 46 runs and had 6 wickets in hand. But Whitehall took two wickets in one over and Belchamber removed the dangerous Webb lbw. Whitehall then brought Barbone back into the attack to entice Orsett to attack the victory target. However only 4 runs came off the over and Orsett's chance had gone. Damian Brandy took a wicket in the penultimate over and when Whitehall had Madder stumped by Cocklin, Brentwood had four balls left to take the last wicket in order to gain victory. However Shovlar and Stanton stood their ground and the match ended in a draw. Whitehall finished with figures of 4-40.
Brentwood gained 12 points from the game, are now 11 points ahead of Ardleigh Green and importantly 39 points ahead of Colchester, meaning only 1 point is required in the last two games to confirm their promotion to the Premier League. Hrishikesh Kanitkar returns to India following an outstanding season. He has scored 1066 league runs at an average of 96.91, including 6 hundreds and has also taken 9 wickets at an average of only 17.8 runs per wicket. He has been an excellent influence within the team raising the standards of his team-mates and his contribution to Brentwood's successful season is clear for all to see.
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3rd September
Brentwood 1st XI - 239-4
Colchester 1st XI - 240-4
Colchester won by 6 wickets
Report by Damian Brandy
Division One leaders Brentwood confirmed Premier League status for next season despite a six-wicket defeat to fellow promotion hopefuls Colchester at Castle Park.
Requiring just a single point from the game to gain assurance of a top two berth, Brentwood fielded a slightly under strength team, choosing to sacrifice several players to the second team who are fighting relegation.
Brentwood, asked to bat first on a benign surface and without the services of Indian overseas batsman Kanitkar, were made to fight hard for their runs eventually posting 239 for 4 in their 52 overs. Brentwood were indebted to a partnership of 131 in 27 overs between Walford and Brandy for the second wicket following the loss of Debenham for 16. Walford who has batted in the shadow of Kanitkar for most of the season struck 95 from 141 balls, carrying him just 50 runs short of 1000 for the season. It is a credit to Walford to have maintained his form throughout the campaign despite all the attention that has surrounded Kanitkar for most of the season. Brandy, who was left stranded 2 short of a deserved hundred a fortnight ago against Woodford Wells made good this week finishing on 102 not out. He struck 11 fours and one maximum in his 116 ball innings to post his first three figure score for the Shenfield Road club.
Colchester rotated their attack well and bowled with discipline forcing Walford and Brandy - accustomed to boundary hitting - to increase their intensity between the wickets and take uncustomary risks in an effort to increase the scoring rate. Eventually the pressure told. Walford was smartly caught and bowled by off-spinner Austin five short of a third league century, Larner was snapped up at extra cover for a breezy nine and Westwood was bowled for one within the space of 24 balls. Although with three overs remaining Brandy struck Gough for a mighty six over mid wicket, the only six of the match, even he was only able to muster 3 boundaries from the final 6 overs, a credit to Colchester's tight bowling and fielding, Saville and Gough sharing a brace of wickets.
The placid nature of the Castle Park wicket and the pace of the outfield meant Brentwood would have to work hard to restrict Colchester's chase. Whitehall, opting to open with the old ball, set attacking fields for spin twins Belchamber and Webb encouraging opening batsmen Russell and Da Silva to play forcefully in a bid to make early inroads. But those inroads failed to materialise. Da Silva drove imperiously and Russell mixed solid defence with clinical boundary hitting to take advantage of the attacking field placing. The partnership was ended when Belchamber trapped Da Silva leg before for 36 with the score on 74. But that only brought Austin to the crease in determined mood. He struck 83 featuring in partnerships of 47 with Russell, who was brilliantly pouched at mid-wicket by Surtees, and then a 91 run partnership with skipper Kennedy who was left unbeaten on 48 to carry the home side within touching distance of their total. The pair were particularly brutal on Brandy who disappeared at seven an over before knocking back Austin's leg stump. But the damage by then was irreversible. Austin and Kennedy had managed to stay up with the run-rate of nearly seven an over for the final 20 overs without losing a wicket until four overs from home. Fittingly Kennedy was left to strike the winning runs, square driving Whitehall for four with a ball to spare to complete victory and seal 18 points to keep their promotion hopes alive.
Brentwood can look forward to the likes of Premier League high-flyers Saffron Walden and Hainault visiting the OCG next season as they look to reestablish themselves as a force in local cricket. Attention now turns to lifting the Division One trophy as they host Chelmsford for the final week.
Brentwood 9 points; Colchester 18 points.
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