2009 Season 2nd XI Match Reports

16th May

Woodford Wells 2nd XI - 205-7
Brentwood 2nd XI - 150 all out
Woodford Wells won by 55 runs

Report by Paul Larner

Scorecard

Brentwood's solid start to the season was decimated at the OCG on Saturday as they failed to chase down 206 to win in, and in dramatic fashion, lost the game. It had all started very different though as captain Chris Boon won the toss, something he later regretted, and chose to field.

Woodford wells started well though, and with the late arrival of Dave Balroop preventing him bowling until the 27th over, they put on 73 for the first wicket. When Paul Degg had Langrish-Smith trapped plumb in front for 30 Brentwood hoped that the first wicket might signal a domino effect.

The Wells had different ideas though and continued to bat sensibly making their way to 158-2. However, the deadly duo of Balroop and Tim Barbone tied the batsmen down and pressure led to wickets. Most notably for Barbone, as he picked up 5-58 taking the final two wickets in the last over. Brentwood were left rueing close calls that went against them as Balroop made it 48 games without an LBW decision, maybe a change of ends would help.

The ground fielding and catching was again very good as the fielders backed up their bowlers. Under normal conditions Brentwood would have expected to chase down the 206 to win. However, the Wells put them under pressure with good tight bowling and when Chris Boon was out to a delivery that lifted viciously just short of a length, Brentwood were realising that the pitch was becoming increasingly difficult to bat on. 206 seemed a long way off.

Despite some middle order resistance from Ryan Barker (42) it was beginning to look like a bad draw for Boon's men. However, when Whitehall needlessly run himself out for no score Paul Degg followed quickly and Wells were looking like taking an important early season victory. Barbone and James Reilly put on a solid resistance for 6 overs before LBW became a popular decision again and Rocky was given out. Reilly and Lloyd Reavoize batted sensibly to take the second batting point before Reilly was bowled by a very good delivery from Kopelmen, who had made the most of the favourable conditions to take 2-21 in his 13 overs.

Had Brentwood chased down the target they would have been the only team in the league to have won both games at the start of the season. It wasn't until Tom Reilly pointed out in the bar that his son James was actually bowled off of the last ball of the over that the drama of the situation was revealed. Amazingly nobody had realised until he pointed it out, time and time again.

Boon was disappointed, "Although it was clearly better bowling second, as the pitch livened up when it was drying out, we threw away key wickets at key times. It was a disappointing performance particularly as we'd have been the only team to have won their first two games of the year." It is still early in the season though and Boon's boys will hope to bounce back at home against Wanstead next week.

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18th July

Woodford Wells 2nd XI - 231-8 (11 points)
Brentwood 2nd XI - 202-8 (7 points)
Match Drawn

Report by Paul Larner

Scorecard

Chris Boon's second team failed to chase down Woodford Wells' competitive total on Saturday at the Monkhams Lane ground. Boon, a tossing sensation, yet again won the toss and inserted the opposition and both opening bowlers put the batsmen under pressure.

Paul Degg in tandem with Dave Balroop restricted the early runs and Degg took three wickets in an extended opening spell of 13 overs and the Wells' were reeling at 40-3 until a fourth wicket partnership took the score past the hundred mark. Brentwood needed a wicket and without the ever unreliable Rocky Barbone, a victim of the pigs, Chris Boon decided to turn to Lloyd Renvoise who broke the partnership with a catch at first slips taken by Paul Larner.

However, with Renvoise finished, who else should the captain turn to? None other than himself. Brentwood needed wickets to restrict the scoring rate and amazingly that is what Boon provided. With Harry ‘the dog junior' Levi toiling away beautifully varying flight and pace, with no luck, and noticeably no catching support, Boon showed him the best way to get wickets as a non spinning spinner was to bowl full tosses. The captain made one outstanding diving catch to his left before Tom Wolfendale, just to wind Levi up further, took two good catches which stopped two possible sixes. When Larner took another at extra cover Boon was on for a maiden second team five wicket haul! It wasn't to be though as his spell ended with the final over of the innings well dispatched by wicket keeper Tim Jolly for 15, which took the score to 231, which was going to be around five an over.

It was to prove to be a problematic reply for the second team as Wolfendale pulled his hamstring first ball setting off for a run. After Boon and Barker had gone the opener went back in only to follow them into the pavilion. Elliott Skinner (25) and Dave Balroop recovered the innings but when opener Skinner went, one of the victims of the lively Thisanayagam (3-44) Brentwood were looking at a second defeat of the season against the Wells. However, Larner (22) and Balroop (32) put on a quick 50, at this stage Brentwood needed seven an over, before Ben Holmes steadied the ship and took Brentwood past an unlikely score of 200 with some expansive (his own words) drives. Harry Levi was again the not out batsmen with him in an otherwise disappointing reply. Boon's boys got starts without anyone taking the game on for a match winning score. This ultimately may be the story of the season.

Chris Boon's hope of a title victory seems, yet again, to be drifting away. The only hope for his team is to win every game remaining starting at home against Chingford next week. He was noticeably disappointed, "I love an old adage and catches really do win matches, our young side, apart from me, learnt that today. We dropped too many at too many crucial times. We should have chased 180 but 230 was to prove to be a very competitive score against a very good home bowling attack. If we'd have taken them I would have had five wickets." Well there are some small mercies. Boon's men return to the OCG for the first time in four weeks on Saturday.

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25th July

Brentwood 2nd XI - 245-6 (11 points)
Chingford 2nd XI - 211-7 (6 points)
Match Drawn

Report by Paul Larner

Scorecard

Brentwood failed to make up significant ground on the top three in the second team premier division as Chingford batted out the last four overs for a draw on Saturday at the OCG. For once captain Chris Boon did not toss well and Chingford promptly inserted his ever youthful side in decent bowling conditions. Those conditions were too much for stand in opener Ben Holmes as he departed early and after a slow start Brentwood made steady progress with opener Tom Wolfendale hitting a maiden second team fifty. He was needlessly run out and his wicket sparked a collapse as Boon's Boys' went from 70-1 to 80-4 in no time with Corbin (2-103) bowling well for the away side.

However, the ever impressive Ronnie Saunders (63no) played solidly for the second part of the innings and anchored Brentwood towards the 200 mark. He was well supported by the Boon (20) before Paul Degg came to the crease with the innings poised at 164-6. Degg and Saunders then put on 79 for the seventh wicket in seven overs. Saunders craftily working the ball around the pitch and Degg, with the first 17 runs coming off 11 balls, dispatched the ball over the boundary. He complied 53 in just 23 balls with one six clearing the trees at one end of the ground and another six landing in the tennis courts at the pavilion end. The partnership took the game away from Chingford, at one stage they looked like chasing 200 max and within a short period of time they were chasing 246 to win.

After some excellent batting the bowlers started well with some tight overs with Degg unlucky not to get a wicket. It was the beguiling flight and spin of Harry Levy (4-67) that broke the deadlock as a big ‘innie' knocked over leg stump. He then took another crucial wicket as the dangerous Rhone chipped one back to him. Saunders followed up his fine batting by picking up Alston (40) just before the drinks break.

Boon re-introduced Degg into the attack and he made an immediate impact as Hales was caught by stand in keeper Paul Larner. Chingford's fifth wicket then put on 50 to stabilise their innings. Captain Boon needed a wicket, and he turned to 13 year old Levy's spin. He duely delivered two with Degg taking the catches at mid wicket. When the captain then brought himself back and took a very sharp caught and bowled in the stomach Brentwood needed 3 wickets from the remaining four overs, Chingford required 45 runs. It was interestingly poised but Chingford aired on the side of caution and batted out the remaining overs with ease to secure the draw.

Boon's boys had performed admirably to pick up 11 out of a maximum of 12 bonus points. They are now 27 points off of leaders Fives and a league victory looks unlikely. He was pleased with the display, "Our fielding was much improved with some good dives from the boys and although we're disappointed not to win we can go into next week confident of victory." Brentwood's second team are at Ilford next week

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1st August

Ilford 2nd XI - 169 all out (5 points)
Brentwood 2nd XI - 173-4 (18 points)
Brentwood won by 6 wickets

Report by Paul Larner

Scorecard

Brentwood's second team continued their good form as they beat bottom of the table Ilford in a rain affected game at Valentine's Park on Saturday. Chris Boon loss the toss and Ilford decided to bat on a good looking wicket and on a day that was likely to see rain late on.

In a bizarre start opening bowler Paul Degg bowled two standard balls only to see the opening batsmen swing wildly across the line, he then connected with the next two to send the ball over mid wicket and long on. The first over set the tone of the Ilford innings as batsman after batsman came out and swung. It was a high risk strategy that didn't pay off.

Degg picked up a wicket in his opening spell before Dave Balroop was introduced to the attack, much to the reluctance of the skipper who mused, "Not sure it's going to be the right track for Dave, he could go for runs today." Apparently not as Balroop tore into the Ilford top order taking 6 wickets in one of the best spells of the season.

Youngster Harry Levy was bowling his usual beguiling spin at the other end and picked up two wickets, one clean bowled and another, incredibly sharp catch, taken by Ben Cocklin in the slips. Six wickets were taken by catches behind the stumps with Eliiott Skinner taking three. It was only an excellent knock from Lasbourne Edwards (57) who constructed a high class fifty with orthodox cricket shots. He managed to add another 45 runs to the score in well played partnerships with the ten and eleven batsman. Degg picked up his wicket to end the innings as the light drizzle then started.

Brentwood had only lost Skinner before heavy rain set in and the teams came off and put the covers on. The away side lost over half an hour before the rain seized and Boon's men needed 130 more to win with 28 overs left but the threat of rain in the air. Cocklin and Tom Wolfendale (63) set about the task well and scored quickly with the ball being deposited to the boundary regularly. Wolfendale went past fifty for the second consecutive innings before getting out caught trying to push the score along as the clouds came in. Cocklin (63no) scored the winning runs with eight overs to go and ten minutes before torrential rain set in.

Boon's men closed the gap on second and third place but are still 27 points adrift of the leaders. They face second placed Fives next week and if they are to make an unlikely league victory they must win the remaining five games with three of them against the teams above them in the league.

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15th August

Hainault & Clayhall 2nd XI - 116 all out
Brentwood 2nd XI - 117-3
Brentwood won by 7 wickets

Report by Paul Larner

Scorecard

Brentwood's second team recorded a win every bit as convincing as their first team on Saturday at Frenford's sports ground. Chris Boon lost the toss and Brentwood were asked to bowl on a flat looking pitch in bright sunny conditions.

Strangely opening bat John French had decided against using the full batting protection and wore his keeping pads to bat in. It was an unfortunate mistake as opener Paul Degg hit him just above the knee in the fifth over much to French's huge pain. After a brief change of pads Dave Balroop, bowling into the wind for once, rapped him on his new pads and he was adjudged LBW. He was the first of three victims for Balroop.

Wickets fell at steady intervals throughout the 33 over innings from the home side. Degg clean bowled two batsmen before later running out another with a smart bit of fielding behind square. Bowling by this stage was Harry Jones, who produced an impressive spell taking four wickets and causing huge problems for each Hainault player.

After Degg finished his spell Lloyd Renvoise continued the excellent bowling and was unlucky not to pick up a wicket in a lively five over spell. The wickets continued to tumble at the other end and it took Gulfraz Muwas just four balls to take the tenth wicket and send Chris Boon's men needing 117 for victory. Only Brentwood's catching let them down as some easy chances were shelled by the more experienced contingent of Balroop and Boon.

It was a victory that was sealed relatively quickly and for the loss of just three wickets. Jones (39) was the pick of the batsmen with some excellent drives notably one six over mid on which fell 20 yards short of the boundary, if Neil Warnock had have been the coach for H&C he would've called for a re-match on this incident alone.

Boon was hardly enthralled with victory, "It's good to get 18 points but it was not really a contest from quite early on." Brentwood's next game is Chelmsford at home who will bring a strong team, they are currently second in the league and have title aspirations, Boon's men hope to secure third spot this year.

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