|
23rd June
Brentwood 3rd XI - 278-? in 52 overs
Gidea Park & Romford 3rd XI - 211-5
Match Drawn
Report by David Smith
Brentwood travelled to Romford and Gidea Park on Saturday in a much changed line-up from last week's match. Alex Priddle's side hoped to continue its good performance from last week with what seemed like a weakened side.
On what looked a good batting wicket, and starting under relatively clear skies Priddle had no hesitation in deciding to bat first. Brentwood made a solid start under Smith and the returning Childs, reaching 40 for no wicket after 11 overs. However consistent pressure from the "windmill" and tight bowling from the Gidea Park attack, wickets soon began to fall with Childs, Surujbally, Smith and Lawless falling after all making decent starts to their innings leaving Brentwood highly uncertain of reaching full batting points.
However up stepped Joe Surtees to the crease who made his best performance with the bat in Brentwood colours dispatching the Romford and Gidea park bowlers to all parts of the ground and bringing up his maiden league hundred with relative ease. Brentwood managed 180 of the last 22 overs largely due to Surtees brutal attack on the Gidea Park bowlers, making all Brentwood batsmen before him look distinctly amateur. Some lusty blows from the captain Priddle also helped in reaching 278 runs at the end of 52 overs.
The weather was to put a halt to the start of the Gidea Park reply making any chance of reaching the Brentwood total realistically out of reach. Priddle quickly turned to spin in the hope of making the match a result on returning to the wicket. Brentwood debutant Raj was to make the first inroads taking a couple of early wickets with some good spin bowling. However some good batting from the Gidea Park middle-order and a few opportunities missed in the field prevented Brentwood's hopes of obtaining victory. Gidea Park finished of 211-5 at the end of their innings.
Priddle will surely hope that Brentwood can match its performance in all three departments in the coming weeks, turning good performances into a few league wins in the upcoming fixtures.
Return to top of page
18th August
Upminster 3rd XI - 152
Brentwood 3rd XI - 119
Upminster won by 33 runs
Report by Peter Bainbridge
A phenomenal spell of bowling by Ivan Davies failed to prevent Brentwood
crashing to defeat at Coopers School, Upminster.
Davies, a PE teacher at the school, showed his intimate knowledge of the
cricket square by returning figures of 18-10-15-7. Rarely can such a
stupendous performance have featured in a losing cause, yet Brentwood
managed to waste Davies' good work and fold to a tame defeat that compounds
their relegation fears.
Upminster chose to bat first on a wicket of inconsistent bounce and
immediately struggled to cope with the lift and accuracy of a wind-assisted
Davies.
Brentwood's fielding was of the highest order and Ben Holmes took a
steepling catch to get Davies his first wicket. Ed Nation then plucked a
sharp chance out of the air at first slip for the second.
So strong was the wind that bowlers from the opposite end were simply aiming
at containment while Davies offered the wicket-taking threat. Debutant James
Boon bowled a promising spell without reward and Ben Holmes showed great
control, claiming two wickets in nine economical overs.
Davies took a well-earned breather after 14 overs, having claimed four
victims, and was replaced by the left-arm pace of James Welham, who
maintained the high standard with four overs at a cost of only two runs.
Peter Bainbridge then took a turn from the top end and gained some reward
for earlier efforts thanks to a sharp catch behind the stumps by the
impressive Ed Allen. Man of the moment Davies returned to mop up the tail,
despite complaining of a pulled hamstring and a damaged ankle, claiming his
final victim in the 51st over - a model performance for any of his watching
pupils.
A total of 152 looked well within Brentwood's compass as Holmes and Phil
Brookes began the reply confidently. Holmes looked comfortable until he fell
to a good catch at short leg with the score on 35.
Nation departed swiftly before Shane Surujbally made a spectacular start to
his innings as a beamer ricocheted off his head and flew over the slips for
four. After belatedly calling for his helmet, Surujbally then proceeded to
break his bat in two while executing a cover drive. It was to the
spectators' great disappointment that his entertaining performance was cut
short by a superb diving catch at mid-off.
As the final 20 overs started, Brentwood were still looking good, needing
85, with seven wickets in hand. Chris Lawless and Brookes seemed a likely
pair to see the visitors home but when Lawless fell for 17, the brittle
Brentwood batting line-up caved in.
With little support, Brookes had no option but to take the dominant role and
after reaching a fine half-century, he holed out on the long-off boundary.
With his departure went Brentwood's final hope and they were bowled out with
four overs remaining.
Return to top of page
25th August
Brentwood 3rd XI - 136-9 declared
Gidea Park & Romford 3rd XI - 122
Brentwood won by 14 runs
Report by Peter Bainbridge
A desperately needed victory for Brentwood went a huge way to staving off
the danger of Premier Division relegation.
Batting first and scoring 200 had been the game plan, but a quick look at
the saturated wicket and lush outfield made this an audacious ambition.
Captain Alex Priddle lost the toss and was unsurprisingly inserted by the
third-placed GPR, who were still in with a chance of the title.
A predictable struggle for runs ensued as GPR veteran Paul Winmill bowled
unchanged from one end - on a wicket of such extravagant bounce and seam
movement, bowlers never volunteer to come off.
Phil Brookes and Shane Surujbally hung around manfully but the innings would
have folded without a dogged 45 from Chris Lawless. Stout defence and
flailing the bat at anything off target was the only effective technique as
Winmill made the most of conditions to take all nine wickets for 55 runs as
the innings was closed in the 52nd over.
At tea Brentwood knew they were not out of the match despite their paltry
total and were looking to Peter Bainbridge to match Winmill's performance.
Thankfully, Bainbridge responded and gradually put Brentwood in command.
An eighth-wicket stand of 35 gave Brentwood a few frights but a steepling
catch off Ed Allen was taken by Greg Holmes to calm nerves. Bainbridge then
completed the victory by bowling last-man Winmill to finish with seven for
45 from 18 overs.
Return to top of page
1st September
Hainault & Clayhall 3rd XI - 180-8
Brentwood 3rd XI - 198-7
Match Drawn
Report by Peter Bainbridge
Brentwood survived for another season in the Essex League Premier Division
thanks to the nine points picked up from a creditable winning draw at
Clayhall Park.
Although the threat of relegation had all but been shrugged aside with a
20-point victory the previous week at home to Gidea Park, a little work was
still required.
Captain Alex Priddle was happy to lose the toss and be asked to bat first as
the eight points for a 200-run first-innings total had been his aim.
Things started badly with Phil Brookes suffering a rare early departure as
he fell victim to some low bounce. Dave Smith, Chris Boon jnr and Roger
Mahadeo followed swiftly to leave Brentwood stuttering at 39 for four. All
too often this season that would have been the cue for a complete collapse
but the required character was shown in abundance by Shane Surujbally and
Greg Holmes.
Surujbally reined in his natural exuberance to play a sheet-anchor role as
Holmes unleashed an array of flashing drives.
Making the most of the wide expanse of the Clayhall swards, Holmes
continually found gaps in the field and charged past his half-century. When
he eventually fell for 65, he had shared a 100-plus stand and put Brentwood
on course for their 200-run target.
Surujbally occasionally unleashed his trademark straight drives and remained
an immovable object. Sadly, the effect of running so many threes eventually
told and he was cruelly run out when seemingly too exhausted to ground his
bat. He trudged back to his appreciative team-mates to learn he had fallen
one short of a much-deserved 50.
On a two-paced track, the Brentwood late order manfully tried to keep up the
pace but when the 52 overs finished, they had to settle for 198 for seven,
and six points.
A new-ball attack of Peter Bainbridge and Kevin Bradford, reunited for the
first time this season, posed early problems for the confident Hainault
openers. The swing twins each claimed a deserved early wicket as Hainault
struggled to match the required run rate. As the home side became more
desperate, Mahadeo took a fine catch in the deep off Bainbridge, only to
break a finger and depart for medical assistance.
With the final 20 overs starting, Hainault stood at 72 for three and attack
their intent. Bainbridge, finding swing and lift, was able to put a brake on
the runs and claimed two more victims, one thanks to a diving one-handed
catch from Bradford, the other to an outrageously slow, slower ball.
Tony Prior got in on the wicket-taking act before the slightly younger James
Welham capped a superb four-over spell by taking his first third-XI wicket.
The youngster's control of line and length, plus ample swing, proved too
much for the batsmen.
Surujbally's heroics continued as he threw down one stump from point for a
run out that effectively ended Hainault's chance of victory and kept up
Brentwood's.
The visitors were unable to force home their advantage and a couple of lusty
late blows took Hainault up to 180 for eight.
This was a character-packed all-round performance from Brentwood who take on
Hutton this Saturday with survival secured. Victory would lift them over
their neighbours, so there's no excuse for getting drunk beforehand!
Return to top of page
| 