2009 Season 4th XI Match Reports

9th May

Brentwood 4th XI - 194 all out
Hadleigh & Thundersley 4th XI - 195-6
Hadleigh & Thundersley won by 4 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

A splendid 85 from Shane Surujbally was well supported by Joe Earley (23) and Adam Mathias (21). After a middle order collapse, a sensible innings by Dougie Maxwell (13) enabled the team to bat out and reach a respectable total of 194.

Good early bowling by Morne Smit and Sam Ali put the pressure on an experienced Hadleigh batting line up. Dougie Maxwell was soon introduced into the attack from the Shenfield Road End. Bowling with good turn and variation, he reduced Hadleigh to 90-5. However, a recovery led by some aggressive hitting put Hadleigh back on track and they eventually won the game for the loss of one further wicket.

Man of the Match: Dougie Maxwell

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16th May

Brentwood 4th XI - 223 all out
Leigh-on-Sea 4th XI - 188-8
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Brentwood were invited to bat on a lively wicket thanks to some heavy overnight rain. After making a reasonable start, some loose shots outside the off stump allowed Leigh-on-Sea to take several good catches and take full advantage of the conditions. However, David Smith (47) - having been dropped from the 3XI - held the innings together with some solid defence and cultured stroke making. As the wicket dried out, good contributions came from Sam Dawes (16) and Ravi Rampaul (16) before Sam Ali entered the stage. Taking a particular liking to Leigh-on-Sea's spin attack, Sam carted all comers around the pitch before finally being dismissed for 100.

Chasing 224 to win, Leigh-on-Sea rode their luck in the early overs and offered several sharp chances behind the wicket which Brentwood failed to hold. As the ball became softer and more catches went down, Leigh-on-Sea found themselves in a good positon at 90- 1; they required less than five an over to win and fancied their chances. However, Ryan Wells - making his 4XI debut - had other ideas. In his first over, two more catches were dropped before he took matters into his own hands and clean bowled his first victim. He then finally removed the opening batsman LBW for 76 before picking up two more hapless victims to ensure that it was Brentwood who finished in the ascendancy; picking up 11 bonus points.

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23rd May

Brentwood 4th XI - 279-3 declared
Ilford 3rd XI - 197-7
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

David Smith continued his excellent form as he compiled an unbeaten 106 at Valentines Park. Having said that he "prefers more pace on the ball" he was not disappointed this week when Ilford elected to bowl first and unleash their quick overseas player (Lasbourne Edwards) on an eneven pitch.

However, a century opening partnership followed with James Lyne (34), before Shane Surujbally (73) delighted in dispatching the ragged attack to all parts.

Sam Ali - eager to get in on the act - then charged in down the hill and was not short of advice for the nervy Ilford batsmen. In his first over, an appeal for LBW was turned down when the batsman played across the line to a full, straight ball. Then, in his second over, tempers flared up when he thought he had made the key breakthrough. James Lyne dived in front of first slip to hold on to a smart catch behind the wicket but the batsman stood his ground claiming that the umpire should be made to adjudicate.

With the help of some more "good leaves", Ilford struggled to 68-4 at drinks. Brentwood then went on the attack but Ilford took advantage of the attacking field positions and chances failed to go to hand. Tony Prior - inappropriately dubbed "Matt Priors grandad" by the opposition batsmen when introduced to the attack - responded by picking up three good wickets but it was not enough as Brentwood fell three wickets short of victory.

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30th May

Brentwood 4th XI - 279-3 declared
Ilford 3rd XI - 197-7
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Brentwood elected to bat and get first use of a "result wicket" which had clearly not been prepared to the standard expected for league cricket. Greg Holmes was soon back in the pavilion after being cleaned up by a "shooter" around his legs but Ben Sach (46) joined James Lyne in the middle.

He dominated a second wicket stand of 90 showing excellent technique in defence and not missing out on any scoring opportunities. He drove and pulled the ball with excellent timing, including one huge six over deep square leg.

Unfortunately he missed out on a deserved 50 when he mis- timed a loose drive to a delivery well outside the off stump and the ball looped straight to cover point. However, Charlie Foster (35) played some excellent strokes to ensure that Brentwood reached a very competitive total.

In the field, Brentwood again failed to apply early pressure and were hindered by an injury to Tony Prior after bowling just one over. Horndon Batted confidently and went for their strokes but Mike Hornsby (2- 26) ensured that the result could still go either way.

Nigel Bacon then held a vital catch on the boundary off Micky Payne to dismiss Horndon's aggressive opening batsman. Thereafter, runs were more difficult to come by as fist Ryan Wells (2- 36) and then Neil Webb (1-24) applied the pressure with some excellent spin bowling.

Going into the last 20 overs Brentwood needed four wickets and Horndon needed 90 runs. Unfortunately James Lyne couldn't quite hold on to a difficult catch on the boundary to dismiss David Towler and the Horndon skipper looked like he would go on to win the game for his team with some big hitting until Neil Webb bolwed him with three overs remaining.

Ben Sach then showed what might have been as he charged in down the hill. The tail enders barely laid bat on ball in the last few overs but they held on to secure the draw.

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6th June

Woodford Green 3rd XI - 232-6
Brentwood 4th XI - 133-8
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Pallav Bhatt smashed a hard-hitting 154* out of a total of 230 (including 24 off the penultimate over) and made Brentwood pay for some dreadful catching. It could have been very different after Brentwood won the toss and the ball moved a lot in the air and off the wicket following overnight rain.

Several chances went down in the opening overs. Mike Hornsby (2- 63) made the ball talk and Morne Smit (1- 50) hurried the batsmen; forcing several mistakes including a top edged square cut by Bhatt which should have been taken at gully. Another key moment was when Micky Payne (1-24)cunningly had Bhatt playing across the line and a leading edge looped straight into the covers. This time two fielders tripped over each other and the ball ended up on the turf.

However, the crowning moment was when Mike Hornsby - returning to the attack - was unable to hold onto a high caught and bowled opportunity which enabled Bhatt to hurry through and bring up his century. The one positive thing was that Ryan Wells (1-32) again bowled very well, picking up a wicket in the final over and restricting the runs with clever variations of pace and flight.

In reply, Brentwood batted very sensible against some tidy bowling and made steady progress to reach 90-2 at drinks. Joe Earley played some excellent strokes but this time it was Woodford who were left rueing their poor catching. The quick loss of Nigel Bacon (20) seemed to rule out any chance of a win and Woodford sensed an opportunity as a quick flurry of wickets left the score at 100-5.

Two young batsmen came to the crease with almost 18 overs remaing. However, Dougie Maxwell (20) and Ryan Wells (19*) shared an impressive partnership which ensured that Brentwood clung on and extended their unbeaten run.

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13th June

Brentwood 4th XI - 237-8
Loughton 3rd XI - 179-9
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Another excellent game of cricket but the 4th XI were left short of victory after outplaying Loughton for most of this game. Brentwood were invited to have a bat on a green wicket where no team had scored much over 150 all season. However, Adam Mathias (120*) had other ideas. Promoted to open the innings, he lost skipper Lyne (9) and Shane (2) but showed good defence and concentration. He was joined by Nigel Bacon and the pair shared an excellent partnership. They batted?patiently at first but then expanded their range of shots as Loughton started to toil in the warm condtitons. Charlie Foster (29) offered great support and saw Adam past his hundred and the team to a commanding positon at tea.

Ben Holmes (2-43) bowled with good pace and picked up an early wicket. However, the bowlers struggled to make inroads and the home batsmen started to accelerate, sensing a possible victory. Neil Webb (3-55) then came on picked up the crucial wicket of left hander Nicholls, denying him a half century. With Payne still keeping it tight at the other end, Webb started to bowl really well and picked up two more wickets before tea. Sam Dawes (2-16) then got in on the act before Loughton decided to shut up shop.

On a wicket with such a low bounce, catches were hard to come by (and those that were offered were put down by certain players!). Loughton used their pads to good effect but, to be fair, did award 5 LBWs. One of these was in the penultimate over when - with a last throw of the dice - Bacon was brought on to try and polish off the tail. Unfortunately he was just unable to bring home the bacon (sorry- I was told to say that!) and claim that elusive first victory.

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20th June

Brentwood 4th XI - 169-7
Wickford 3rd XI - 170-7
Wickford won by 3 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Some excellent cricket and a very enjoyable game which could have gone either way. This could be said about almost every game this season but the fourths are still without a win. This time it was Wickford who enjoyed a last over win; having recovered from 80-6.

On a slow, green wicket, runs were not easy to come by but the Brentwood top order played some rash shots with nobody able to build a substantial partnership with Shane (44). It was left to Lyne (40*) and young Dawes (20) to re-build the innings and get the score up to a working total.

Dawes was particularly impressive, hitting some delightful strokes and batting very sensibly in support of his skipper. Lyne was not quite as elegant but did treat the spectators to a well executed reverse sweep as 9 were taken off the last over.

In reply, Wickford seemed to be coasting despite a number of chances again being missed behind the wicket and a number of near misses. Then Greg Holmes (4-63) and Sam Rounce (2-16) came on to bowl and applied real pressure on the batsmen. Eventually, a stalemate resulted with Holmes tiring and the off-spin of Rounce beginning to just be patted away. Other bowlers were then introduced but the scoring rate increased and suddenly the win was again a real possibility for Wickford. Needing 6 off the last four balls, there were two hefty leg side blows and the game was gone.

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27th June

Basildon & Pitsea 3rd XI - 192 all out
Brentwood 4th XI - 196-6
Brentwood won by 4 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Tony Dann was pleased to say on Sunday that the Dann family contibuted 81 runs, a wicket and two catches but less pleased to admit that he had contributed just the solitary catch!

A fine catch though it was which represented a much improved performance in the field for the team dubbed "The Artists" (Cheers Mr Ali) who needed to win having previously "drawn" five out of their last seven.

The standard was set early when Lyne intercepted a well drilled drive at cover and threw to the bowler's end. Despite the batsman being just out, the bowler cleverly threw to the other end and got Basildon's best batsman run out by just a few inches. The bowler in question was yound Dawesie Junior Junior who was again impressive and went one better than Tony with a wonderful diving catch at cover; giving Ryan Wells (2- 38) his second wicket.

The good fielding did not, however, extend to when our overseas player was bowling; Smit (0-44) will reflect that, perhaps, South Africa used up all their luck on the rugby field that day! Micky Payne (4-25) was apologetic when dropping a dolly at short fine leg but was happy enough when he boosted his own figures by claiming the same batsman in the next over!

Chasing anything over 200 would have been tough going on a green wicket but Chris Dann made a timely introduction to the attack and promptly finished off the innings with 7 overs remaining. He then took full advantage after tea (incidently the best tea I think all season) when joining Jack Anderson at the crease with Brentwood struggling at 44-3. The pair batted wonderfully and shared a hundred partnership which ultimately won the game.

Anderson (64) batted with great maturity and controlled stroke play. Dann (81) timed the ball imperiosuly and delighted the spectators. The highlight was unquestionably the 18 he took from one over bowled by Basildon's opener; sending the ball to the boundary more quickly as each successive delivery was bowled with more pace.

However, both batsman were out in relatively quick succession and the rain clouds closed in with 30 runs still to get. With the thunder and lightning fast approaching from the west, it was Dawesie JJ who again showed his worth to the team by smashing two quick fours to seal victory.

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4th July

Chelmsford 4th XI - 206-8
Brentwood 4th XI - 200-9
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

A rare sight of a confident opposition captain winning the toss and batting was seen this week.

Obviously the hot weather and Chelmsford's comfortable league position were ample persuasion and they didn't waste any time with a rapid opening partnership of 50 within the first ten overs.

However, after the introduction of Micky Payne (3- 21) Brentwood started to pull things back. Wickets started to fall at regular intervals as the bowling was rotated around. Chelmsford found it very difficult to accelerate towards a really high score but still looked capable of pushing over 220 when they declared early on the fall of the eighth wicket.

With a strong batting line up, the win looked on but the top order disappointed with several batsmen getting in before giving their wickets away. There was then a crucial fifth wicket partnership between Chris Dann (66) and Adam Mathias (35) which should have set up victory. However, when Mathaias was out, the incoming batsmen found it hard to keep up with the required run rate and Chris was then forced to play more big shots; eventually holing out to the long on boundary.

It was left to Mike Hornsby to attempt to salvage it but, needing 9 off 4 balls, he was dismissed by an even better catch on the boundary and with him went any chance of victory. In the end, a draw was a fair result and credit must go to Chelmsford's captain for his competitive declaration. However, it is also disappointing that the "artists" threw away a winning position again (and 18 points) to make it 6 draws out of 9.

A point of note showing the competitive nature of this league is that the bottom club (Woodford Green) ratched up 256-3 against Horndon yesterday- Pallav Bhatt adding another century to his 150* against us a few weeks ago.

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11th July

Ilford 3rd XI - 264-8 (40 overs)
Brentwood 4th XI - 40-4 (14 overs)
Match Abandoned

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

It wasn't just England who were thankful of rain this week as Brentwood claimed 6 points in a game where they were totally outplayed. Ilford elected to have a bat and, like Chelmsford last week, were not afraid to play their shots. There was a real "buffet" of poor bowling to choose from as long hops, half volleys and full tosses were despached into the bushes at regular intervals.

With the score at 120-0 off less than 20 overs, young James Berry (2-36) came into the attack and showed some of his older team mates how it should be done with some disciplined line and length bowling. He was soon rewarded with a wicket - a well taken high caught and bowled which he showed great composure to hold on to.

Next, it was Lyne's turn as he held on to a high catch at deep mid-off and Brentwood finally started to reign in the free-scoring, aggressive batting. Replacing Berry, Dawsie J (2-33) came up the hill and bowled an excellent spell. He was well supported by Ryan Wells (1-69) who toiled away at the other end and was unlucky not pick up more wickets. Vamshi Lingla then executed a superb run out to dismiss Ilford's captain as the wickets tumbled in the closing overs.

In reply, the ball started to keep low in the drizzle and several top order batsmen were bowled within the first ten overs. Lyne (6*) and Anderson (5*) came together at 21-4 and were confident of knocking off the remaining 244 needed for victory. However, the drizzle was just getting a bit too heavy to continue and showed no sign of letting up. Much to Ilford's disappointment, the match was soon abandoned and both teams claimed an equal 6 points for their afternoon's work.

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18th July

Brentwood 4th XI - 169-8
Leigh-on-Sea 3rd XI - 93-7
Match Drawn

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Leigh won the toss and decided that a damp green wicket and slow outfield would be much appreciated by the Brentwood batsmen.

However, after a couple of early wickets, Adam Mathias (37) combined solid defence with some fine stroke play to guide the team to 70- 2.However, an "Australia" style collapse reduced the score to 90-6 shortly after drinks with Messrs Wells and Webb coming to the wicket.

The fielders moved in close for young Wells (26) but that didn't trouble him as he played some controlled strokes including a wonderful square drive along the ground for four. Indeed, the power of his shots was too much for square leg as a the ball went through his hands and over his head for four more.

Former skipper Webb (30*) combined sensible defence with his trademark sweeps and pulls backward of square and guided the team to a respectable total at tea.

Tony Prior (3-12) then rolled back the years opening the bowling up the hill. After building the pressure with successive maidens, he then claimed his first wicket with a vicious lifting delivery which was gloved through to Mathias.

At the other end, Dawesie JJ (1-18) was again catching the eye (and the chin) as his extra pace and bounce proved a real handful. After giving the batsmen a working over, he claimed a deserved wicket with Webb taking a sharp catch at slip. There was no let up as Morne Smit (2-20) replaced him and sent balls flying past the edge at regular intervals.

Reduced to 70-7; a combination of obsulate defence, luck and missed chances enabled Leigh to cling on for the last ten overs and claim a draw. A disappointing result but an excellent performance and with Wickford being thrashed by Woodford Green, seven points were enough to move the team out of the relegation zone.

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25th July

Brentwood 4th XI - 189 all out
Hadleigh & Thundersley 3rd XI - 191-6
Hadleigh & Thundersley won by 4 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Another story of what might have been but it was throwing away a good batting postion at 160-4 which ultimately proved costly. Having been invited to bat on a good wicket, some poor strokes early on reduced the team to 39-3. However, a solid partnership between Lyne (41) and Wells (48*) steadied the ship before Lyne offered a catch at midwicket which was well taken. Wells and Moorti then took up the mantle with Moorti (30) dominating a rapid fifty run partnership. Unfortunately, a late charge failed to materialise and the lower order disappointed with nobody able to stay with Wells and see him through to a deserved fifty.

Hadleigh struggled early on against some good opening bowling by Smit (2-57) and Dutton (0-19) but slowly picked up the tempo as a lack of a third seamer meant that the pressure could not be maintained. Much depended on the spinners performing but there were unfortunatley too many scoring opportunities which meant that the batsmen did not have to play any risky shots in compiling a solid top order display. However, Smit - returning with the wind behind him - made life much less comfortable and rallied the team; putting the pressure on and causing a middle order collapse. In the end though, the relatively small target on a good pitch was overhauled with a few hefty blows with plenty of overs to spare.

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1st August

Horndon-on-the-Hill 3rd XI - 205-7
Brentwood 4th XI - 85-2
Match Abandoned

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Brentwood lost the toss again and were invited to field. Immediately, Smit (2-20) and Prior (3-42) made use of the new ball and were well backed up by some sharp fileding including a wonderful low catch at slip by P Webb. The scoring rate slowed to less than two an over as the Webb brothers came on and kept up the pressure with their spin varieties. However, the weather made the first of what were to be several timely interuptions as the damp conditions made drying the ball difficult and then contributed to too many lose deliveries being bowled. In steady rain, the score slowly crept up and matters were not helped by difficult catching conditions resulting in several missed opportunities as the quality of the fielding slowly deteriorated. With the need to dry the ball, the over rate suffered as Horndon - with wickets in hand - hit out and eventually claimed maximum batting points.

In reply, Brentwood were batting well despite a slow outfield until rain intervened and forced the players off the field. With yet more time lost, the rain stopped at 6:15pm and it was calculated that Brentwood required a further 140 off 14 overs. Clearly an unfair contest, Brentwood sportingly agreed to play on and there was time for Joe Earley (23*) to impress with some fine strokes before the rain became too heavy and play was abandoned to much controversy after 25 overs! Horndon, clearly placing greater emphasis on collecting points rather than on enjoying their cricket, will hope for more good fortune and generosity in the relegation battle to come.

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8th August

Woodford Green 3rd XI - 29 all out
Brentwood 4th XI - 30-4
Brentwood won by 6 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Never has the phrase "a good toss to lose" been more pertinent than in this memorable match. On a green, damp wicket the new ball was taken by T Prior and S Dawes who had previously formed a good partnership in reducing Leigh On Sea to 70-7 a few weeks ago. After Prior struck an early blow, it was Dawes (2-15) who proved a handful as he charged in and had both his wickets well taken behind the wicket. Thereafter, it was the Tony Prior show as he caught and bowled key man Pallav Bhatt for only a single. He continued to be well supported by some excellent fielding with eight catches being taken in total and no drops.

With eight wickets down, most expected some sort of slow recovery but Prior finished off the innings in real style as any self respecting fast bowler should. His ninth wicket was gloved through to Brooks from a searing delivery before the coup de grâce; the last man being clean bowled and middle stump uprooted onto the turf.

The reply was a mere formality despite both openers being adjudged out before any runs had been scored. V Lingala (7no) steadied the ship before N Webb (12no) became the only person in the match to reach double figures as he finished the game in style with three fours. A stunning performance lifting the team above Ilford and Horndon but one which must be repeated four more times in order to maintain Divsion 11 status next year.

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22nd August

Brentwood 4th XI - 136-9
Chelmsford 4th XI - 141-1
Chelmsford won by 9 wickets

Report by James Lyne

Scorecard

Choosing to bat first Brentwood batted solidly, building a patient partnership between Wells (30) and Brooks (31). However, there was an inexplicable middle order collapse before Smit (15*) and Rupal (22*) shared a cavalier last wicket stand.

In reply, Chelmsford came out and played some aggressive shots but Smit (1-24) came on and grabbed a deserved wicket- well caught at slip by Sam Dawes. Hornsby also bowled very well with the batsmen failing to lay a bat on some of his deliveries from the pavilion end.

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