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22nd May
Stanford-le-Hope 4th XI - 169 all out
Brentwood 6th XI - 170-1
Brentwood won by 9 wickets
Report by Steve Manterfield
The 6th XI made an encouraging start to the season with a good all round performance at The Drive, Warley.
It started well for Brentwood when Andrew Thorpe-Apps, who had taken five wickets in the corresponding fixture last season, bowled Stanford-le-Hope opener Lake for a duck with the fourth ball of the match. Fuller was then joined by Victory and these two put together a good partnership for the visitors until Victory was unfortunate to play on to a delivery by Mark Palmer and was out for a classy 36. Off spinner Palmer soon grabbed another wicket but Fuller increased the tempo striking the ball very well and at 142 for 3 Stanford-le-Hope looked set for a very big score. Another off spinner, 14 year old Dev Gulrajani, who was making his senior debut, then came into the attack and made the breakthrough in his first over, inducing a false shot from Fuller who was bowled for 86. Gulrajani soon picked up two more wickets while at the other end another debutant, 12-year-old leg spinner Oliver Hembrough was introduced. He bowled well for three overs, beating the bat on a number of occasions, but in his fourth over ripped through the lower order by taking three wickets. He then claimed the last wicket to finish with figures of 4 for 14 and he and Gulrajani (3 for 14) had taken the last seven wickets for just 27 runs.
It did not look an easy target but, after Palmer was out early on, Phil Crook and Alan Houston patiently compiled a 150 partnership that saw Brentwood home with time to spare. Houston made a typically flawless 68 not out, while Crook, increasing in confidence made an excellent 67 not out, his maiden half century for the club.
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29th May
Brentwood 6th XI - 136
Chelmsford 6th XI - 140-0
Chelmsford won by 10 wickets
Report by Steve Manterfield
With limited availability over the Bank Holiday weekend, it was a Brentwood 6th team containing five under 13s and one under 11 that took on Chelmsford 4ths at Chelmer Park.
Batting first on a good pitch Brentwood got a reasonable start with Harri Jones hitting two impressive fours before being bowled for nine by a good ball from Craig Thompson.
The young batsmen were always going to find it difficult to score runs and when Ken Hobbs was out for 26 Brentwood were 54 for 5. John Smith made a useful 14 but at 74 for 6 Dave Stockwell joined his son Chris and these two put together a useful stand. Thirteen year Chris old showed a very sound technique and hit the bad ball very hard to the boundary. He scored a good 25 and Dave Stockwell, aided by Andy Fryd (12 not out), made 31 before Brentwood were finally all out for 136 in the 52nd over, at least securing two batting points.
It was a creditable effort but it was unlikely to be enough and, despite a good opening bowling spell by Chris Stockwell, Chelmsford openers Walker (73 not out) and Pleasant (58 not out) soon got set and with some impressive stroke play reached their target in the 20th over.
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5th June
Benfleet 4th XI - 188 all out
Brentwood 6th XI - 192-2
Brentwood won by 8 wickets
Report by Steve Manterfield
A 2nd wicket stand of 147 between two veterans John Smith and Alan Houston gave Brentwood 6ths a surprisingly easy win at Woodside Park, Benfleet.
Earlier the home side had won the toss and elected to bat, making a good start mainly through the efforts of skipper Derek Povey. But when he was out for 50, Brentwood began to work their way steadily through the rest of the batting with some good bowling and catching. Ross Phillips (2 for 45) and Houston (2 for 13) picked up some useful wickets but Brentwood did not really get on top until Kevin Myers was introduced to the attack.
He took two wickets in his first over and young Gothan Datta also took two wickets in his second spell as Benfleet were out for 186 in the 47th over.
It looked a challenging total for a limited Brentwood batting line up but once Houston joined Smith they always looked likely winners. Houston was out for 71 with just two runs needed to win while Smith was unbeaten on 79.
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12th June
Brentwood 6th XI - 183-7
Hornchurch 4th XI - 163
Brentwood won by 20 runs
Report by Steve Manterfield
Brentwood 6ths made it three league wins out of four with a hard earned victory over Hornchurch at The Drive.
Batting first, it was once again Alan Houston who held the Brentwood innings together. After losing two early wickets Houston got support from Dan Fryd who made 15 and then from Gautam Datta who increased the scoring rate with a couple of well struck boundaries. However, after 29 overs Brentwood were struggling on 69 for 6 when Tom Patient joined Houston. These two put on 65 for the seventh wicket and although Patient only made five it was a very valuable contribution which kept his side in the game on a pitch which always offered some help for the bowlers. When Patient was out Ken Hobbs joined Houston and these two steered their side to a declaration on 52 overs with Houston making 89 and Hobbs 21.
With plenty of time to make the runs, Hornchurch looked favourites when Roberts and Bones gave them a very good start. The breakthrough came when Deni Mistry bowled Roberts for 23 but the key to Brentwood's win was to be some excellent catching by their young fielders. Ollie Hembrough took a good low catch at point off the bowling of Andy Fryd and when leg spinner Hembrough joined the attack he was rewarded by a fine diving catch in the gulley by Harri Jones. Hembrough took 2 for 40 and with Andy Fryd, 2 for 26, bowling a tight spell Brentwood were on top and gradually working their way through the Hornchurch batting.
Mistry's second spell saw him pick up three more wickets to finish with the impressive figures of four for 31. He was helped by another tremendous catch in the gulley by Jones and it was Jones himself who came on to claim the tenth wicket in his second spell, a just reward for some good off spin bowling.
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19th June
Brentwood 6th XI - 200-7
Orsett 4th XI - 166 all out
Brentwood won by 34 runs
Report by Steve Manterfield
Two outstanding performances by Alan Houston who made a century, and David Barbone who took eight wickets gave Brentwood their fourth league win out of five.
Winning the toss and batting Brentwood soon lost opener Harri Jones to a run out but No. 3 Houston joined Phil Crook and these two put on 79 for the second wicket until Crook was out for 28. Houston got support from most of the other batsmen notably Deni Mistry who made a quick 18 and Brentwood were able to declare on 200 for after 51 overs with Houston unbeaten on 108.
Orsett made a quick start to their reply with Michael Harding finding the boundary but he was well caught by Andrew Parish off Mistry for 32 and two more wickets fell to Barbone on the same score to leave Orsett 56 for 3. Barbone's first over had gone for 11 runs and after five overs he had nought for 26 but he continued in what became a marathon spell of 20.3 overs, 7 maidens, 8 for 41. He bowled five of his victims and was also supported by some good catching my Mistry and Oliver Hembrough, while the other wicket fell to Jones (1 for 26).
Even so Brentwood still had to work hard for victory as Orsett recovered well from 112 for 8 with a good stand between Stuart Armstrong and Joe Barness for the ninth wicket. Armstrong who made 35 was Barbone's last wicket as he wrapped up a 34 run win and sent Brentwood to the top of the league.
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26th June
Billericay 4th XI - 250-3
Brentwood 6th XI - 166-7
Match Drawn
Report by Steve Manterfield
Brentwood found it tough going against a strong Billericay side at the Toby Howe ground on Saturday.
On a very good pitch the home side scored freely with openers Luke Samouelle and Greg Hammond in particularly fine form. They put on 92 in sixteen overs before the introduction of off-spinner Mark Palmer broke the partnership by having Samouelle well caught at first slip by Arun Ganesan for 51.
Billericay captain Steve Watson then joined Hammond and put on 109 for the second wicket. Watson eventually fell to the bowling of Ollie Hembrough for 31 while Hammond went on to make a magnificent 121 before being caught and bowled by Brentwood's skipper for the day Alan Houston. Phil Jeggo made 25 not out and the declaration came in the 42nd over.
Brentwood then had to face some hostile bowling from Samouelle and James Taylor and never looked like getting the required runs. Rohan Sivapalan batted well for Brentwood making 36 but after the prolific Houston was out for 18 the best they could hope for was a draw. Under 13 Chris Stockwell hit three good boundaries in an innings of 14 but it was John Smith (18 not out) and Lee Battu (10 not out) who played out the remaining overs. Keith Paternoster (4-32) was Billericay's most successful bowler while Taylor finished with 3 for 42.
Brentwood are now in third place in the Division 2 East 4th XI league, two points behind second placed Leigh-on-Sea whom they visit on Saturday.
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5rd July
Brentwood 6th XI - 184-9
Leigh-on-Sea 4th XI - 106 all out
Brentwood won by 78 runs
Report by Steve Manterfield
Brentwood leapfrogged over Leigh into second place in the league with a convincing win at Belfairs Park.
The afternoon did not start well for Brentwood as they lost David Matheson to the first ball of the match and with three of the first five batsmen out for ducks they were struggling at 37 for 4. But as so often this season Alan Houston held the innings together. He got good support firstly from James Boon and then from Vinae Gulrajani and Mark Palmer.
Gulrajani timed the ball well in his innings of 22 while Palmer's 15 included a very big six over square leg.
Even so a modest score looked likely when Brentwood were 126 for 8 after 42 overs but the tail added another 58 runs with number 11 Mick Payne finishing on 21 not out and Houston unbeaten with 76, bringing his season's total of league runs to 430.
The game could have been billed as a showdown between two of the division's oldest but most prolific batsmen in Houston and Leigh's Ken Sandeman. Sandeman had made a hundred the previous week but he was trapped LBW by Lee Battu for just 11 and without him the home side seemed to give up hope of victory.
All Brentwood's bowlers performed well with the other wickets going to Rob Coote (3 for 17), Payne (3 for 15), Boon (1 for 8) and Harri Jones (2 for 2).
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10th July
Brentwood 6th XI - 126 all out
Stanford-le-Hope 4th XI - 78 all out
Brentwood won by 48 runs
Report by Steve Manterfield
The sixth team were put in to bat on a pitch that was made more difficult by a heavy shower just before the start.
Runs came slowly and wickets fell regularly against some accurate bowling by John Harris and Greg Barr, but as usual Brentwood's innings was held together by Alan Houston. Despite having to retire for a while when he was feeling ill, he made 53 not out. All the other batsmen did their best to support him with the highest contributions coming from Mark Palmer with 11 and Dev Gulrajani 14.
For Stanford-le-Hope, Harris bowled a marathon spell of 23 overs, taking 2 for 72, while Barr had the impressive figures of 5 for 17, with Key taking 3 for 11.
A total of 126 looked competitive given the home side's history of frail batting but they made a good start and at 45 for 1 looked in a strong position. Andy Fryd made the initial breakthrough but it was the introduction of off-spinner Harri Jones that turned the game Brentwood's way. The twelve year old pitched the ball up and got considerable turn, taking wickets regularly as Stanford-le-Hope collapsed to 78 all out. He finished with 6 for 34, while fit again Fryd took 3 for 15, Mark Palmer getting the other wicket.
The win cemented Brentwood's position in second place in the league table and they are now thirty points ahead of third placed Leigh-on-Sea.
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17th July
Brentwood 6th XI - 141 all out
Chelmsford 4th XI - 144-4
Chelmsford won by 6 wickets
Report by Steve Manterfield
League leaders Chelmsford overcame 2nd placed Brentwood to open up a 48 point lead at the top of the division.
The start was delayed by fifteen minutes owing to heavy rain and Brentwood were put in to bat on a good pitch at Brentwood School that offered some help for the bowlers.
Brentwood struggled against the opening attack of Steve Pleasant and Craig Thompson and found themselves 21 for 3 in the tenth over. Arun Ganesan then joined Ken Hobbs and they began to build a promising stand which was interrupted when Ganesan had to retire hurt with a shoulder injury. More wickets fell but after Hobbs was out for 35, Ganesan was able to return and held the latter part of the innings together, showing a good range of shots, before he was last man out for 54.
When Brentwood fielded, Rob Coote made an early breakthrough but that only brought Chelmsford's No. 3 Hamish Light to the crease and he soon set about the Brentwood attack with some powerful leg side hitting. Despite the best efforts of bowlers Coote, Deni Mistry and Andy Fryd, he raced to 96 before the introduction of Ganesan's off spin saw him bowled. By then Chelmsford only needed nine more runs to complete a six wicket win.
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31st July
Brentwood 6th XI - 179-5
Hornchurch 6th XI - 179 all out
Match Tied
Report by Ken Hobbs
This game had a thrilling end with a dramatic run out off the last ball meaning the game ended in a tie.
It was not so exciting in the early stages as, after being put in, the Brentwood batsmen laboured on a difficult pitch against some tight bowling by Bullard, Davis, Rowe and Shewring. No. 3 Alan Houston again held the batting together but at 94 for 5 off 41 overs it looked as though Brentwood would be defending a low total. Then skipper Ken Hobbs joined Houston and they quickly began to increase the run rate to such an extent that a declaration was possible after 50 overs with Hobbs 49 not out and Houston 86 not out. It brought Houston's total league runs this season to 677.
179 looked a defendable total but Hornchurch started well and at 104 for 2 they looked set to win the game. But some good bowling by Ross Phillips (1 for 21), Hobbs (1 for 7) and Andrew Thorpe-Apps (1 for 41 from 11 overs) pegged them back. Even so Hornchurch reached 155 for 4 before the game turned, thanks chiefly to the bowling of Andy Fryd and Chris Stockwell. Stockwell had been expensive in his opening spell of seam bowling but in his second spell he bowled off spin and the late order batsmen found him very difficult to get away.
Stockwell also took a catch off the bowling of Fryd for the vital wicket of Chris Newland who batted very well for 49 but victory still looked a formality for Hornchurch when they were 178-6, needing just two runs from three overs with 4 wickets in hand. But three wickets fell without addition to the score, one to Fryd, one to Stockwell and a run out when Stockwell threw down the wicket at the batsman's end as the tail began to panic.
Stockwell bowled the final over, conceding just one scrambled single before the last ball saw No. 11 Davis run out at the bowlers end. Stockwell's last four overs had cost just three runs, while Fryd finished with 4 for 45 from 13 overs.
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7th August
Orsett 4th XI - 279-6
Brentwood 6th XI - 244-3
Match Drawn
Report by Ken Hobbs
Orsett won the toss and elected to bat on a good track and got off to a good start through father and son opening partnership of Dave and Lee Kooyman. They put on 166 for the first wicket before the introduction of Dave Stockwell and Oliver Hembrough saw them both out, bowled, in consecutive overs. Lee made 78 and Dave 48.
The Brentwood bowlers still found it hard work on a very hot afternoon and could do little to prevent a big score. Debutant Dave Firth bowled well and was finally rewarded with a wicket, as was Under-13 Niels Klitsie also making his first appearance.
279 always looked a few too many for Brentwood but they made a steady start and the runs began to flow from openers Phil Crook who made 19 and Dan Fryd, 40.
Once again Alan Houston was the main contributor to Brentwood's total. He finished with 79 not out and got some excellent support from Dave Stockwell, who hit five fours and a six in his 31, and Under-13 Hembrough who played a very mature innings of 27 not out including four boundaries.
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21st August
Brentwood 6th XI - 165-7
Leigh on Sea 4th XI - 98 all out
Brentwood won by 67 runs
Report by Ken Hobbs
This win in their final league match of the season clinched the runners up position for Brentwood's 6th team at the expense of third placed Leigh.
Once again it was Alan Houston who held Brentwood's batting together as they laboured on a difficult pitch. Houston made 84 not out to bring his season's aggregate up t0 840 league runs from eleven innings at an average of 420.
Brentwood had to forfeit their batting bonus points when they went over 52 overs in their innings as they searched for a challenging score.
As it turned out 165 was enough to win the game especially when Leigh's own prolific batsman Ken Sandeman was dismissed for a duck in the third over by Dave Firth. Firth took the first three wickets and finished with 4 for 17 aided by some good catching especially by wicket keeper Chris Edkins.
Firth was supported by Carl Manterfield (1 for 17), Ross Phillips (2 for 17) and Andy Fryd (1 for 26).
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