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26th April
Brentwood 1st XI - 257-6 (45 overs)
Billericay 1st XI - 175-7 (45 overs)
Brentwood won by 82 runs
Shepherd Neame Essex League Cup - 1st Round
Report by Richard Whitehall
Scorecard
Brentwood made an impressive start to their competitive season with a victory over local rivals Billericay. The game was notable for an imperious innings from Damian Brandy and a clever tactical substitution by Jonathan Walford.
Brentwood won the toss and decided to bat on a wicket that was, as to be expected for the time of year, damp and slow. The outfield was soft, which combined with the wicket meant that expectations of a high scoring game were low. In the first few overs the ball seamed off the wicket and caused both Walford and debutant Ryan Chadha some problems. Gradually the batsmen asserted control with Walford in particular looking in fine form. Chadha had scored 24 when he was caught behind. Walford was joined by Brandy and the two set about attacking the Billericay attack. There was a fine array of shots shown by both batsmen. Walford was eventually caught for 71, but Brandy continued to score runs, seemingly at will. His innings included a number of sixes, most notably a straight six off his back-foot and then another over mid-wicket into the car park and more precisely his own car! He had scored 96 when he was superbly caught at mid-wicket. Gulfraz Muwas scored a breezy 34 and Ben Cocklin 13* as Brentwood's innings closed on 257.
Billericay did not seem daunted by the large total and their opening batsmen scored easily at over 4 an over for the first 10 overs. Paul Southgate led the reply with confidence. Cocklin took a good stumping off the bowling of Muwas to break the dangerous opening stand. However Southgate remained and Brentwood looked slightly perturbed.
At this point, Captain Walford decided action was required. He substituted Cocklin (who sensibly feigned a finger injury to avoid embarrassment) and replaced him with Brentwood's answer to David Fairclough, David Barbone. Never has a man fitted a borrowed Kent 2nd XI shirt better than the athletic legal eagle. Walford was left with the problem of who was going to keep wicket and, looking for somebody who was not going to diminish the firepower of Brentwood's attack, turned to opening bowler Richard Whitehall. Brentwood never looked back. Southgate fell quickly to the off-spin of Harri Jones, before Whitehall took the first of 3 dismissals when completing a catch off Ian Belchamber. Jones and Belchamber tied down the Billericay batsmen to the point where victory was impossible and they settled for batting practice. A late flurry took them to 175-7. Jones finished with the excellent figure of 4-19.
A fine win by Brentwood to follow up their victory in a friendly on the previous Saturday. They will be hoping to continue this excellent start on Saturday when they entertain fellow Premier League Club Chingford at The Old County Ground in the 2nd Round of the League Cup.
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3rd May
Chingford 1st XI - 194-5
Brentwood 1st XI - 195-7
Brentwood won by 3 wickets
Shepherd Neame Essex League Cup - 2nd Round
Report by Ian Belchamber
Scorecard
Brentwood scraped into the third round of the League Cup thanks to a scampered single off the last ball, but were once again grateful to a fine all-round performance from Damien Brandy.
Jon Walford won the important toss for the home side and due to some moisture in the surface from the week's rain had an easy decision in asking Chingford to bat. Joe Fryd started his spell in excellent fashion and beat the bat regularly. At the other end, Richard Whitehall was not his accurate self and was swiftly replaced by Brandy, who made an immediate impact with three wickets in his first four overs to leave Chingford 31-3 after 12 overs.
Taylor and Meade set out to restore the foundations of the Chingford innings and made some steady progress, however the bowling was tight from all the Brentwood bowlers and did not allow the opposition batsmen to break free. In fact the Brentwood bowlers only gave away one boundary during the initial 15-over fielding restrictions and only two in the first 26 overs. Brentwood were looking forward to chasing a low target when, with 15 overs remaining, Chingford were 95-4. But when Chingford captain Sam Kirnon took to the wicket, the score started to accelerate rapidly, and despite some good death bowling from Dave Balroop, Chingford managed to get an above par score of 194-5. Brandy was the pick of the bowlers with 3-30 from his allocation of 9 overs.
Brentwood's reply started well with Walford in belligerent form. Daniels bore the brunt of Walford's attack as his first two overs went for 29. At the other end, off-spinner Meade was proving far harder to get away.
The introduction of overseas player Denver Carolus put the brakes on the Brentwood innings, and brought immediate success with the wicket of Ben Cocklin. Brentwood continued to make steady progress, with Chingford regularly rotating their bowlers. But when Walford missed a long hop to be bowled by Macgregor, Brentwood were 53-3. This brought together Brandy and Chadha, the former looking as fluent as ever.
When the partnership of 84 was broken with Chadha being run out, Brentwood required 50 off nine overs. Gulfraz Muwas continued his recent good form and accelerated the scoring, but when Brandy got a leading edge to be caught at long-on for an excellent 76 the game was evenly poised at 152-5. Muwas continued his acceleration, and hit a crucial straight six when eight runs were required off the last seven deliveries. With just two required off the last over, it appeared to almost be a formality. Whitehall missed the first ball and was caught off the second, but importantly were able to cross giving Muwas the strike. However, he was bowled by Daniels next ball for 35 off just 32 deliveries. Now two runs were needed from three balls but with two new batsmen at the crease.
Off his second delivery, Ian Belchamber got an inside edge for a single, and then off the last ball Fryd managed to get some part of his body on the delivery, and the two Brentwood batsmen managed a fairly comfortable single for a very uncomfortable victory.
Brentwood now have Wickford in the third round, but next week is the start to the Shepherd Neame Essex Premier League season and a very important game against newly promoted South Woodford.
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10th May
South Woodford 1st XI - 226-9
Brentwood 1st XI - 227-7
Brentwood won by 3 wickets
Report by Richard Whitehall
Scorecard
Brentwood 1st XI continued their 100% start to the 2008 season with a double victory at the weekend. On Saturday they beat newly promoted South Woodford in the first league game of the season and then on Sunday eased past a weak Bessborough side into the second round of the Evening Standard Trophy.
Saturday's game against South Woodford was notable for the debut of new overseas star Shane Shillingford. Shillingford only arrived in the country at 5.30am on the morning of the game, yet dominated the match with a superb all-round performance.
Brentwood were pleased that Richard Browne decided to bat first when winning the toss. Richard Whitehall made the breakthrough when Nick Browne chipped tamely to Ryan Chadha at short mid-wicket for 20. Riz Akram and Kevin Smith both got decent starts, but were unable to convert these in to big innings. The principal reason was Shillingford. The 6' 4" off-spinner from the Windward Islands bowled at a decent pace extracting turn and bounce from the wicket. The Woodford batsmen seemed unable to score from him and survival was their only option. He accounted quickly for Akram and Acharya. Smith and R Browne tried to build a partnership, but Browne too fell to Shillingford having been well stumped by Cocklin. Only Qureishi seemed able to cope with Shillingford. Indeed the diminutive middle-order stroke-maker scored quickly and well deserved his half-century. He took the visitors to a position where a post 250 score was possible. However, Ian Belchamber executed an excellent catch from the bowling of Damian Brandy to dismiss Qureshi soon after he had reached the milestone. South Woodford now had to lower their sights and finished on 226-9 off 64 overs. Shillingford ended with figures of 5-60 having been able supported by fellow off-spinner Harri Jones (2-55).
227 looked a straight-forward target, however thanks to some excellent bowling and a superb team fielding performance by South Woodford, Brentwood found the chase difficult. Jon Walford had made a breezy 36 before he top-edged a hook off Harry Shirt. Ben Debenham and Ryan Chadha provided a base for Brentwood, but the target run-rate inched up to 6 an over. Debenham (26) & Chadha (23) were dismissed in quick succession, only to be followed by Brandy who was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off the young spinner Simon Correya. This placed Shillingford back in the limelight. Along with Gulfraz Muwas they took the attack to the visitors and with boundaries flowing from both ends Brentwood again looked favourites for victory. However, the return of Gary Neicho, the veteran left-arm spinner, put pressure back on Brentwood. Muwas was bowled by Neicho for 31 and then Shillingford who had raced to 50 was also clean bowled with Brentwood still 38 short and 6 overs left. Whitehall joined Cocklin and took advantage of a loose over from Nick Browne, which went for 11 runs and then hit 2 boundaries from a Neicho over. With 13 balls left and only 6 runs required Whitehall too gave his wicket away when caught off Neicho, but Cocklin kept his nerve to see Brentwood over the line.
Next weekend sees Brentwood travel to local rivals Upminster in the Essex Premier League. On Sunday they face the 'best club team in the UK', when defending champions Bromley are the visitors to the OCG for a 2nd Round ECB Cockspur National Knockout Game.
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