Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League (1st XI's) - Saturday May 28th 2016

(Hadleigh & Thundersley skipper Adam Sollieux taking the acclaim after smashing 102 not out of 84 balls against Woodford Wells, thanks to Jonathan Wagstaff for the photo)

Here is a round up from the latest round of fixtures in the Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League on Saturday:-

Premier Division
Brentwood 190 all out
Colchester and East Essex 279/7 wkts
Colchester and East Essex won by 89 runs
The visitors battled first and set the hosts 280 to win largely thanks to Tom Ullyot's unbeaten 109 off just 100 balls,with Jack Hebron also chipping in with a useful 53.  Jake Whickham (3-59) and Ian Belchamber (3-52) were the pick of the bowlers for Brentwood but in reply the batsman could not function and slid to 190 all out thanks to Ben Stephens and Jake Foley, who took three wickets a piece, with hosts opening bowler Whickham showing how the batsman should of done it hitting 55 in a last wicket partnership of 64 with Ian Belchamber in what was ultimately a losing cause.

Chingford 250/8 wkts
Hornchurch 248 all out
Chingford won by 2 wickets
Billy Gordon (80) and Jamie Sorrell (62) helped the visitors set Chingford 249 to win with Kulbir Gill (4-64) and Liam Lannen (4-63) doing the damage with the bowling.  And thanks to Paul Walter's four wickets it looked likely the visitors would easily defend this total as Chingford slid to 137/8, but thanks to an unbroken stand of 113 between wicketkeeper Paul Sawyer (71no) and bowler Liam Lannen (34no), the hosts managed to record a remarkable two wicket victory.

Ilford 116 all out
Wanstead & Snaresbrook 117/3 wkts
Wanstead & Snaresbrook won by 7 wickets
Hosts Ilford were bowled out for just 116 thanks largely to Joe Ellis-Grewal's 5-31 with Muhammad Akhtar the only batsmen to show any resistance with 39.  In Wanstead's reply Shahzad Hafeez took 2-6 in three overs as the visitors briefly wobbled on 59/3, but Saurav Prabhakar (43no) and Feroze Khushi (40no) saw the visiting side home comfortably with an unbeaten partnership of 58.

Shenfield 258/9 wkts
Buckhurst Hill 256/9 wkts
Shenfield won by 1 wicket
Skipper Ricky Reynolds (78) and Josh Peters (75) hit fifties as Buckhurst Hill set Shenfield 257 to win in this one with the pick of the bowlers being Arshad Ali's 3-63.  In reply Rob Petchey (4-63) and Rohan Bhome (3-89) had the hosts in disarray at 121/7 before Tom Ballington (52) and Tom Austin (51) put on 92 for the eighth wicket but when both fell it still left Shenfield 33 runs short with one wicket left.  And thanks to Suhaib Sarwar's 30 not out from 32 balls, ably supported by number eleven batsmen James Kilber, the hosts ran out victors by just a single wicket.

South Woodford 203 all out
Chelmsford 206/0 wkts
Chelmsford won by 10 wickets
Karamat Ali took 6-53 as he helped restrict hosts South Woodford to 203 all out, although without Peter Lazarus (60) and Harry Shirt (50no) it could of been even worse for the hosts.  However they had no response to the Chelmsford reply as the visitors breezed to their target of 204 without losing a wicket, thanks to an unbroken opening stand of 206 between Nicholas Bailey (106no) and Dan Hagan (99no).

# Team P Pts
1. Wanstead & Snaresbrook 4 89
2. Chelmsford 4 73
3. Hornchurch 4 73
4. Shenfield           4 56
5. Ilford 4 54
6. Brentwood 4 50
7. Colchester and East Essex 4 45
8. Buckhurst Hill 4 30
9. Chingford 4 26
10. South Woodford 4 17

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 11:30)
Buckhurst Hill vs Chingford  
Chelmsford vs Ilford  
Colchester and East Essex vs Shenfield  
Hornchurch vs South Woodford  
Wanstead & Snaresbrook vs Brentwood


Division One
Billericay 92/3 wkts
Fives and Heronians 89 all out
Billericay won by 7 wickets  
Billericay opening bowler Adam Marchant took a hat trick as he produced figures of 7-29 to help bowl out Fives and Heronians for just 89.  The hosts lost three early wickets in reply but saw an unbeaten 38 from wicketkeeper Christopher Tait guide his side to an easy win.

Harlow 180 all out
Orsett & Thurrock 179/9 wkts
Match Drawn
Harlow openers Mohammed Waqas (55) and Alan Jones (52) put on 99 for the opening wicket but then saw their sides innings fall away alarmingly thanks to Shahid Khan's 6-29, meaning the visitors had a target of 181 to chase.  Umar Ayub (42) and Paul Bennett (41) got the Orsett reply off to a good start, putting on 83 for the first wicket, before they slid to 109/6 and starting defeat in the face.  However Kirk Laws then struck 49 to take the visitors up to 172/6 and almost certain victory, that until brilliant bowling from the hosts saw the visitors fall two runs short of victory and meant after all that a draw was the result.  

Loughton 161/8 wkts
Southend-on-Sea & EMT 165/4 wkts
Southend-on-Sea & EMT won by 6 wickets
Mahmad Ali Khali struck 52 for hosts Loughton but he was the only batsmen to get going as his side were dismissed for just 161.  In reply Aaron Butcher struck 50 as the visitors ran out winners by six wickets, despite hosts bowler Bilal Butt doing his best to stop the hosts sliding to defeat with 4-38, alas he could not do this.
 
Upminster 178/4 wkts
Harold Wood 177 all out
Upminster won by 6 wickets
Matt Tigg and Connor Whetstone both took 4-55 to bowl out Harold Wood for just 177, this after Raihan Hussain's 52 had contributed to a decent start for the visitors, who went from 95/1 to 129/8, in a shocking collapse from the visitors.  Shahbaz Khan took 3-30 in Upminster's reply but Frankie Hazle hit 58 for the hosts as they cruised to a six wicket win.

Woodford Wells 208/7 wkts
Hadleigh & Thundersley 252/5 wkts
Match Drawn
Adam Sollieux played a captain's innings smashing 102 not out off just 84 deliveries, as his side set Woodford Wells 253 to win.  However Jack Johnson (83) and opener Tanveer Shah (61) both hit fifties as the hosts made sure they got out of this one with a draw.

# Team P Pts
1. Orsett & Thurrock 4 69
2. Billericay           4 68
3. Upminster 4 58
4. Southend-on-Sea & EMT 4 54
5. Hadleigh & Thundersley 4 40
6. Fives and Heronians 4 39
7. Harold Wood 4 34
8. Harlow 4 33
9. Woodford Wells 4 30
10. Loughton         4 24

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Fives and Heronians vs Upminster
Hadleigh & Thundersley vs Harlow  
Harold Wood vs Loughton
Orsett & Thurrock vs Billericay
Southend-on-Sea & EMT vs Woodford Wells


Division Two
Belhus 152/1 wkts
Oakfield Parkonians 151/8 wkts
Belhus won by 9 wickets
Eshun Kalley's 50 not out helped Oakfield Parkonians get up to the 150 mark after it looked like they would struggle to make 100 after Danny Norris took 5-26 as the visitors slid to 60/6 at one stage.  However it was never going to be enough as an opening stand of 150 between Ryan Wells (61no) and Joe Joyce (78) took them to the brink of victory before they secured a nine wicket win soon after.

Horndon On The Hill 162/9 wkts
Harlow Town 189/8 wkts
Match Drawn
Ryan Madder took 4-55 as Harlow Town were restricted to just 189/8 in their innings,this after a decent opening stand of 77 between Shiraz Ali (31) and Ashley Alderson (38).  Christopher Powell's 4-26 almost took the visitors to victory but the hosts managed to cling on for a draw.

Hutton 279/5 wkts
Hainault & Clayhall 221/7 wkts
Match Drawn
Fifties from Carl Mumba (88), Alex Tredgett (54no) and James Mowll (51) helped hosts Hutton post 279/5 in their innings but 77 from Mousshin Ismail helped secure a draw for the visitors with Mitchell Fenn taking 3-39 for the hosts.

Leigh On Sea 197 all out
Wickford 170/9 wkts
Match Drawn
Daniel Pryke took 3-43 as Wickford reduced Leigh on Sea to 120/7 at one stage before Patrick Groves hit 39 of 38 balls to get the hosts up to a more respectable 197.  In reply Daniel Cocking (3-59) and Matthew Curtis (3-21) had Wickford in all kinds of bother at 128/8 but decent late order batting from David Cole (31) and Chirag Desai (32no) helped the visitors to claim a draw.

Old Southendian & Southchurch 217/8 wkts
Gidea Park & Romford 218/6 wkts
Gidea Park & Romford won by 4 wickets
Skipper Aaron Lucas hit 51 for hosts OS & S at Garons Park but Shawn Findlay's 4-37 helped restrict them to 217/8.  Opening bowler David Johnson took 3-76 in GP & R's reply but fifties from Jamal Francis (84) and Russ Collard (54) helped see the visitors over the line to a four wicket win.

# Team P Pts
1. Belhus 4 86
2. Gidea Park & Romford 4 66
3. Oakfield Parkonians 4 60
4. Horndon On The Hill 4 52
5. Old Southendian & South 4 49
6. Leigh On Sea 4 33
7. Hainault & Clayhall 4 30
8. Harlow Town 4 30
9. Hutton 4 30
10. Wickford         4 30

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Gidea Park & Romford vs Belhus
Hainault & Clayhall vs Leigh On Sea  
Harlow Town vs Old Southendian & Southchurch  
Oakfield Parkonians vs Hutton  
Wickford vs Horndon On The Hill


Division Three
Ardleigh Green 245/8 wkts dec
Benfleet 227/8 wkts
Match Drawn
Fiftes for Adam Thain (67) and Alex Cason (61) helped hosts Ardleigh Green set Benfleet 246 to win with Callum Wheeler taking 4-82 for the visitors.  Wheeler then helped secure a draw with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 46, and with skipper Gavin Blowes scoring 67 as well the visitors easily batted the overs and time out and only ended up falling 19 runs short of victory.
 
Epping 116/6 wkts
West Essex 114 all out
Epping won by 4 wickets
Epping opening bowler Salim Mithani took 7-52 as they bowled out West Essex for just 114, with only Irfan Riaz making any contribution with the bat scoring 44.  Epping struggled in reply as well and were indebted to Matthew Wilson's 42 not out to help keep the innings glued together, as he took his side to a four wicket win.

Stanford Le Hope 145/8 wkts
Westcliff-On-Sea 75 all out
Stanford Le Hope won by 70 runs
Tom Baker took 4-28 as Stanford Le Hope struggled to 145/8 in their innings, thanks largely to Thomas Willats unbeaten 50.  However this proved more than enough for the hosts as Westcliff were bundled out for just 75 thanks to Adam Knight (3-25) and Matthew Higgins (3-35) as Stanford Le Hope won by 70 runs.  

Walthamstow 209/8 wkts dec
Old Brentwoods 215/3 wkts
Old Brentwood won by 7 wickets
Paul Miller struck 65 for the hosts as they posted a victory target of 210, with the pick of Old Brentwood's bowlers being K Sarwar with figures of 3-22.  In reply the visitors lost their top three fairly cheaply but then saw Babar Choudhury (97no) and Rajnish Dohal (41no) take their side to victory.

Woodford Green 143/5 wkts
Basildon & Pitsea 140 all out
Woodford Green won by 5 wickets
Amrit Ryatt took 4-35 as his side bowled out Basildon & Pitsea for just 140 with Mohammed Hasan also chipping in with 3-30.  Woodford Green's reply got off to a shaky start but thanks to an unbeaten 53 from Anthony Palmer, the hosts ran out victors by five wickets.

# Team P Pts
1. Old Brentwoods 4 79
2. Basildon & Pitsea 4 61
3. Stanford Le Hope 4 60
4. Epping 4 59
5. Woodford Green 4 58
6. Walthamstow 4 51
7. Westcliff-On-Sea 4 49
8. Ardleigh Green 4 45
9. West Essex 4 33
10. Benfleet         4 16

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Basildon & Pitsea vs Epping
Benfleet vs Woodford Green  
Old Brentwoods vs Ardleigh Green
West Essex vs Stanford Le Hope  
Westcliff-On-Sea vs Walthamstow  



That concludes the round up for the weekend,i'll be back next week with a round up of June's first round of matches.  

Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League (1st XI's) - Saturday May 21st 2016

(Frank Hazel of Upminster being bowled for 34 by Southend-on-Sea & EMT's Ash McCafferty, photo courtesy of Jonathan Wagstaff)

Here is a round up from the latest round of fixtures in the Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League on Saturday:-

Premier Division

Buckhurst Hill 172/8 wkts

Colchester and East Essex 234 all out

Colchester and East Essex drew with Buckhurst Hill 

The visitors batted first and saw fifties from Tom Ullyott (68) and Julian Russell (58) help their side set a target of 235.  Rob Petchey took 3-58 for the hosts and then had a part to play with the bat later on too as he saw his side slide to 147/8 despite a 70 ball 55 from Raymond Parkinson but thanks to a useful 16 not out from 15 balls by Petchey, the hosts managed to grab a draw in this one.  Ben Stephens took 6-50 for the visitors.

Chelmsford 301/4 wkts dec

Chingford 94 all out

Chelmsford beat Chingford by 207 runs  

The visitors batted first in this one and thanks to a fourth wicket partnership of 180 between Jack Sterland (101no) and James Clifford (86) they posted a mammoth 301/4.  Hosts Chingford never got near their target and saw Karamat Ali take 4-19 and Sam Cook 3-24 as they were rolled over for just 94 in reply. 

Hornchurch 191/6 wkts

Shenfield 187 all out

Hornchurch beat Shenfield by 4 wickets  

Haris Mahmood hit 63 for hosts Shenfield as they posted a target of just 188 as three wickets a piece for Thomas Moore and Paul Walter restricted them to 187 all out.  And an unbeaten fifty from Billy Gordon (74no) helped see the hosts to a four wicket win.

Ilford 186/6 wkts

Brentwood 249/7 wkts

Ilford drew with Brentwood  

A magnificent opening stand of 145 between Tom Oakley (60) and Aaron West (94) set the platform for visitors Brentwood to set Ilford 250 to win in this one, with the pick of the bowlers being Awais Liaqat with 4-62.  In reply Ilford saw a patient 65 from Muhammad Akhtar to see the hosts claim a draw with Ian Belchamber chipping in with 3-45 in the visiting bowling ranks.

Wanstead & Snaresbrook 283/4 wkts dec

South Woodford 219 all out

Wanstead & Snaresbrook beat South Woodford by 64 runs

The hosts posted a decent 283/4 thanks largely an 138 opening stand between Arfan Akram (97) and Lesbourne Edwards (63).  Hassan Chowdhury (60no) and Kishen Velani (53) helped get the hosts quick runs at the end of the innings and then four wickets from Zain Shahzad (4-57) and Joe Ellis-Grewal (4-45) helped see them bowl out the visitors for 219, despite a decent 79 from Peter Lazarus, to win by 64 runs and claim top spot in the Premier Division. 

# Team P Pts

1. Wanstead & Snares' 3 69

2. Hornchurch 3 64

3. Chelmsford 3 53

4. Ilford 3 53

5. Brentwood 3 45

6. Shenfield    3 36

7. Colchester and East  3 20

8. Buckhurst Hill 3 19

9. South Woodford 3 11

10. Chingford 3 6

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 11:30)

Brentwood vs Colchester and East Essex  

Chingford vs Hornchurch  

Ilford vs Wanstead & Snaresbrook  

Shenfield vs Buckhurst Hill  

South Woodford vs Chelmsford  

Division One

Hadleigh & Thundersley 117/5 wkts

Loughton 116 all out

Hadleigh & Thundersley beat Loughton by 5 wickets  

The visitors batted first and struggled to 116 all out thanks to two wickets a piece from David Williams, Adam Dobson and Adam Soilleux with Ashfaq Parvez the only batsmen to put up any resistance with 38.  In reply the hosts slipped to 58/5 before an unbroken stand of 59 between Jack Wagstaff (34no) and Adam Soilleux (24no) took the hosts to victory.

Harlow 237 all out

Billericay 213/9 wkts

Harlow drew with Billericay  

The hosts batted first and saw a fifty from Ahmed Khawaja (54) help his side post a target of 238, with Adam Marchant taking 4-57 for the visitors.  In reply Ross Poulton struck 78 but Mustanser Meraj's 4-33 almost took the hosts to victory but the visitors managed to cling on for a draw.

Harold Wood 193/8 wkts

Fives and Heronians 253 all out

Harold Wood drew with Fives and Heronians  

The visitors set the hosts a victory target of 254 thanks largely to Ali Raza's 84, helped by Greg Summers 65 also after the visitors made a poor start with the bat thanks largely to Maruf Chowdhury's 6-74.  In reply Sarfraz Ahmed took 5-47 as Wood struggled to get near their opponents target although they managed to secure at least a draw.

Orsett & Thurrock 197/9 wkts dec

Woodford Wells 143 all out

Orsett & Thurrock beat Woodford Wells by 54 runs  

Orsett opener Umar Ayub struck 50 as his side posted 197/9 with Usman Sahar taking 3-51 for Woodford.  In reply the visitors were rolled over for just 143 thanks to Shahid Khan's 4-20 and George Pavitt's 3-26, as the hosts ran out winners by 54 runs.

Southend-on-Sea & EMT 204/8 wkts

Upminster 282/6 wkts

Southend-on-Sea & EMT drew with Upminster

A wonderful 105 from Upminster opener Shahbaz Butt helped his side set Southend 283 to win and it looked like the hosts would fall to defeat but were indebted to Callum Druce's unbeaten 64 to see the hosts to a draw, with the pick of Upminster's bowlers being Connor Whetstone, who took 3-88.

# Team P Pts

1. Orsett & Thurrock 3 62

2. Billericay          3 48

3. Fives and Heronians 3 38

4. Upminster 3 38

5. Southend-on-Sea     3 34

6. Hadleigh & Thunder 3 29

7. Harold Wood 3 27

8. Woodford Wells 3 24

9. Harlow 3 23

10. Loughton         3 19

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)

Billericay vs Fives and Heronians 

Harlow vs Orsett & Thurrock  

Loughton vs Southend-on-Sea & EMT  

Upminster vs Harold Wood  

Woodford Wells vs Hadleigh & Thundersley  

Division Two

Gidea Park & Romford 146/2 wkts

Horndon On The Hill 145 all out

Gidea Park & Romford beat Horndon On The Hill by 8 wickets  

Shawn Findlay (3-29), Matt Connaughton (3-31) and Zisan Abedin (3-26) helped the hosts bowl out Horndon for just 145 and the hosts cruised to their victory target thanks to an opening stand of 106 between Zisan Abedin (64) and Kasi Hoq (63no) to win by 8 wickets.

Hainault & Clayhall 177 all out

Belhus 177/9 wkts

Hainault & Clayhall tied with Belhus  

Ryan Hurst took 5-43 as his side bowled out Hainault for 177 and at 153/4 looked to be cruising to victory, however they lost their last six wickets for just 24 runs to end up tied with their opponents, this thanks to Daniel Dreher's 5-34 as the hosts produced an amazing fightback.

Harlow Town 243/8 wkts

Wickford 244/8 wkts

Harlow Town drew with Wickford  

Harlow Town posted a target of 244 thanks mainly to a magnificent 127 not out from Dean Etchells but despite 4-53 from David Cole, the hosts got to their target thanks to a century from Joe Holland (108) as they ran out winners by two wickets despite a late wobble.

Hutton 230/7 wkts

Leigh On Sea 226/8 wkts

Hutton beat Leigh On Sea by 3 wickets  

Fifties from Dean Waller (53) and Billy King (64) saw Leigh post a target of 227, with Hutton's opening bowler Carl Mumba claiming 5-64).  In reply the hosts saw Mumba complete a great all round performance by hitting 71 as they got home by three wickets.

Oakfield Parkonians 218 all out

Old Southendian & Southchurch 206 all out

Oakfield Parkonians beat Old Southendian & Southchurch by 12 runs

Haris Khan hit 81 for Oakfield as they posted 218 all out with David Johnson and Sam Hodgson taking three wickets each.  Old Southendians looked good at 167/4 but ended up falling 12 runs short as Selvam Ramasamy took 4-69 to help the home side to a narrow victory.

# Team P Pts

1. Belhus 3 66

2. Oakfield Parkonians 3 54

3. Horndon On The Hill3 47

4. Gidea Park & Rom  3 46

5. Old Southendian 3 39

6. Hainault & Clayhall 3 24

7. Wickford         3 24

8. Leigh On Sea 3 23

9. Hutton 3 19

10. Harlow Town 3 18

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)

Belhus vs Oakfield Parkonians  

Horndon On The Hill vs Harlow Town 

Hutton vs Hainault & Clayhall  

Leigh On Sea vs Wickford  

Old Southendian & Southchurch vs Gidea Park & Romford  

Division Three

Ardleigh Green 126 all out

Woodford Green 127/3 wkts

Woodford Green beat Ardleigh Green by 7 wickets  

Mohammed Hasan took 3-47 as his Woodford Green side rolled over Ardleigh for just 126 with Tom Gentle making 42.  The visitors cruised to their small target with Cooper Bingham making a decent 62 as they won by seven wickets.

Benfleet 138/8 wkts

Walthamstow 220/6 wkts dec

Benfleet drew with Walthamstow  

Ayaz Shah hit 127 not out for Walthamstow as they declared on 220/6 with Paul Frensham taking 4-52.  Benfleet struggled in reply but did manage to pick up a draw.

Old Brentwoods 166/4 wkts

Stanford Le Hope 162 all out

Old Brentwoods beat Stanford Le Hope by 6 wickets  

Imran Hussain (4-37) and K Sarwar (3-33) helped bowl Stanford Le Hope out for 162 and then saw the hosts cruise to their target thanks to fifties from Wade Canham (62) and Baber Choudhary (61) to win by six wickets.

West Essex 111/9 wkts

Basildon & Pitsea 206 all out

Basildon & Pitsea beat West Essex by 95 runs  

Basildon opener Rob Davies hit 59 as his side posted 206 all out with Sajid Mehmood the pick of the bowlers with 3-29.  The hosts, who played the game a player short, were skittled out for just 111 thanks to Dean Bedford's 6-43, to see the visitors to a massive 95 run victory.

Westcliff-On-Sea 179/2 wkts

Epping 176 all out

Westcliff-On-Sea beat Epping by 8 wickets

Nigel Holmes took 4-18 in just seven overs to help Westcliff bowl out Epping for 176, with Amir Khan top scoring with 45.  The target proved no problem for the hosts as Peter Barnes struck 74 as his side cruised to an eight wicket win.

# Team P Pts

1. Old Brentwoods 3 60

2. Basildon & Pitsea 3 58

3. Westcliff-On-Sea 3 46

4. Walthamstow 3 42

5. Epping 3 39

6. Woodford Green 3 38

7. Stanford Le Hope 3 35

8. Ardleigh Green 3 34

9. West Essex 3 31

10. Benfleet         3 9

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)

Ardleigh Green vs Benfleet   

Epping vs West Essex  

Stanford Le Hope vs Westcliff-On-Sea  

Walthamstow vs Old Brentwoods  

Woodford Green vs Basildon & Pitsea  

That concludes the round up for the weekend,i'll be back next week with a round up of May 28th's action.  I plan to watch my first Cricket of the summer at the Division Two match up at Garon's Park as Old Southendians & Southchurch host Gidea Park & Romford.  Keep it here for all things Shepherd Neame League Cricket!!!! 

Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League (1st XI's) - Saturday May 14th 2016

(Pic: Action from a lovely but very cold Garons Park as Old Southendians & Southchurch hosted Hainault & Clayhall, thanks to Omar Ahmed for the photo)


The Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League entered it's second round of games at the weekend for the 2016 summer and here is what happened in the four divisions on Saturday afternoon:-

Premier Division
Buckhurst Hill 207/9 wkts
Brentwood 208/9 wkts
Brentwood won by 1 wicket
Brentwood grabbed their first win of the season and remain unbeaten after a one wicket win over Buckhurst Hill, successfully chasing down the 208 target set for them, to move into fourth place.  Ian Belchamber took 5-64 for the visitors as they bowled first and then Aaron West struck 97 as they chased down the target of 208.  Brentwood lost wickets though and at 175/8 looked precarious, but thanks to James Redwood's 33 not out he got the visitors over the line with a wicket to spare.

Chingford 92 all out
Wanstead & Snaresbrook 93/0 wkt
Wanstead & Snaresbrook won by 10 wickets
Zain Shazad, Kishen Velani and Joe Ellis-Grewal each took three wickets a piece as they helped bowl out Chingford for just 92 before Arfan Akram then hit an unbeaten 67 to take Wanstead & Snaresbrook to a crushing ten wicket victory and make it two wins out of two.

Colchester and East Essex 193 all out
Hornchurch 277/6 wkts dec
Hornchurch won by 84 runs
Roy Smith played a captains innings, scoring 106 not out for visitors Hornchurch, as they made it two wins out of two after defeating Colchester and East Essex by 84 runs.  Joe Austin hit 44 in reply for the hosts but Thomas Moore took 3-41 to help bowl out the hosts for 193 and inflict their second loss in two games.

Shenfield 323 all out
Chelmsford 262 all out
Shenfield won by 61 runs
Shenfield won a high scoring game against Chelmsford where nearly 600 runs were amassed between the two sides to grab their first win of the new season and climb above their opponents by two points.  Haris Mahmood and Jack Kliber both struck hundreds as Shenfield scored well over 300 and despite fifties from Jack Sterland and Karamat Ali, the visitors fell 61 runs short thanks to Arshad Ali's 5-93.

South Woodford 118 all out
Ilford 216/6 wkts
Ilford won by 98 runs
Ilford made it two wins from two after bowling out hosts South Woodford for 118 to win by 98 runs, having set them 217 to win earlier in the day thanks to Saf Imtiaz's 78.  Syed Ashar Ahmed Zaidi then took 3-26 as he helped to bowl out the hosts cheaply.

# Team P Pts
1. Hornchurch 2 45
2. Ilford 2 45
3. Wanstead & Snares' 2 45
4. Brentwood 2 34
5. Shenfield         2 30
6. Chelmsford 2 28
7. Buckhurst Hill 2 10
8. South Woodford 2 8
9. Chingford 2 5
10. Colchester and East 2 5

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 11:30)
Buckhurst Hill vs Colchester and East Essex
Chelmsford vs Chingford
Hornchurch vs Shenfield
Ilford vs Brentwood
Wanstead & Snaresbrook vs South Woodford  


Division One
Fives and Heronians 145 all out
Southend-on-Sea & EMT 146/4 wkts
Southend-on-Sea & EMT won by 6 wickets
Joe Robbins struck 63 and Phil Gray also hit an unbeaten 54 to help Southend to a six wicket win over Fives and Heronians, taking the Southchurch Park club level on points with their opponents in second place.  Earlier in the day Robbins, Ashleigh McCafferty and Alex Karkoski took three wickets each to bowl out the hosts for 145. 

Harold Wood 194/8 wkts
Billericay 198/6 wkts
Billericay won by 4 wickets
Billericay chased down their target of 195 to defeat Harold Wood, thanks mainly to a fifty from Paul Martin, before Ross Poulton saw the visitors to their target, and see them top the Division with two wins from two.

Loughton 170/9 wkts
Orsett & Thurrock 230 all out
Match Drawn
Loughton clung on for a draw against Orsett & Thurrock to pick up their second successive draw to remain unbeaten for the season whilst visitors Orsett & Thurrock also remain unbeaten after one win and a draw so far.  The hosts looked in trouble at 76/6 and then 132/8 but a more than useful 33 from Naeem Amin and 32 not out from Shaun Gymer made sure they got out with a draw.

Upminster 172/4 wkts
Hadleigh & Thundersley 171/9 wkts
Upminster won by 6 wickets
Alan Ison's brilliant all round performance saw Upminster to a six wicket win over Hadleigh & Thundersley and take their first win of the campaign.  Ison took four wickets as the hosts restricted the visitors to 171 before he then hit an unbeaten 90 to take his side to a six wicket win.

Woodford Wells 293/3 wkst dec
Harlow 217/3 wkts
Match Drawn
The bat certainly dominated the ball in this one as only six wickets fell in two innings which amassed over 500 runs as the game between Woodford Wells and Harlow ended in a draw, leaving both sides in the lower half of the table. Michael Arblaster had earlier hit 158 not out for the hosts but then saw Hafiz Yawar Afzal hit an unbeaten 100 in reply.

# Team P Pts
1. Billericay         2 40
2. Fives and Heronians 2 28
3. Southend-on-Sea 2 28
4. Upminster 2 27
5. Orsett & Thurrock 2 25
6. Woodford Wells 2 20
7. Harold Wood 2 12
8. Harlow 2 11
9. Loughton         2 11
10. Hadleigh & Thunder  2 9

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Hadleigh & Thundersley vs Loughton
Harlow vs Billericay
Harold Wood vs Fives and Heronians
Orsett & Thurrock vs Woodford Wells
Southend-on-Sea & EMT vs Upminster


Division Two
Belhus 248/2 wkts dec
Hutton 97 all out
Belhus won by 151 runs
Belhus made it two wins from two after thrashing Hutton.  The hosts posted 248 for 2 thanks to Joe Joyce, who stroked his second successive SNEL century, and skipper Danny Joyce who supported with a masterly 51 and give Hutton a daunting 249 to chase down.  They were to get nowhere near that target though as Martin Guilbert snared three fine outfield catches and Dan Norris and Dan Dreher bowled superbly in taking five and four wickets respectively to see the hosts home to a massive 151 run victory.

Harlow Town 274/6 wkts
Leigh On Sea 294/1 wkts dec
Match Drawn
Leigh put in a strong batting performance, bouncing back after being bowled out for less than three figures last weekend, to score 294 for 1 before declaring, although it wasn't enough as they could only draw against Harlow Town.  Iain McDonald and Jon Edwards shared an opening stand of 167 before McDonald went for 70, and then Edwards shared another century stand with Dean Waller and saw both men make unbeaten hundreds.  Harlow Town lost two early wickets but then saw Joe Holland and Neil Gladwin both hit hundreds themselves in a third wicket stand of 228 to make sure the hosts at least came away with a point. 

Horndon On The Hill 187/8 wkts
Oakfield Parkonians 184 all out
Horndon On The Hill won by 2 wickets
Despite Khan hitting 78 and Ramasamy taking six wickets, Oakfield Parkonians fell to a two wicket defeat at the hands of Horndon On The Hill in a game where both sides came into this one having won their opening matches last weekend.  Damian Sweet hit fifty in reply for Horndon as they reached their target with two wickets left.

Old Southendian & Southchurch 238/4 wkts
Hainault & Clayhall 238/9 wkts
Match Drawn
After a whole day's cricket and 476 runs combined, neither side could be separated as the match at Garon's Park in Southend finished in a draw as visitors Hainault & Clayhall saw a victory disappear thanks to some terrific bowling and fielding from the hosts.  Rob Johnston hit 105 for the hosts as they set the visitors 239 to win and at 181/4 they looked well set for the win, however three run outs contributed to them failing to overhaul this target so a draw was the result.  Both sides therefore remain unbeaten after two games.

Wickford 250/8 wkts
Gidea Park & Romford 210/6 wkts
Match Drawn
A terrific unbroken century stand between Shawn Findlay and Adam McKie guided Gidea Park & Romford to a draw against Wickford after it looked likely the hosts would win comfortably at one stage.  Wickford batted first and saw half centuries from Dale Kinsley and Dean Etchells help them post 250 for 8 and then saw Jamie Went and Daniel Pryke demolish the visitors top order and leave them six down and in dire straits, however, Findlay struck and unbeaten century and was aided by Mckie, who grabbed an unbeaten fifty, as the game ended a draw.

# Team P Pts
1. Belhus 2 50
2. Horndon On The Hill 2 45
3. Old Southendian 2 32
4. Oakfield Parkonians 2 29
5. Gidea Park & Rom 2 27
6. Wickford         2 13
7. Leigh On Sea 2 12
8. Harlow Town 2 11
9. Hainault & Clayhall 2 11
10. Hutton 2 0

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Gidea Park & Romford vs Horndon On The Hill
Hainault & Clayhall vs Belhus
Harlow Town vs Wickford
Hutton vs Leigh On Sea
Oakfield Parkonians vs Old Southendian & Southchurch


Division Three
Basildon & Pitsea 166 all out
Westcliff-On-Sea 160 all out
Basildon & Pitsea won by 6 runs
Gary Ayres took 4-27 as Basildon & Pitsea managed to defend 166 to beat Westcliff-On-Sea by six runs, seeing them to their first win of the season.  The hosts slid to 108/8 and were indebted to Phillip Tooke's 40 ball 54 to get them up to 166 although this looked like it would not be enough.  However the visitors then slid to 102/8 themselves and despite late runs from Tom Baker and Graham Cox they were unable to get their side to the target and saw the hosts run out winners.

Epping 191/9 wkts
Old Brentwoods 195/7 wkts
Old Brentwoods won by 3 wickets
Both teams went into this one having won their opening matches last weekend and it was Old Brentwoods who made it two wins from two after chasing down Eppings 191/9 to win by three wickets and go six points clear at the top.

Stanford Le Hope 66/1 wkt
Benfleet 64 all out
Stanford Le Hope won by 9 wickets
Benfleet are two defeats from two and bottom with no points after a thrashing at the hands of Stanford Le Hope.  The hosts won the toss and batted but slid to 64 all out with Greg Barr taking 3-17 and left the visiors the simple task of knocking off the 65 needed in 18 overs and stroll to victory.

Walthamstow 184/8 wkts
Ardleigh Green 218/8 wkts
Match Drawn
Three wickets from Muhammad Asif and Jamal Chaudry helped Ardleigh Green defend their 218/8 to get a draw against Walthamstow.  Chris Cook had earlier hit 78 not out for the visitors who are now level on points with their opponents in the table.

West Essex 210/6 wkts
Woodford Green 209 all out
West Essex won by 4 wickets
West Essex chased down the 210 needed for victory to defeat Woodford Green.  The visitors batted first and saw Cooper Bingham hit 101 but he wasn't supported enough and thanks to four wickets from both Ali Raza and Abdul Gafangaf the visitors were bowled out for 209.  Mohammed Hasan took 4-39 in the hosts reply but solid batting saw the West Essex side reach their target with four wickets still in the hutch.

# Team P Pts
1. Old Brentwoods 2 40
2. Epping 2 34
3. Basildon & Pitsea 2 33
4. Ardleigh Green 2 31
5. Walthamstow 2 31
6. Stanford Le Hope 2 30
7. Westcliff-On-Sea 2 26
8. West Essex 2 28
9. Woodford Green 2 18
10. Benfleet         2 6

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Ardleigh Green vs Woodford Green
Benfleet vs Walthamstow
Old Brentwoods vs Stanford Le Hope
West Essex vs Basildon & Pitsea
Westcliff-On-Sea vs Epping


That concludes the round up for the weekend,i'll be back next week with a round up of May 21st's action.

Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League (1st XI's) - Saturday May 7th 2016

(Pic: Action from Southend-on-Sea & EMT Vs Harold Wood in Division One, photo taken by Johnathan Wagstaff)

The Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League got underway at the weekend for the 2016 summer and here is what happened in the four divisions on Saturday afternoon:-

Premier Division
Highlights of the opening weekend in the Premier Divsion saw Chelmsford's James Clifford take 3-31 with the ball before hitting an unbeaten 68 to guide his side to victory over Colchester & East Essex.  Sam Cook also took 4-38 for the hosts and Clifford was helped by Jack Sterland who remained unbeaten on 77 in their win. Another terrific all round performance also came at Wanstead & Snaresbook as home player Kishen Velani hit 86 and then took five wickets as his side defeated Shenfield by 108 runs.  Khusi also scored a decent 63 for the hosts and then saw Zyni pick up three wickets and Joe Ellis - Grewal chipped in with two to help their side to a very convincing win.  Finally a player known as 'Pomi' made his debut for Ilford, and it turned out to be a great signing, as he took 5-48 to help bowl out Chingford for 177 before also staring with the bat, hitting 94 not out as Ilford breezed to a seven wicket win.

Here are the Premier Division results from the weekend:-

Brentwood 321/4wkts dec
South Woodford 182/8wkts
Match Drawn

Chelmsford 180/3wkts
Colchester and East Essex 177 all out
Chelmsford won by 7 wickets

Hornchurch 172/2wkts
Buckhurst Hill 168 all out
Hornchurch won by 8 wickets

Ilford 177/3wkts
Chingford 176 all out
Ilford won by 7 wickets

Wanstead & Snaresbrook 293/7wkts
Shenfield 185 all out
Wanstead & Snaresbrook won by 108 runs

# Team P W D L BP Pen %W Pts
1. Wanstead & Snares' 1 1 0 0 0 0 100 25
2. Chelmsford 1 1 0 0 0 0 100 20
3. Hornchurch 1 1 0 0 0 0 100 20
4. Ilford 1 1 0 0 0 1 100 19
5. Brentwood 1 0 1 0 11 0 0 14
6. Chingford         1 0 0 1 5 0 0 5
7. Colchester and East 1 0 0 1 5 0 0 5
8. Shenfield         1 0 0 1 5 0 0 5
9. South Woodford      1 0 1 0 3 1 0      5                    
10. Buckhurst Hill 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 1

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 11:30)
Buckhurst Hill vs Brentwood  
Chingford vs Wanstead & Snaresbrook  
Colchester and East Essex vs Hornchurch  
Shenfield vs Chelmsford
South Woodford vs Ilford


Division One
Sixteen year old leg spinner Zohran Afzal bowled like a dream for Harold Wood but a magnificent unbeaten 107 from Southend-on-Sea & EMT batsman Joe Robbins made sure the hosts got out of this one with a draw.  Elsewhere a thrilling finish between Billericay and Woodford Wells saw hosts skipper Dave Houghton bring up his 50 to secure victory for this side with just one over to go by four wickets and finally 'Sunny' took six wickets for Fives and Heronians as they steam rolled Hadleigh & Thundersley for 118 to win by 91 runs.

Here are the weekend results from Division One:-

Billericay 222/6wkts
Woodford Wells 220/9wkts
Billericay won by 4 wickets

Hadleigh & Thundersley 118 all out
Fives and Heronians 209/9wkts
Fives and Heronians won by 91 runs

Harlow 218/8wkts
Loughton 226/6wkts
Match Drawn

Orsett & Thurrock 204/9wkts
Upminster 194 all out
Orsett & Thurrock won by 10 runs

Southend-on-Sea & EMT 213/9wkts
Harold Wood 238 all out
Match Drawn

# Team P W D L BP Pen Ave Pts
1. Orsett & Thurrock 1 1 0 0 0 0 25 25
2. Fives and Heronians 1 1 0 0 0 1 24 24
3. Billericay         1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
4. Harold Wood 1 0 1 0 12 1 11 11
5. Loughton         1 0 1 0 11 0 11 11
6. Woodford Wells 1 0 0 1 10 0 10 10
7. Southend-on-Sea     1 0 1 0 8 0 8 8
8. Upminster 1 0 0 1 7 1 6 6
9. Harlow 1 0 1 0 6 1 5 5
10. Hadleigh & Thund' 1 0 0 1 4 0 4 4

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Fives and Heronians vs Southend-on-Sea & EMT  
Harold Wood vs Billericay
Loughton vs Orsett & Thurrock  
Upminster vs Hadleigh & Thundersley  
Woodford Wells vs Harlow


Division Two
Biggest margin of victory award went to Belhus as after setting Leigh On Sea 260 to win, they demolished the hosts batting line up to bowl them out for 92 and win by a huge 167 run margin, although Old Southendian & Southchurch also had a large margin of victory, chasing down Hutton's 97 all out to win by nine wickets.

Here are the weekend results for Division Two:-

Gidea Park & Romford 192/3wkts
Harlow Town 190/8wkts
Gidea Park & Romford won by 7 wickets

Hainault & Clayhall 171 all out
Horndon On The Hill 227 all out
Horndon On The Hill won by 56 runs

Hutton 97 all out
Old Southendian & Southchurch 101/1wkt
Old Southendian & Southchurch won by 9 wickets

Leigh On Sea 92 all out
Belhus 259/5wkts dec
Belhus won by 167 runs

Oakfield Parkonians 153/3wkts
Wickford 149 all out
Oakfield Parkonians won by 7 wickets

# Team P W D L BP Pen Ave Pts
1. Belhus 1 1 0 0 0 0 25 25
2. Gidea Park & Rom' 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
3. Oakfield Parkonians 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
4. Old Southendian 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
5. Horndon On The Hill 1 1 0 0 0 1 19 19
6. Hainault & Clayhall 1 0 0 1 6 1 5 5
7. Harlow Town 1 0 0 1 7 2 5 5
8. Wickford         1 0 0 1 3 0 3 3
9. Leigh On Sea 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 2
10. Hutton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Belhus vs Hutton
Harlow Town vs Leigh On Sea  
Horndon On The Hill vs Oakfield Parkonians  
Old Southendian & Southchurch vs Hainault & Clayhall  
Wickford vs Gidea Park & Romford


Division Three
The most amazing fightback of the weekend surely came at Woodford Green as visitors Walthamstow were bowled out for 212 and then saw the hosts get to 173-3, only to then take the final seven wickets for just 32 runs and remarkably win by seven runs.  Epping managed to defend 184 to defeat Benfleet by 29 runs whilst Westcliff-On-Sea impressively chased down 246 to defeat West Essex by six wickets.

Here are the weekend results for Division Three:-

Ardleigh Green 206/5wkts
Stanford Le Hope 205 all out
Ardleigh Green won by 5 wickets

Benfleet 155 all out
Epping 184 all out
Epping won by 29 runs

Old Brentwoods 189/6wkts
Basildon & Pitsea 188 all out
Old Brentwoods won by 4 wickets

Westcliff-On-Sea 248/4wkts
West Essex 245 all out
Westcliff-On-Sea won by 6 wickets

Woodford Green 205 all out
Walthamstow 212 all out
Walthamstow won by 7 runs

# Team P W D L BP Pen Ave Pts
1. Epping 1 1 0 0 0 0 25 25
2. Walthamstow 1 1 0 0 0 0 25 25
3. Ardleigh Green 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
4. Old Brentwoods 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 20
5. Westcliff-On-Sea 1 1 0 0 0 1 19 19
6. Stanford Le Hope 1 0 0 1 10 0 10 10
7. Basildon & Pitsea 1 0 0 1 8 0 8 8
8. West Essex 1 0 0 1 9 1 8 8
9. Woodford Green 1 0 0 1 8 1 7 7
10. Benfleet         1 0 0 1 6 0 6 6

Next Weekend's Fixtures (play starts at 13:00)
Basildon & Pitsea vs Westcliff-On-Sea
Epping vs Old Brentwoods
Stanford Le Hope vs Benfleet  
Walthamstow vs Ardleigh Green
West Essex vs Woodford Green


That concludes the round up for the opening weekend,i'll be back next week with a round up of May 14th's action.