Colchester concession over-shadowed by Champions defeat

The season always starts eventfully, and what a week it turned out to be. We lost West Bergholt and Abberton, two of the teams that gained promotion last season, in the run-up to the opening games. Thankfully replaced by University of Essex and Little Bardfield Village respectively, and then only hours before the opening matches, we heard that Colchester & East Essex were unable to field a team to meet Braintree Youth in the Division One contest at Notley, which should have completed play there for the evening.

Play began with the contest between the League Champions of the two previous seasons, as Coggeshall opened their defence of the crown against Witham. Coggeshall made a terrible start and really never recovered. Dave Denny (seen above defending the first ball of the new season) was caught at the end of the first over for two, and then Jim Rees was bowled in the second over without scoring to leave them on 6-2. Ollie Blackwell, 27, Sam Blackwell, 20, and Will Blackwell, 21, did their best to take Coggeshall to a competitive score but all lost their wickets as they finally ended on 89, the final wicket falling off the final ball. Witham soon got themselves well ahead of the required rate and never looked back. Will Blackwell did account for Jake Wakelin for 19, and Cody McDonald for 9, but Richard Green retired with 25 before 21 from Leroy Facey helped Witham to 90-2 with an over to spare.

Chappel & Wakes Colne made a winning start to their Division One career as they overcame a Rayne team largely constructed of players from their Reserve and Third teams of last season. Where most of their established first team squad were, I have no idea. Not that Chappel were going to complain. Brett Patmore hit 29 not out, and aided by Bryan Patmore scoring 24, they closed on 95-4. Rayne were then rocked by finding themselves on 23-3, but Dave Dawson's 40 not out kept them in the match until the rate was too great to consider overtaking. He did manage to guide Rayne to four points with their final score of 79-5.

Cressing have a much changed line-up this season, calling upon many of the Coggeshall Reserves Division Two winning squad of last season, so that they can gain Division One cricket after all. Only Matthew Hart remains from the team of last season, and they made a winning start against Bocking. Justin Rose, who can play again this season after participating for part of last season with Gosfield, top scored with 30 for Bocking as they were dismissed for 66. Cressing then lost Billy Hickman early on, but managed to battle their way to victory with a score of 68-4 with seven balls to spare. Richard Cross, 16, and Andy Goding, 17, being their top scorers.

Little Bardfield Village may field one of the youngest teams in the league, and they faced a Shalford Reserves team that may very well have had possessed the highest aggregate age of any team to take to the field in our League. Nick Wright hit 31 for Shalford Reserves, but his good work was undermined by Peter Bray taking 3-11 for Little Bardfield Village. Will Slemmings, the only player in the Bardfield team to have played indoors before, then hit 27 not out, and Eddie Hitchcock, 26 not out, as they set Bardfield up to reach 91 without loss. The perfect start to a league career.

High Garrett hit the biggest total of the day as they rattled up 141-3 against Helions Bumpstead Reserves. Chris Porter, 32 not out, John Porter, 31 not out, Michael Porter, 25 not out, and Peter Porter, oops, Falco making 22 on his debut, being the run scorers. Bumpstead battled hard to keep a toe-hold in the game but towards the end of the innings too many failed attempts at big hits cost them, when threes may have been a better option. Brett McClintock 32, and Adrian Stebbing-Cox, 27, being their top scorers. 3-12 from two overs for John Porter helping High Garrett to a 24 run victory.

Witham Reserves did not make a great start against Margaretting as they slipped to 47-3, but 37 from Matthew McKendry, and 35 from Matt Mirecki, saw them to a total of 132 before they were dismissed in the final over. Only Michael Jones and extras reached double figures for Mrs. Ting's boys. Jones scoring 32, and Mr Extras 27 as they were bowled out for 90. Two wickets apiece for Mirecki and Michael Headley.

Finally, Bocking Reserves made light work of defeating Earls Colne by five wickets. It is becoming a tradition that Earls Colne fail to win a match before the Cup competitions start, and it this season has started no differently. They were bowled out for 68 in nine overs, and then Sam Bass hit 30 not out as Bocking Reserves reached 69-1 in one ball less, 8.5 overs.

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October 14th 2007

University of Essex impress and a couple of league records are broken!!!!

The programme of action began at Notley with the league debut of West Bergholt's replacements, University of Essex. They met Elmstead Grasshoppers and looked very impressive as they achieved a five wicket victory after chasing down Elmstead's score of 120-5. Once they have adapted to bowling at Notley then I am sure they will not give away as many extras as they did. 32 were donated to Elmstead. Even though they gave themselves a larger to chase, they did so with ten balls to spare. It is going to take a good team to prevent them from gaining promotion to Division One at the end of the season. The University do not actually lead the Division Two standings as Helions Bumpstead took that honour by taking all the points from their six wicket win over the defending Division Two Champions, Coggeshall Reserves. Though this is a much changed Coggeshall Reserves team from that of last season. Kelvedon & Feering also looked impressive as they defeated Rayne Reserves by 49 runs, but their was one very close contest which saw Terling eventually defeat Shalford by one wicket, thanks to 42 from Tristan Woolfenden, and 35 not out from Peter Dawson.

At the Leisure Centre, the Division Three matches began with a slight upset as Dunmow defeated Sampfords by three wickets, and slight upsets continued through the afternoon session. 50 not out from Chris Leech saw Braintree reach 119-4 against last season's Division Four Champions Boreham. However, it was not enough and Boreham scrambled to a three wicket win off the very last ball of the match. Great Totham surprised Coggeshall A to claim a, last over, two wicket victory. However, it is Braintree College who top the first table as they defeated Kelvedon & Feering Reserves by six wickets.

A new league record was established in the Division Four match at Notley, as Bocking Reserves hit the highest total for a match in that division at that centre with their 183-4 against a five man Helions Bumpstead Reserves team, they could only manage a paltry 46-4 in reply to suffer a massive 137 run beating. Rob May top scored with 57 not out. Bocking Reserves moved two points ahead of Little Bardfield Village, who defeated Witham Reserves by 29 runs. Shalford Reserves gained their first win by defeating Margaretting by five wickets, and High Garrett suffered a surprising four wicket defeat against Earls Colne. A surprise because Earls Colne do not usually win a game before Christmas.

Three teams gained fourteen points in the Division Five matches with Three Fields topping the table on runs per wickets lost count-back. Their first match ended with a five wicket win over Kelvedon & Feering III. Rayne III defeated Halstead by five wickets as well, and Boreham Reserves complete the trio of fourteen points with their 43 run win against Sampfords Reserves. Braintree Reserves defeated Coggeshall A Reserves by four wickets to open their season with a victory.

October 21st 2007

214-3 amazing!!! to 10 oh dear!!!! - what a contrast on an amazing day, as another record was equalled

Often not much happens remarkable in the League as often many games go according to plan and very much to a set routine. The third weekend of the season was not one of these days. Astonishing performances and results abounded with one League record broken, another equalled and acute embarrassment for another team, though not quite a record they will be pleased to realise.

Division One cricket makes it's first appearance at the Leisure Centre, and memorable it was to say the least. Braintree Youth, with only five men, were bowled out for 46, yet still managed to fight back and win. Though Witham well and truly stole their thunder by hitting the second highest total in the 6,367 the League has staged, it may not have surpassed Shalford Reserves' Division Five total of 221 a few years ago, but it did surpass the previous Division One record of 206-1 hit by Helions Bumpstead against Braintree in November 2003. Witham pummeled a total of 214-3 against a five man Rayne team. Richard Green top scoring with 52 not out, Jake Wakelin hit 40, Leroy Facey, 34 not out, and Paul Bellehewe, 27 not out. There was also a very even look to Witham's innings as after six overs they had scored 107 and managed to match it in the second half. Rayne knew they did not have a prayer and duly subsided to 54 all out, with Bellehewe and Facey taking two wickets each. So Witham move to the top of the table and looking in ominous form. Bocking must have thought they were in for an easy ride as they dismissed a five man Braintree Youth team for just 46. Three run outs not helping their cause too much. Andrew Ledgerton with 20 was their top scorer. Never write Braintree Youth off though, and the first ball of Bocking's reply saw David Hale trap Darrell May leg before. Martin Cutmore and Rob May seemed content to score in ones, then Braintree Youth hit back with vengence May was bowled for 10, and Keith Merrell, perished for 0. The Edwards boys were then both run out and suddenly Cutmore was left on his own. The final over began with Bocking needing seven to win, but the fourth ball saw Cutmore run out for 19, to leave Bocking 43 all out. Braintree Youth had pulled off an astonishing victory. Colchester & East Essex's new look team, no Andrew McGarry as he played first class cricket last season, met Cressing's new look team, and it was the latter that prevailed to secure a 29 run victory. Matthew Hart dominating the Cressing scoring with 51 not out, Robert Cross adding 20 as they closed on 111-4. Colchester made a decent start despite losing one wicket early on, but they could not maintain the tempo, and despite 33 from Malcolm Edwards and 27 from Keiran Savill, they ran out of steam with 82-5. Chappel & Wakes Colne had their moments before succumbing to a two wicket defeat against Coggeshall. Brett Patmore top scoring with 33 as they were dismissed for 98. Then again David Denny departed in the first over of Coggeshall's reply. Oliver Blackwell hit 22 for Coggie, but it was the 34 not out from Jim Rees that saw them home to 102-4.

Division Three action that followed at Notley began with Braintree defeating Great Totham by 48 runs. Braintree made a good start but failed to bat out their full allocation of overs to be dismissed for 100, but that was more than enough as three wickets for Chris Leech, and three catches and two wickets for Barry Stephens helped dismiss Great Totham for 52. Boreham then maintained their unbeaten start to the season by equalling West Bergholt's Division Three record score at Notley, by scoring 162-5 against Coggeshall A. Trevor Money and Neal Hadgraft both hit 48, though Hadgraft was not out, and Tim Pulham hit 45 as they put a young Coggeshall A team to the sword. Coggeshall A's reply never got going and ambled to just 46-3. Dunmow have also won both of their opening match, as have Boreham, and Braintree College were the defeated team this time. Trevor Spalding hit 33 as the Collegians were dismissed for 87. Two wickets each for Chris Barker and Nicholas Rooney. No Dunmow batsmen reached retirement but this did not stop them achieving 88-4 with nine balls to spare. Paul M. Reid and Nicholas Rooney both scoring 23 not out. Sampfords are having a shocking start to the season, losing by three wickets to Kelvedon & Feering Reserves. Clive Bennett claimed 3-18, and Josh Parsons, 2-16, as Sampfords were dismissed for just 53. Kelvedon & Feering Reserves reached 54-3 with three and a half overs to spare.

In the Division Five fixtures at Notley Sports Centre, the undoubted headline had to be the dismissal of Boreham Reserves for just 10 by Coggeshall A Reserves as they sought to overtake a Coggeshall A Reserves total of 113-2. John Blackwell and Tom Pickles both retired with 26 for the winning team, but then it was the youngsters, Chris Edwards and Adam Smith, who finished with identical bowlers figures of 2-5 from two overs who skittled Boreham Reserves for just 10. Three Fields won for the second time as they defeated a five man Rayne III team by four wickets. Bruno Botelho, 33 not out, and Phil Wade, 27, took Rayne III to a final score of 84-4, but Three Fields reached their target with two wickets down and one over to spare, with Alan Turner top scoring with 28 not out. Sampfords Reserves reached 108-2 thanks to contributions from Caister, Thrower and Hopkinson, and that was to prove just a bit too much for Braintree Reserves, who were dismissed for 86 with Matt Street top scoring with 34. The day had begun with Halstead scoring 101-5 against Kelvedon & Feering III, but 40 not out from Chris Leftwich helped Kelvedon & Feering III reach victory with 102-4. Only two rounds of fixtures have been played by already Three Fields are the only unbeaten team, and only Halstead are still seeking a win. Punishment though for Rayne III's who were one official short for their session in control. Five points deducted.