Facey sets up a repeat, while Fisher leaves Kelvedon dangling on a line

Two one-sided Semi-Finals and two more exciting Semi-Finals transpired at the Leisure Centre, with the end result being the second consecutive BDICL Cup Final between Witham, the holders for the last three years, and Braintree Youth, this seasons League Champions. Witham defeating Coggeshall in an epic contest, by one wicket, with Leroy Facey being their star performer. In the Reserve League Cup we shall witness a rerun of the 2007 Final as Bocking Reserves will also be hoping to hold on to the Cup for a fourth straight season, when they take on Rayne Reserves, for whom Gareth Fisher did much to inspire his team to a five wicket victory. Thus the dreams of the "minnows", Great Totham and Coggeshall III to participate in their first Finals were harshly destroyed by Braintree Youth and Bocking Reserves.

BDICL Cup.

Braintree Youth v Great Totham
It took just six balls for the ambitions of Division Three promotion chasers, Great Totham, to be turned into ashes as they took on the newly crowned League Champions. The first ball of the match saw Drew Whiting being caught off the wall by Steve Hale to give Michael Joyce yet another wicket in his career, and at the end of the same over Joyce added another when he cleaned up Paul Marks. 3-2 from one over was hardly the best way to start if you want to cause an upset, and it really got no better and there was never going to be anything to prevent the smooth passage of Braintree Youth to their 15th Cup Final appearance. 62-5 was as much as Great Totham could attain with Peter Shortland scoring 24 not out. Michael Joyce ending with 2-10, while Andrew Sherry also picked up a wicket, from a caught by Dave Denny. Denny and Warren Celiz quickly took Braintree Youth to 28 from two overs, and the formalities were soon concluded. Denny retired first with 27, soon followed by Celiz with 25, before Andrew Sherry polished it all off with a six to take Braintree Youth to 63-0. Pretty sure it left Steve Hale not out, without having faced a delivery.

Coggeshall v Witham
Seven wins from seven previous Cup ties with Coggeshall was Witham's record as they sought to reach their fifth consecutive Cup Final, hoping to win for the fourth season on the spin since losing to Braintree Youth in the 2006 Final, a defeat they avenged last season. League form certainly did not lead us to believe that Witham would make it through again, but in one of the most exciting Semi-Finals for many a season, with every result possible from the last ball, Witham got home to a one wicket win. Witham had the better of the early exchanges after Paul Bellehewe opened the match with a maiden over, but Coggeshall's progress increased with tempo as the innings went on. 70-3 from eight overs went to become 133 all out from twelve overs, as Ollie Blackwell, looking a little worse for wear from his stag weekend, hit 59. He received support from Craig Lesiak, 29, and Jim Rees, 20, and the twenty-one he hit off the final over certainly seemed to have put Coggeshall in the Final. That claim was further enhanced as Witham struggled to 49-2 from seven overs, but then it all changed. Leroy Facey and Jamie Rogers both got through to retirement. Paul Bellehewe flowered and withered quickly for 10, to allow Facey back in, and that changed the course of the match. The departure of Rogers without adding to his 25 left Facey with all the strike. Needing thirty-nine from the final two overs, Witham were long odds to get through, but twenty came from the eleventh over, and the honour of the final over fell to Rob Lees, only ten runs came from the first four balls, then Facey hit the fifth for six, leaving three to win, or two to tie from the final ball. A tied game would have favoured Witham, but Facey had no thoughts of running as he dispatched the ball to the boundary for another six. 137-5 was their score, Facey had hit 64 not out, and Witham's hold on the Cup was maintained, and it became Coggeshall 0, Witham 8, in results between them in this competition.

Reserve League Cup.

Kelvedon & Feering Reserves v Rayne Reserves
Rayne Reserves met Bocking Reserves in the Reserve League Cup of 2007, and they will now do so again in 2010 before they take a hiatus from the League, hopefully only a short one. Bocking Reserves won the Cup for the first time in 2005, and they then also took one season out before returning to win that 2007 Final, and they, like Witham, have not let go of the Cup since. Rayne Reserves maintained their upper-hand in fixtures with Kelvedon & Feering Reserves pretty much from the off in this Semi-Final. True, Kelvedon did score 13 off the opening over, but then Gareth Fisher arrived on the scene to undermine their efforts. He cleaned bowled Chris Leftwich, Tim Leftwich and Jeremy King, as he ended with figures of 3-2 from his three overs. Stuart Bonvini lead the recovery with 32, aided by 20 from Josh King, and 15 not out from James Bonvini, they eventually closed with 98-5. Fisher was not done with Kelvedon & Feering Reserves just yet. He and Phil Wade got them off to a good start, and they never looked back. Both retired with 25, as did Peter Dawson with just five scoring shots. Rayne Reserves did eventually lose a wicket, but that was when they had reached 94, and just one ball later the contest was ended as Anthony Rose hit his first ball for six, and there was still two overs to go.

Bocking Reserves v Coggeshall III
The fairy-tale of Division Five Coggeshall III defeating the Division Two leaders, Bocking Reserves, rarely looked like becoming reality. Darrell May set the Bocking Reserves going with a quick retirement, before returning to end with 49 not out. Rob May was more stoic but his 29 not out was invaluable as Bocking Reserves closed with 113-4. The highlight for Coggeshall III was the caught and bowled taken by Jonny Girling to dismiss Danny McIntyre for just 6. Coggeshall III's reply could not have started more badly as Steve Plampin was well caught off the wall by Darrell May to give Geoff Butler a wicket off the first ball. Rob May eventually tidied the match up with 3-16 as Coggeshall III's cup run ended with their score on 40.

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March 21st 2010

Sampfords and Woodham Mortimer claim their thrones

Sampfords and Woodham Mortimer added their names to the 2009-10 Roll of Honour by claiming the Division Three and Division Four Championships respectively. Sampfords will now return to Division Two for the first time in over fifteen years when we resume in October, while Woodham Mortimer maintain a remarkable, if little noticed, sequence within the League. Eight seasons ago, 2001-02, Margaretting and Halstead were promoted from Division Five to Division Four, but neither was promoted again at the end of the 2002-03 season. Ever since though, at least one of the teams promoted from Division Five has gone on to gain promotion to Division Three. Woodham Mortimer have now continued that sequence.

Sampfords teams could be suffering opposing emotions now. The first team has secured the Division Three title, but their Reserves who were Division Five Champions ahead of Woodham Mortimer last season, are now staring an immediate return to the bottom rung after losing a crucial match to Margaretting.

Sampfords clinched the Division Three Championship in the opening fixture at the Leisure Centre, surprisingly defeating Three Fields with more ease than I guess they imagined from a team that was still in with a chance of a third consecutive promotion.It was the third and fourth overs that did for Three Fields as three wickets fell to leave them reeling on 18-3, two wickets for Simon Green. They never really gave themselves a chance as they were eventually dismissed for just 60. Steve Thrower, 20 not out, and Green, 17 not out, saw Sampfords through to their first honour since 2002, by taking their score to 63-2 with almost four overs in hand. Either Great Totham or Kelvedon & Feering Reserves will go up with them. Kelvedon & Feering Reserves ended any chance Little Bardfield Village had by defeating them by six wickets. Peter Bray's 38 and Matt Graham's 23, al least getting them to 80 after they had been reduced to 16-3. Jeremy King and Sam King then both retired as they helped Kelvedon & Feering Reserves reach 81-0 in less than eight overs. This left Little Bardfield Village fifteen points adrift of Great Totham, but Great Totham have won three matches more and that prevents Little Bardfield Village from overhauling them. Great Totham will go into the final round of matches, they play Witham Reserves, with a four point lead over Kelvedon & Feering Reserves. They defeated, already relegated, Coggeshall A by 34 runs, repeating the winning margin from their clash at Notley in November.. Matt Simpson scoring 47, Andrew Whiting, 32, and, Peter Shortland, 26, as they were dismissed for 117. Andrew Whiting and Ross Walpole then reduced Coggeshall A to 17-3, and with the help of other bowlers on to 37-5 before Matt Pickles hit 45 to take Coggeshall A to two points with a total of 83. Just above Coggeshall A, Witham Reserves and Rayne Reserves played out an exciting, if meaningless, contest. Michael Headley, Joe Suett, and, Stuart Facey all hit scores in the 30's as Witham Reserves closed on 132-5. They must have fancied their chances of victory, but 55 not out from Richard Banks, and 31 from Garry Hughes saw Rayne Reserves through to 133-5 with four balls to spare.

Woodham Mortimer claimed their first Championship as they defeated High Garrett by five wickets, at Notley, to win the Division Four Championship with two games to go. High Garrett never got going and they were dismissed for just 48. Woodham Mortimer did lose Kevin Wright for 10 in the second over, but 23 not out from Matt Fawcett, and, 13 not out from Steve Richardson saw them to 49-1 in less than five overs. A job emphatically done. The promotion battle was reduced to three teams as the four contenders met in head to head contests. First up was Braintree Reserves against Helions Bumpstead Reserves. Helions Bumpstead Reserves were soon in dire trouble on 17-3 and 32-5, and would have lost their sixth wicket had a no-ball not been called. Callum Lewis escaped that time but went on to score 26 and took his team to a score of 26 before he was finally caught off a legitimate delivery. Geoff Eveling and Ryan Vickery both retired as Braintree Reserves reached 64 without losing a wicket, their second consecutive six wicket victory. Shalford Reserves remain favourites for second spot after a narrow one wicket win over Earls Colne. Earls Colne ended their innings on 107-2, with Henry Pilgrim and Joe Smith both retiring. Shalford Reserves made themselves sweat as they lost four wickets to run outs before Lee Godding's 42 not out finally saw them home to 112-5. Earls Colne must truly wonder why Shalford Reserves hold the evil sign over them as this was the third consecutive meeting between them that has ended with Shalford Reserves winning by one wicket. Now just eleven points divide the three teams, and each still have two games to play. Margaretting moved above High Garrett after defeating Sampfords Reserves by 39 runs in the vital contest at the foot of the table. Brazier, Wade and Vingala were the main run scorers as Margaretting closed on 107-5. Vingala, on his debut, then took 3-23, as Sampfords Reserves were dismissed for 68. However, they are two points closer to High Garrett in the table, so could yet get themselves out of the relegation place. The bad news for them though is that they have Braintree Reserves and then Woodham Mortimer to play.

The Division Five Championship is going down to the final round of fixtures, ut West Bergholt must be clear favourites to gain the required points when they meet Boreham Reserves in the opening match of the round next Sunday. They moved to the top of the table by defeating Halstead by six wickets in the final game of the day at Notley. Halstead scored 86, but Dave Applin, Darren Davies, and James McClewan were all amongst the runs as they breezed through to 87-0 in eight overs. Earlier Woodham Mortimer Reserves failed to capitalize of their position of leading he field when they were defeated by Little Bardfield Village Reserves by one run, with the gap between them being reduced to just three points. The advantage may still be with Woodham Mortimer Reserves, as next Sunday they will play two hours before Little Bardfield Village Reserves knowing that thirteen points will be enough to secure promotion. In the match itself, Peter Stone top scored for Little Bardfield Village Reserves, with 29 as they were dismissed for 79. Maybe Woodham Mortimer Reserves had done the mathematics and they were making sure that they, at worst, took a good bunch of bonus points, as they agonisingly ended their reply on 78-5. A bit of good fortune in the league for Coggeshall A Reserves at last, as after many points deductions, they more than doubled their amended total with a one wicket win over Kelvedon & Feering III's. Kelvedon III's closed with 106-3, and they still looked favourites to win as Coggeshall A Reserves made a poor start, but Adam Egg remained, and he took his team through to their first league win at Notley this season, hitting 56 not out of their 109-5. They were also the last team to record a league win at the Centre this season, whereas three teams have yet to win a match at the Leisure Centre. Finally, a hat-trick for Boreham Reserves' Mick Sawyer as he helped his team dismiss Coggeshall III's for 64. Neil Collins then top scored for Boreham Reserves, with 22 not out, as they moved through to 67-3. They will not move out of the bottom two whatever happens next Sunday.

March 28th 2010

Witham relegated from Division One

Just fourteen months after being crowned Essex Champions, and two years after winning the League Championship, Witham have been relegated to Division Two. Their ten run defeat to Coggeshall will mean they join Shalford in Division Two next season. Having recently defeated them in Cup Semi-Final, Witham must have harboured some hopes of recording a victory but Witham's major problem was that they also knew that even that would be of little consequence if Kelvedon & Feering picked up five points from their remaining matches. Coggeshall batted first and reached 118-3, a decent score for a game at Notley. Ollie Blackwell, 29 not out, and Adam Robinson, 26 not out, leading the run scoring for them. Witham then lost Kaan Hawes for 2, and that put them behind the eight ball. Matt Watson hit 32, and Paul Bellehewe, 46, as they made a bold effort to win the match, but with lost bonus points, they knew their cause would be in vain. They did reach 108, but the defeat means that they will spend next season in Division Two. As it turned out even if Witham had won, they would still have been relegated as Kelvedon & Feering then defeated Bocking by two wickets. Bocking scored an excellent 136-1, and must have believed that they could make a good claim for third spot in the final table. Paul Cockley, Will Jackson, Dave Cole, and Barry Edwards all retired as Bocking reached the final ball before losing their only wicket. Lloyd Edwards then took three wickets for Bocking, but copious extras, 36, plus 45 not out from Luke Scott, and 29 not out from Matt Bridger saw Kelvedon reach 137-4 with an over to spare. Braintree Youth maintained their unbeaten record with a 36 run victory over Shalford. Andrew Sherry top scored for the Youth with 27 not out as they closed on 93-3. Shalford were then dismissed for 57, with Steve Hale taking 3-15. Braintree moved into third place after defeating Coggeshall Hamlet by 5 runs. Dean Bass helped Braintree reach 103 despite Matt Hart's 3-19. Only Hart got going for the Hamlet, and he ended on 37 not out, as their innings just fell short on 98-4.

Terling promoted as Dunmow concede again and doom themselves to relegation

Terling are back in Division One without having to bowl a ball after Dunmow conceded their Division Two contest. The result will confirm Dunmow's relegation. Helions Bumpstead remain four points ahead of Braintree College in the battle for the remaining promotion spot despite going down to them by four wickets. Helions Bumpstead were soon struggling and never got their innings back on track as the Collegians dismissed them for 65. Braintree College did lose two early wickets but Russell Haythorpe's 27 not out helped take them through to 66-2 in six overs. Braintree College became members of the League thirty years ago, and never during that time have they competed in the top flight, but they now could achieve that aim if they can gain just four points more than Helions Bumpstead do in the final round of fixtures. Braintree College meet Terling, could this be a Division One fixture next season? While Helions Bumpstead, who will be without a few regulars, do battle with Dunmow, if Dunmow can field a team. It would be a tragedy if the promotion race was settled by a concession. Bocking Reserves, the Champions who cannot be promoted, defeated Rayne by 34 runs. Billy Hickman top scoring for Bocking Reserves, with 30, as they were dismissed for 99. Rayne lost two early wickets, and were left to rely on Alan Stevens to give them victory, but he was run out for 37 with their reply on 65. Coggeshall Reserves slaughtered poor Boreham by 122 runs, bowling their opponents out for just 17. Shaun Bragg, 36 not out, Ben Stephens, 28 not out, and 23 from Greg Stephens helped Coggeshall Reserves score 139-4. Boreham, were having to rely largely on their reserve team, and they were duly humbled. Greg Stephens taking 2-6.

Braintree Reserves move into second place

The fight for promotion from Division Four took a few twists and turns at the Leisure Centre, but the day ended with Braintree Reserves now in second place by virtue of a superior runs per wicket average to that of Shalford Reserves. Braintree Reserves had to fight hard to defeat Sampfords Reserves by seven runs, but later Shalford Reserves lost by sixteen runs to High Garrett, and Earls Colne were defeated by five wickets by Woodham Mortimer. Braintree Reserves were the first to play as they met a Sampfords Reserves team who had failed to win at the Leisure Centre this season, and who only lost to Braintree Reserves by seven runs at Notley, and again Braintree Reserves struggled for the victory. A decent start was wasted as four wickets fell in quick succession, including that of Geoff Eveling after returning from retirement with 29, he failed to add to that. Eventually, Ryan Vickery, 37 not out, and Steve Isaac, run out at the start of the final over for 16, got them to 106-5. James Poulson then proved to be stumbling block as Braintree Reserves failed to pick up any bonus points. James hit 43 before finally being dismissed for 43, to give Eveling figures of 3-15, and Braintree Reserves a seven run victory. High Garrett seem to have some evil sign over Shalford Reserves, as they defeated for the third consecutive time, with the winning margins being 15 runs, 15 runs, and now 16 runs. Shalford Reserves conceded 49 in extras as High Garrett reached 121, with no batsman reaching 25. Lee Godding then departed early and although Andy Bryant, Nile Hainsworth and Ben Green did their best to get them a vital victory, then ran out of steam on 105-4, in a match reduced to 11 overs a side. So as the final round of matches approaches, Braintree Reserves know that fifteen points from their contest with Earls Colne will assure them of promotion due to their vastly superior runs per wicket average. Earls Colne need to win that match with fifteen points and hope that Shalford Reserves fail to pick up any, if they are to clinch the runners-up spot. Earls Colne met Woodham Mortimer in a ten over match, but went down by five wickets. Himesh Patel top scored for Earls Colne as they closed on 96-3. Woodham Mortimer never looked like disintegrating as they cruised through to 97-1 with every one of the four batsmen used, making a contribution. Margaretting defeated Helions Bumpstead Reserves by fourteen runs, so that defeat suffered by Sampfords Reserves coupled with Margaretting's and High Garrett's victories, relegated Sampfords Reserves. Margaretting scored 119-2 with Colin Wade scoring 41 not out, Rob Brazier, 29 not out, and V.Lingala 26 not out. Clive Brazier top scored with 30 as Helions Bumpstead Reserves were dismissed for 105. Rob Brazier taking 3-33, and Colin Wade, 2-22.

West Bergholt - Div 5 Champs

West Bergholt have won the Division Five Championship for the second time after defeating Boreham Reserves by 54 runs. Only Broomfield Hospital, Boreham's forerunners, had won the title twice previously. Woodham Mortimer Reserves also took maximum points to secure promotion as runners-up, defeating Coggeshall A Reserves by 73 runs. Darren Davies, hit 50 not out, assisted by 25 not out from Andy Clark as West Bergholt scored 139-3. That was to prove to be adequate to acquire the points needed to secure the title as Boreham Reserves could only make it to 85-3 in reply. Woodham Mortimer Reserves secured second place and promotion by crushing Coggeshall A Reserves by 73 runs. Andy Smith top scored with 38 not out, with Goodchild and Ball scoring 25 not outs, as they closed with 151-2. Never much chance of Coggeshall A Reserves threatening that, and they did not, as they were dismissed for 78, with Adam Egg scoring 30. This then rendered Little Bardfield Village Reserves match against Kelvedon & Feering III's relatively meaningless. Sam King and Bryony Butcher both hit 26 not out as Kelvedon III's closed on 111-3, but Peter Stone, 42 not out, and Josh Newman, 29 not out, helped them reach 115-3 with five balls to spare. George Edwards took 3-30 as Halstead dismissed Coggeshall III for 72. Gavin Cook and Luke Mickley then both hit 26 not out, as the five man Halstead team reached 73-1 in seven overs.