| Match Report |
Hainault and Clayhall III 138, Brentwood III 164
Brentwood won by 26 runs
Never in doubt, was it? Brentwood won on the final day to guarantee Premier Division survival, in the process rising, unbelievably, to fifth in the table. An outsider glancing at the finishing positions would have had no idea of the season-long trials and tribulations that culminated in a crucial, nerve-racking victory on a freezing day in a desolate spot in east London. No idea of the dramas that unfolded during the preceding four months, the heroic deeds, the shambolic fielding, the crazy run outs, the umpiring controversies. And no clue about the team talks imparted by the captain that went from inspirational early in his reign to downright angry by the end.
Let us start at the beginning of what turned out to be a happy day. As he stands in the car park waiting, as ever, for Sam Dawes to arrive, captain Sonny Willis runs through the batting order and manages to come up with 12 names. Arun Gautham has been called up late in the week, hasn't he? But who for? Willis cannot recall. Gautham's boots arrive in the car park, but minus Gautham. Still no sign of Dawes. Let's run through the batting order again. Still 12. Still no sign of Dawes. It's 15 minutes after the meet time for a crunch game at a remote outpost. Ring Dawes. No luck. Ring Dawes' dad. "Hi, I'm in the car driving to Cornwall, I'll get in touch with him." Dawes arrives to be met by a stony-faced captain. "You're late." "I had to stop to buy a sandwich." "Get in, and don't dare eat that sandwich in my car."
Fortunately, the roads are clear on the way to H&C and the party arrives well in time for Willis to partake in the toss and complete a 100 per cent losing record for the season. When it comes to heads and tails at the presentation night, you all know who not to copy. Still no sign of Gautham. Brentwood are inserted. No surprise on an uncovered pitch with the bottom-of-the-table opposition needing a win to stay up. The equation for Brentwood is less onerous - 10 points will guarantee safety, maybe fewer if results elsewhere are favourable.
So, the initial target is 200 runs and eight batting points. Willis rallies his troops in the windowless, soulless changing room of the communal sports ground. It's a good speech. Positive. Dawes eats his sandwich. Still no sign of Gautham. We are going to have to win this match with the bare 11 - who amazingly, and possibly for the first time in living memory, are the exact same 11 who were emailed out on Wednesday. Not one drop-out. No harrassment from the second team. It's a good XI, too. Bats deep. Plenty of bowling options. And Stephan Heywood to take the catches.
As footballers on a nearby pitch bark their "man ons", "get it away" and "referee, you're a w-----", Willis marches out to open with Dawes. Two balls later he marches back. It was a snorter. Rose from a length and took the shoulder of the bat. The captain's down. Dawes and Heywood dig in. Dawes has been out of form for two, three, maybe four months. He keeps playing back to full-length balls, trying to dab airy-fairy glances down to third man, just begging to be caught behind. He is not an opener, observers whisper. He plays and misses. Then he smashes a straight one past the bowler and suddenly looks better. Heywood is a class act, does not look in bother even on a seaming, snorting track.
Dawes smashes another full one past the bowler. The outfield is slow. It's stopped on the boundary edge and thrown back. Heywood wants two and is charging towards the danger end. Dawes has his back to him, watching the ball. Heywood is virtually next to Dawes but realises his partner is not for turning and, too late, tries to regain his ground. The ball reaches his end and he is run out - 30 for two.
Dawes, fortunately, cannot hear his captain's thoughts on the matter. He is looking more like his old self. He reaches 34. Then he plays a half-hearted cut that pops up to point for an easy catch. Just wallop 'em Sam.
Nigel Bacon, missing for four weeks, wishes it was five as he is given caught behind for a duck off one that flicks his pad - 50 for four. Dave Balroop looks unusually out of touch against the tight attack. He offers a difficult chance to point before he is off the mark. The ball is not coming on to Jack Payne's bat and he gets frustrated and gives a catch to point - 65 for five and the 200-run target is looking remote.
Balroop settles in. Takes a liking to the off-spinner, smashes him over extra cover for six and then pulls him for another. Andy Maxwell mixes stoic defence with his favourite mow over midwicket. Things are looking up as the score passes three figures. Balroop smashes two fours in an over to pass his fifty. C'mon Dave, just give us another 25 minutes. He is immediately out for 52, caught behind trying to cut a third boundary in the over.
It is 130 for six with 12 overs left. Andy Maxwell miscues and is caught. Tom Wingrove runs himself out. Cameron Maxwell is batting well but, not for the first time this season, wanders out of his ground after missing a ball from a medium pacer. For the first time this season, the wicketkeeper is quick enough with his underarm throw to stump him. It's 157 for nine. Peter Bainbridge is bowled in the penutimate over. It is all over: 164 all out. Four points. Not great, but it is a tricky track.
It's still freezing. It is quite hot in the changing room as Willis demands everyone's attention. It's a different speech to the one given at half-time in the two previous matches. Against Buckhurst Hill, it was the fielding that was "not good enough". Against Wanstead, it was the batting that was "not good enough". Here, it was the running between the wickets that was "not good enough". "We're throwing this away," he storms as he exits for tea. He leaves behind a stunned team who decide between themselves that 164 is not a bad total and that they are going to bowl out H&C for fewer.
The teas are modest. If you toast the sandwiches, you can partially mask how cheap the cheese is. Half of Ilford seems to be in the communal dining area, downing pints while watching the Soccer Saturday team try to act excited about a rash of meaningless Euro 2016 qualifiers. Welcome to England. If I was Syrian, I might turn back. Willis sits on a table away from the rest of his team.
Warmed if not refreshed, Brentwood take to the field. Balroop and Heywood to open. A second-team attack. The track is doing plenty. Heywood bowls a bit short. Balroop takes out the middle and off stumps of the two openers with inswinging yorkers. Ten for two after eight overs. Bainbridge replaces Heywood and keeps H&C interested by bowling half-trackers in his first over and giving away 10 runs. H&C defend against Balroop and quite fancy a go at Bainbridge. The No3 gets a leading edge to a Bainbridge outswinger and the ball pops up to mid-off where Heywood runs backwards and dives for a catch that would be worth eight out of 10 from the judges.
Bacon then takes another two catches off Bainbridge, the second one an implausibly languid mid-air pluck - worth another eight out of 10. That's 55 for five. Brentwood well on top. Micky Payne replaces Bainbridge. Batsmen always fancy him. The set No4 goes for glory and hoists one up to long-off. Twenty seconds earlier, Dawes had been positioned there. Now, it is Heywood (smart work, Willis). No worries. Catch taken - a regulation six out of 10.
Tom Wingrove replaces Balroop. The ball is spitting and turning. Twice, batsmen miscue drives and the ball soars into the covers. Twice, Heywood runs back to take the catch. The first is an eight out of 10. The second a 10 out of 10. The old boys in the team can only reminisce about their halcyon days when they might have got close to the ball.
H&C are going down all guns blazing. Wingrove gets a third wicket. It is 125 for nine. A couple more lusty blows, then it is all over. The batsman swings at Wingrove, edges, wicketkeeper Jack Payne takes the catch and stumps him for good measure. All out. Brentwood stay up. Dawes carries a fully clothed Willis into the showers.
A great effort. Balroop's 52 was crucial on a tough track. Heywood's catching was supreme. Wingrove bagged four for not many (sorry, don't have the scorecard). Payne kept outstandingly to give away no extras. Willis used his bowlers and fielders well.
On an understandably muted night back at the club, at least one small corner had plenty to cheer as they looked back on something of a freak season. To escape relegation only on the final day might be viewed as disappointing - on the other hand, Brentwood's total of 218 points was their biggest haul since 2010 (when Trevor Coote's final season saw them collect 228 - great stats, eh?). Last year, Brentwood finished with only 166 yet had ensured safety with three games to go thanks to the uselessness of teams beneath them.
It just sums up how competitive the division has been this summer when results have been so difficult to predict and no team has been left stranded by halfway. Brentwood lost their first four games - if they could reverse that regular deficiency, then who knows what they might be capable of?
Report by Peter Bainbridge
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