2nd XI Vs Chingford

Chingford 2nd XI              133 all out 40.1 overs

Brentwood 2nd XI           134 for 5 41.1 overs

Brentwood took on Chingford at home.  Both sides had won both their prior games and this was a true top of the table clash.

Selection was boosted by Brentwood School players, and the returning Ben Sach.  Harri Jones was on loan from the First XI, and the shock selection news was that Walker had dropped himself, pleading injury.

The day started sunny and warm, very pleasant for my morning game of golf.  Sadly the heavens opened around 11, making me concerned whether the match would start on time.  I lingered in the golf club bar, thinking I had all the time in the world.

Bit of a shock when I got to the OCG and found the toss taking place and conditions good enough for a 1pm start.  Grabbing the scorebook from the changing room. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of Walkers pre-game exhortation to his troops.  I was in such awe of the energy and passion, that I can barely remember the words.  I do seem to remember something about really smashing the opposition, which made me wonder of it was too wet for cricket and we were about to take them on at Walkers other passion, Rugby.

Fitness concerns in the camp were Heywood with a dodgy back and unlikely to bowl, and Harri, looking remarkably pale.

Stand in skipper Boon Junior had lost the toss, and the opposition thought that with the wet outfield Brentwood would struggle to control the ball and decided to have a bat.

Hull and Degg opened the bowling.  Hull opened with a maiden, and in the second over Rehman was caught behind by Emmanuel off Degg in a wicket maiden. Nought for one, not the start that Chingford were looking for.  

The openers continued to bowl well, but without a further breakthrough.  Degg finished with 5-1-21-1 unable to take a second wicket.  Matt Bell replaced Degg and we had a somewhat bizarre run out.  Samuel smashed one to James Welham at mid-on who failed to take the catch, but the ball rebounded towards Degg.  Degg failed to hold onto the rebound, but Samuel sniffed a run.  He was firmly sent back and Degg ran him out.  32-2.

Hull’s last over went for 14, which ruined exceptional figures after conceding only 9 runs in his previous 6 overs! 

Fuelled with dioralyte (run onto the pitch by Walker), Harri Jones entered the fray.  The big blonde spinner with the film star looks wanted to prove a point, but his early  overs were like nightmare on Elm Street.  Big hitter Patel started taking a liking to him smashing him around as he leaked 32 from his first 4 overs (through there was a drop on the boundary).

Bell was doing a decent job at the other end though, and bounced out the opener Shawyer for 33, caught by Jones.  Bell finishing with 6-1-21-1.

Then Harri got his man, Patel bowled for 52 of 48 deliveries.

Meanwhile Paul Humphries was introduced.  Humphries took a wonderful caught and bowled off his own bowling.  He was almost impossible to score runs off, 

Was it the pressure of having a successful spinner at the other end, or had the dioralyte kicked in? Who knows but now Harri started to look like a first teamer, and Brentwood ground the Chingford batsman into the dust (that may also have been a phrase in Walker’s pre match briefing!)

Chingford were bowled out for 133.  Humphries the pick of the bowlers 9-4-18-4.  Harri’s last  9.1 overs were 3 for 10.  However, given the poor start before that he finished with 13.1-4-42-3.

After an excellent tea, Brentwood opened their innings.  Will Buttleman looked calm and assured but there was chaos at the other end.  Ben Sach was out for a duck, and skipper Boon junior followed for 2. Brentwood were 4 for 2 and Chingford were on the rampage.  

Matt Bell joined Will and a period of real pressure ensured, with the opening bowlers giving little away.  Bell gave a chance early on, but thereafter Bell and Buttleman looked assured as they dealt well with the pressure, and consolidated.  Runs were slow, but plenty of  time remained in the game.

Brentwood were 21 for 2 after 16 overs when spin was introduced.  Bell relieved some of the scoreboard pressure with a four over the top and the boys started to accelerate. 

Buttleman was bowled by MacGregor with 49 on the ball, his innings of 13 from 74 deliveries exactly the types of patient innings the team had needed.

Bell was joined by Kieran Emmanuel and complementing the excellent tea prepared by their mothers, put on a stand of 74 to take the match away from Chingford.  Bell in particular was looking fluent scoring 12 fours in an innings of 82 from 107 deliveries, before being caught with just 11 needed for the win and 15 overs to come.

James Welham made sure that Chingford knew there would not be a late collapse, smashing his first and second deliveries for 4.

The Chingford skipper gave the ball one of his occasional bowlers, and Emmanuel, maybe looking to score the winning runs was caught for 22 from 48 deliveries with the scores level.

Stephen Heywood blocked two deliveries before Welham hit his third delivery for a single, finishing with a strike rate of 300 (9 off 3 deliveries).

Ultimately this was a comfortable win, but at 4-2 it had need mature performances from Buttleman, Bell and Emmanuel to see Brentwood home.  Walkers Warriors are marching on.