3rd XI Vs Loughton

Loughton III 257-4 dec, Brentwood III 132 all out.

Loughton won by 125 runs    

Brentwood IIIs being sticklers for tradition maintained their annual poor start to the season with a second heavy defeat from their opening three games. The day at least began well when captain Sonny Willis arrived two minutes before the meet time at Brentwood to find a full compliment of players already awaiting him.This season's improved communications are paying off with punctuality if not yet results. 

After a long journey to the Whitbread Sports Ground, Woodford, Willis won the toss and inserted the home side. The new cherry was entrusted to the father/son pairing of Peter and Theo Bainbridge, senior naturally opting to bowl with the wind. It was junior, however, who took the first wicket, trapping the Loughton opener lbw. One wicket could have been two the very next ball when the new batsman top-edged to mid-on, where Harb Pabla got himself into position only to spill the catch. The drop proved a tad costly as the No3, a 15-year-old who looked 35, went on to smack 117 runs before being caught off a far tougher catch by Pabla off Willis.

In between, an array of Brentwood bowlers had struggled to keep a lid on the scoring rate, the only successes coming from Pabla and Willis, and Loughton were able to declare after 42 overs with a commanding score.  After a tough time in the field, Brentwood were even denied the chance to sit down and console themselves over tea as the chairs in the tea room were stacked up and chained together.  With such an inexperienced batting line-up, much depended on Brentwood openers Willis and Nigel Bacon. Despite the gaps in the field caused by Loughton having only nine players, Willis managed to pick out mid-on out and departed early. Bacon stuck it out but when he was bowled for 34, Brentwood were 76 for 7. 

Thankfully, Pabla and Luke Ranns showed some defiance and restored a little pride, even though Pabla had pulled something in his stomach area that restricted his ability to run. Amazingly, the pair limped and scampered their way to a 55-run partnership which even briefly raised hopes of a doughty draw before Ranns was caught for a spirited 16.  Pabla followed soon after for 27 and the innings was wrapped up in the 45th over.

It was the type of game at a soulless, rain-spattered, windswept outpost that tested the resolve of the hardiest player but Brentwood at least kept fighting to the end and, with availability likely to be far stronger from hereon in, we can only hope results start to match punctuality.

P.Bainbridge