4th XI Vs Buckhurst Hill 4th

Following on from their first win of the season last week, the Brentwood CC 4th XI travelled to the leafy surrounds of Buckhurst Hill in buoyant mood looking to avenge the two defeats suffered against the same opposition last season. So with the team crammed into the rather tight changing room, captain Dan Ranns tossed up and picked wrong. However on a day when the clouds were overhead, the 4’s certainly weren’t disappointed when the hosts decided they’d like to bat.

The opening bowling partnership of the skipper and early season sensation Will Davey set about looking for early wickets. Davey continued his sparkling form with some beautiful bowling that took the opening wicket, caught by Arun at point. The opening batsman at the other end looked to tee off early and hit a couple of blows to the boundary however he never looked in control and once skipper Ranns found his line he forced a mistimed shot that was caught at mid-off by younger brother Luke. Next ball a tame prod went straight to Arun at point who unfortunately spilled the catch however it wasn’t a costly drop as Ranns bowled a top-of-off beauty to bowl the No. 4 the very next ball. At 3 down, the hosts looked to rebuild and No. 3 (Amin) and No. 5 (Uddin) obliged in doing so pushing them back to a more even position heading towards drinks. However, a few overs before the drinks break, and with Ranns junior now in the attack, Brentwood made a double breakthrough. The first saw Amin chase a wide one to depart for 25 and nick behind and then next ball Scoulding skied a leading edge straight up in the air which was taken again by Pocock behind the stumps. That left the hosts 5 down with less than 80 on the board at drinks and Brentwood certainly feeling on top. Uddin and No. 7 batsman Parmar however did another rebuilding job with a 50+ partnership after the drinks break. They were brave running between the wickets but there were some loose shots and the Brentwood fielders couldn’t convert the run out chances or catches. Eventually however, star fielder James Bainbridge threw to the correct end to run out Parmar and Harb Pabla deservedly bowled Uddin for 62 after earlier having him dropped twice and plumb LBW (not given) in the space of 3 balls. Van Der Merwe and Slatford continued the positive momentum for Buckhurst Hill and they remained not out at the end with the hosts on a score of 182-7 from their 45 overs, perhaps 25-30 runs more than the visitors would have liked given the situation at drinks but certainly not an insurmountable score.

After a tea that probably didn’t live up to the calibre of the one received in the corresponding match last season (where was the chicken???), Brentwood openers Barry Brooks and Bainbridge looked to start the chase positively. They did just that with the score racing to 37 off the first 7 overs with Brooks looking especially comfortable. Van Der Merwe then got Bainbridge to edge behind for 16 and next over Brooks (20) hit another lovely cover drive that was somehow caught very low down by Scoulding, who certainly looked more like he was just trying to block the ball with his eyes closed but actually managed to keep it in his hands. Pocock then joined No. 3 Sra at the crease with a view to continuing the good work started by the openers. The scoring slowed whilst the two batsman set themselves against the opening bowlers who were finding their rhythm on a slow, poppy wicket. When the bowling changes came Pocock and Sra looked to push on with Pocock dispatching Yusuf into the trees for 6 and Sra also finding the boundary. Buckhurst skipper Mark Wheeler was again to be the undoing of the Brentwood side as he managed to take both Pocock (17) caught and bowled (with a bobble) and Sra (15) caught behind in consecutive overs. Arun Gautham (0) and Will Davey (1) were both dismissed either side of the last hour mark, the former to a loose cover drive and the latter to another sharp catch by the very-chirpy-and-critical-of-our-batting-for-someone-who-got-a-golden-duck Scoulding at short extra cover. If he takes another catch this season like the two he did then I’ll eat my hat. The equation after that was 101 needed in the last hour which was looking likely to be around 20 overs at the rate that Yusuf and Wheeler were bowling but with only 4 wickets in hand it was not in Brentwood’s favour. Luke Ranns and Harb Pabla both started positively and were finding the boundary and the gaps in the field well to give the skipper a decision as to whether to stick or twist. Ranns eventually mistimed Wheeler to mid-on where the catch was juggled but stuck (very much the opposite to the four catches that went down with Brentwood in the field) after he and Pabla had added 33, then Shane Rozario hit a couple of lusty blows for 4. However, no sooner had captain Ranns and vice-captain Pocock discussed the plan to go for the win with 59 required at around 8 an over, Wheeler forced Pabla (27) to edge onto his own arm into the air where the catch was taken by Yusuf. With only two wickets remaining the writing was on the wall and despite some positive running and hitting by Rozario (15), Jack Levy (9*) & Ranns senior, Wheeler took what were his 14th and 15th wickets against Brentwood in 3 matches to bowl the visitors out for 143.

All in all a day where catches, even juggled ones, stuck for one side and went to ground for the other. Lots of starts for Brentwood batsmen with scores of 15, 16, 17, 20 and 27. If one of these were to have stuck around then it is likely they would have chased down the target set. Still plenty of reasons to be positive heading into next week’s home fixture against Loughton.