4th XI Vs Ilford 4th

The second half of the season got under the way in a nigh on identical way to the first. Brentwood score heavily and positively, get early wickets, Ilford drop anchor, game ends in a bore draw and we all get home later than our partners would like….oh yeah and there was the usual Ilford nonsense that made us start 25 minutes late!

After finding the correct car park on the third attempt, we saw a few Ilford players putting a couple of chairs out and skipper Dan Ranns went out to toss/maybe just ask the opposing captain what they’d like to do as he never wins the toss anyway. The end result being that Brentwood lost the toss and were batting.

Barry Brooks and Roger Mahaedo were padded up and ready to go only for Ilford to state they were still waiting for enough players to actually start the game. Come 13:20 they had 10 and we nearly started but their “wicket keeper” had no pads and took his time having gone to the middle to then come off and put on some batting pads to keep in. 13:25 and the game finally started with Faisal opening the bowling with Tayyab at the other end.

Seven overs in and Brentwood had made a solid start with help from the extras column, but in the 8th over a mix up occurred as Brooks pushed one, seemingly, wide of Tayyab. The bowler reacted sharply as Brooks called a run, picking the ball up and turning to run out Mahaedo (7) who’d been sent back by Brooks. In the next over Ilford doubled the blow as Brooks (13) was trapped LBW by Faisal as he went back to a ball that kept extremely low and tailed in at him. Very unlucky on a dog of a wicket, and Brentwood 28-2 off of 9 overs with two new batsman at the crease in Ryan Pocock and Arun Gautham.

The two made the most of the lack of keeping skills and added 18 runs before Gautham played a defensive shot to new bowler Akrama which unfortunately trickled back onto the stumps and removed the bails. Pocock was then joined by Harb Pabla who made a brisk 13 before falling in a similar fashion to Brooks going back to a ball that kept low and caught him plumb in front. That wasn’t to be Pabla’s last involvement in the Brentwood innings though. Shortly after Luke Wells had come to the crease, he called his partner through for a single and the big man Pocock felt a slight pull in his hamstring. Unable to run, at the drinks break Brentwood requested a runner and after a bit of debate, Ilford relented. Pabla was the man who took one for the team and unbelievably the three men now in the middle communicated well enough to avoid any major catastrophes.

Following the drinks break and with Pabla now doing the leg work Pocock was able to put his energy into his stroke play and would make Ilford rue the dropped/missed catches he had presented them with. He and Wells both worked the ball into the gaps as well as clubbing the ball to the boundary and the pair (ably assisted by Pabla) put on 65 for the 5th wicket before Wells was bowled by Fareed for 34.

With Brentwood pushing towards 200, new batsman Will Davey looked to score off every ball but was eventually caught at cover off the bowling of Senni for 9. Having past 50 for the first time for the club, and full batting points secured, Pocock went in search of a maiden ton. Having hit seven 4’s and a six in his innings so far, the ten runs required to reach a century off the final over seemed a possibility however it wasn’t to be as he dragged a wide delivery from the returning Tayyab onto his stumps to be dismissed for 90. Shane Rozario (12), Luke Ranns (1*) and Harry Hobson (8*) all played cameos towards the end to reach 224-8.

After a surprisingly edible tea (although not sure umpire Gavin Strachan would agree following his sharp mid-innings amble to use the facilities), Ilford went in search of boring everyone to tears 225 to win from their 40 overs. They were hit with three early setbacks as opening bowlers Wells and Davey ripped through the top order. First Davey drew an edge from Syed Ahsan which was taken by Pocock at slip, then Wells yorked left hander Kanchana in the next over and finally Davey forced another edge behind from Tayyab with Brooks clinging onto the chance with the gloves. Ilford 3-3 from 4 overs and the anchor dropped hard. The hosts frustrated though and it wasn’t until the 19th over that the next breakthrough came.

Impressive with the ball in the last two games, Gautham continued his rich vein of form by removing the nagging Gufran for 20, caught Rozario, and then bowling Senni for 3 with a beauty that took the top of off stump. Next over Hobson then removed the other thorn in the Brentwood side Atif, LBW for 39, leaving the hosts six down and, being a player light, Brentwood within 3 wickets of victory with 14 overs to go.

Try as they might, the visitors couldn’t muster another wicket with Ilford skipper Akrama and youngster Adam Khan staying strong and offering very few even half chances. With the field in trying to snaffle any slight mistimed defensive stroke, Ilford instead went on the attack and managed to bump their score up to 150-6 at the end of a long day.

10 points for Brentwood in a winning draw but it could have been a lot better following the great start in the field after a solid batting display from Pocock (feat. Pabla) and Wells. With another strong side predicted for the visit of Chingford there are positive signs for the 2nd half of the season in the Brentwood 4th XI

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