4th XI Vs Oakfield Parkonians 3rd

After playing a friendly last week owing to Loughton not fulfilling the league fixture, the 4th XI were pleased to be back to home comforts at the OCG. The excellent facilities meaning that, despite the poor weather around on Saturday morning, the pitch was a belter.

The usual formalities of losing the toss out of the way, the game started with Barry Brooks and Dave Berry opening the batting for Brentwood having been put in by chasing specialists, and league leaders, Oakfield Parkonians.

Brooks started the livelier of the pair putting away the short ball to the boundary with relative ease quickly moving into the 20’s. Berry soon found his feet and after nurdling his way into the teens, he started to hit a few boundaries also.

Before the drinks break, Brooks reached his first 50 of the season and looked ready to kick on but at the other end, Berry was to fall to Nick Thorpe for 30. This brought Ryan Pocock to the middle to join Brooks, which is not usually a good omen given that the pair never seem to stay together for long.

 Sure enough, in the over after drinks Brooks was to depart having added four to his 50. The big man (with an even bigger name) Pirratheesh Vigneswarathasan (Pirra from now on, because I’m not typing that again) somehow managed to snag a return catch one handed down low to dismiss Brooks.

Next over saw another surprise as in form batsman Ewan Smith missed a full toss from Thorpe that hit the base of his off stump to remove him for 1 and 99-0 was now 108-3 for Brentwood with 19 overs left in their innings.

Pocock and Sajjan Sra settled and slowly ticked along to 131 before the next mini collapse started. Returning opening bowler Abdul Usman was now bowling a much better line and length following a change of ends and he did for Sra (6) who flashed one to gully where Pirra took a simple catch.

Shane Rozario, Jack Levy and Will Davey all then departed in fairly quick succession with only 20 being added to the score to leave the hosts 152-7 with seven overs remaining in the innings.

Fresh from his controversial 49 in the friendly last week, and with the stickers removed from his bat, it was a good time for Harry Hobson to come to the wicket. The first ball he faced was dispatched for four back over the bowlers head and this set the tone for the rest of the innings as he and Pocock both freed their arms and pumped their legs.

The pair added an unbeaten 72 in 7.1 overs, with Pocock reaching his half century with a sensible single following a couple of blows for four down the ground before finally ending on 67 not out. Hobson was equally bullish, hitting five boundaries in his cameo of 29 not out to give the home side a healthy 224-7 off their 45 overs.

It was a lively start to the OP’s response with Hobson bowling slightly erratically but with the runs also came a couple of wickets. Davey took a solid catch at mid-on to remove Ryan Karuna for 1 off Hobson and then Faisal Chaudhry will be kicking himself that he offered Rozario a chance to redeem himself one over after shelling the simplest of catches. Shane preferring to take the catch off a pomme as opposed to a Kiwi. Luke Ranns was said pomme.

There then came a great piece of sportsmanship as Teerath Diocee (10) walked having gloved a dross ball from Ranns Jnr down the leg side. The umpire certainly would not have been blamed for not giving it as the noise was very hard to hear in the blustery conditions.

Following his great catch down the leg side, Brooks then gave Jack Levy his first competitive wicket in adult cricket as he completed an easy stumping of Hamd Usman, even having time to toy with the batsman in the process.

Similar to the Buckhurst Hill game, there was then a key partnership that took the game away from Brentwood. It had looked as though at four wickets down OP’s might shut up shop but skipper Alan Bouquet (46) in at number six joined Usman Rafiq (91 not out) and once the pair settled they managed to do enough to stay up with the rate.

At this stage the bowling and fielding got a little sloppy and although the rate was at seven an over with 11 overs remaining, the visitors continued to ease to victory. Brentwood did manage to pick up a couple more bonus points by getting three late wickets (two for Sra and another for Hobson) but ultimately they let the game slip and will be disappointed as the target set was enough runs to defend.

Two games left in the season against second and third place so it doesn’t necessarily get any easier for the 4th XI but with an outside chance of 4th place still there they will be hoping to pick up at least one win against two sides in Upminster and West Essex that they can definitely compete with.

http://essexcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/2716069