Gidea Park and Romford 1st 288-5 dec
Belhus 1st 203-4
Vinayak Mane, Gidea Park’s overseas player from India, proved to be the bedrock of the home innings as the opener struck a fine 113 from 95 deliveries. This talented batsman from Mumbai, who has a highest first-class score of 154, looked like matching that milestone until he finally had his wicket re-arranged by Billy Winter (2-60) as the Gallows Corner team lost their second wicket for 172. Towards the declaration, Sam Hewitt was undefeated on 63 from 62 balls while number six batsman Rudi Filmalter did not make a drama in amassing 37 from only 19 deliveries. Owen Jefferies, who joined Winter in picking up two wickets, expended 108 runs which was a new club record for the number of runs conceded by a Belhus bowler, mitigated by a mammoth workload of 17 overs in rare conditions – that of a dry, flat, batsman-friendly surface. After tea, Danny Joyce and Richard Day featured in an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 124, as Joyce hit 65 from 97 balls in an innings which included six boundaries, while Day hit 58 from 85 deliveries, which included six fours and one maximum. For Gidea Park, the four Belhus wickets to fall, as the game meandered to a draw, were taken by Nigel Fretwell, Hewitt, Jamal Francis and, inevitably, Mane collected the fourth scalp to round off a fine afternoon for the import.
Harlow 2nd 219-7 dec
Belhus 2nd 210-9
Michael Cansdale and Roy Heffernan rescued Belhus with a third-wicket stand of 106 after a rocky start saw the home side lose both openers with just six runs on the board. But Cansdale hit eight fours and one six while Heffernan hit six boundaries in a 54. But Harlow came back into the frame in a finely-balanced match through Tom Ryder, who picked up 4-63 from 16 overs, two of which were maidens. Belhus were eventually forced to settle for, and then cling on to, a draw as the last pair of Richard Waters, ten nout out, and Jack Martin-Hussey, 2 not out, denied Harlow a win, but the North Stifford based side themselves fell just ten runs short of victory in a thrilling finish. Earlier, It was Martin-Hussey who removed the top four Harlow batsmen with 4-55 in two spells of six overs each. His victims included number four batsman Simon Baulcomb, who struck a fine 61. Ryan Wells picked up 2-34 from nine overs while captain Chris Baker collected 1-16 from two overs.
Belhus 3rd 261-4 dec
Hutton 4th 221-6
Belhus captain Stuart Morris struck eight sixes and nine fours in a single-handed destruction of the home attack at the Polo field on Saturday as Morris danced his way to a bludgeoning, undefeated tally of 115 runs. Together with opening batsman James Banner, who contributed a fine 68, Belhus were able to declare after 47 overs. But the visitors had difficulty uprooting the Hutton batsmen as Chris Payne collected 61 runs before being trapped leg before to the final ball of the day. Pick of the Belhus bowling was Cliff Cansdale with 3-53 from 13 overs (two maidens) while Alan Maidment, Jack Plane and Sam Hall picked up one wicket each. Morris, nicknamed “Goochie”, said: “We knew this was going to be a tough game as Hutton were top going into the game. We wanted to get more points than Hutton as a minimum and our score of 200 batting first enabled us to get eight bonus points, so we are well pleased with that.”
Old Southendian and Southchurch 4th 98 all out
Belhus 4th 99-2
Belhus paceman Robert Long made short work of the Old Boys at Ockendon Recreation ground on Saturday as he picked up a four-wicket haul at a cost of just 26 runs from 15 overs.
No fewer than seven of his overs were maidens despite number three batsman Punekar top scoring with a modest 27. With Keith Dhannie and Michael Squires picking up 2-7 and 2-12 respectively, followed by Julian Puttergill’s 1-13, Jim Robertson entered the fray by scoring a fine undefeated 63 to see Belhus home by eight wickets. Puttergill hit 16 and Farr contributed 14. For the visitors, Kristian Goodwin and Kenneth Johnson picked up one wicket each.
