Paul Bennett struck seven sixes and eighteen fours in a record-breaking innings of 200 not out for Belhus in their first ever Cricketer Village Cup match at North Stifford on Sunday afternoon. It was the highest ever individual score for a Belhus player, which overhauled the previous best of 181 set nearly thirty years ago.

But the first record to go was that of the highest second wicket partnership, as Bennett put on 234 with Charlie Lewis, who fell just four runs short of a deserving century. Lewis had struck 12 fours and three sixes from just 69 balls faced. Meanwhile, Bennett’s double ton came from 139 deliveries. The previous second wicket partnership record was 202, set seven years ago. Amidst the carnage, Michael Fogg struck 22. Houghton and Downes shared the two wickets to fall for Havering, with 1-96 from nine overs and 1-31 from four overs respectively.

After the break, the visitors rallied to a respectable reply through Mitchell with 25 runs, Hurley 32 and Dyerson 24. But there was still a significant shortfall as Connor Day picked up 3-22 from nine overs (two maidens) to make it nine wickets in total for the weekend. Day’s opening strike colleague Dale Kenyon returned 2-32, also from nine overs and two maidens, while Martin Guilbert and Roy Heffernan picked up one wicket apiece.

Belhus now travel to Mistley for The Cricketer Village Cup third round, which will be played on Sunday 2nd June.

Great Totham 1st XI – 149 all out
Thurrock CC 1st XI – 150/2

Thurrock continued there impressive start to life in Mid Essex Division 1 with a convincing victory at Great Totham on Saturday thanks to another excellent all round performance from Dan Laird who took 4-51 and contributed an unbeaten 46 with the bat. Skipper Nick Henry won the toss and inserted the home side, but were unable to find an early breakthrough or maintain disciplined lines until Laird struck to remove the hosts top order with some incisive variations. Jordon Warren also chipped in with 2-33 with Gelder and Stanikzai picking up the rest of the wickets fall to bowl the hosts out for a below par 149 of which an astonishing 50 of them were extras, with Phillips (32) being the best of the home side’s batsmen.

The visitors chase began in an all action manner with the home side’s bowlers continuing in a similar vein in regards to the extras count but fought back to secure a couple of early breakthroughs with Ayub and captain Henry falling cheaply, but opener O’Neill (64 not out) and Laird (46 not out) composed an unbroken partnership to see Thurrock home without further alarm with still 23 overs remaining of the innings to seal a resounding win.

Thurrock CC 2nd XI – 198/4
Great Totham 2nd XI – 43 all out

An inspired spell of bowling from Ryan Madder saw Thurrock complete the double over Great Totham at the weekend, aided by excellent contributions with the bat from opener Chris Buckley and Ross Fullbrook. After the home side won the toss and elected to bat, a solid team batting performance from the top order saw the hosts compile 198/4 from their 45 overs with Buckley carrying his bat for an unbeaten 72, an excellent 59 from Ross Fullbrook with Clarke Wren finishing on an explosive 38 not out.

After the interval strike bowler Madder tore the visitors batting line up with a spell of quick, accurate seam bowling as he took the first 6 wickets to fall to end up on 6-18 as no visiting batsman managed to reach double figures, with Michael Parker (1-4) and Rob Neal (2-3) picking up the remaining wickets to round off an emphatic 155 run victory.

Thurrock CC 3rd XI – 159 all out
Havering-atte-Bower 3rd XI – 176 all out

Thurrock 3’s fell just short in a gutsy effort against Havering at Blackshots in a tight Division 10 clash. Home skipper Tyrone Owen won the toss and invited the visitors to bat. A tight opening spell from veteran all-rounder Mal Umfreville (2-14 off 12) kept the rains on the Havering batting line up with solid contributions from Dent (29), Massey (30) and top scorer Riaz (37) before an incisive spell from left arm spinner Stephen Brooks who picked up 4 wickets to restrict the visitors to a competitive 176 all out which left the home side optimistic going into the tea interval.

Thurrock began respectably with a 50 run opening stand but then lost openers Fullbrook and Bilal Qureshi in quick succession before skipper Owen (23) and Shahmeer Qureshi (27) rebuilt the innings to leave the game well poised going into the last 10 overs with Thurrock needing only 4 an over from the last 10. However tight bowling from Tim Hills and Tollen (2 wickets each) dragged the game back towards the visitors as the run rate began to climb as 18 was required off the last over with last man pair Mclellan and Umfreville unable to see the hosts home.

St Mary’s Cray – 98/8
Thurrock CC Sun 2’s – 247/4

Excellent batting performance from young guns Elliot McCartney (102) and 13 year old Shahmeer Qureshi (86) combined with an incisive spell of seam bowling from Catherine Hodge who picked up her maiden 5 wicket haul, led Thurrock to a convincing win over Kent side St Mary’s Cray on Sunday. The visitors batted first and after the early loss of opener Tyrone Owen for 5, the second wicket pair of Qureshi and McCartney proceeded to dominate the hosts bowling line up, with McCartney recording a career best 102 and opener Qureshi hitting a composed 86, before Nick Henry hit a quickfire 21 not out to set the hosts an imposing 248 to win.

The hosts reply began badly as George kept things tight at one end and allowed Hodge to rip through the hosts top order on her way to her first 5 wicket haul in senior cricket, ending with superb figures of 5-22 from her 7 overs, the rest of the wickets to fall were shared around as the home side never looked like getting close to their target as Thurrock cruised to a 149 run win.

Stewart Farr and Brian Edwards turned this match on its head with a superb match-winning partnership worth 143 runs at Westcliff High School for Boys on Saturday afternoon. Staring down the barrel of a potential Shepherd Neame League defeat at 42 for the loss of five wickets, Edwards joined Farr to produce a run-fest. When Farr was eventually caught for 89 to end the pulsating pairing, Belhus required just eleven runs to win. When the scores became level, Edwards pulled the ball just forward of square for six to conclude both his personally tally with 56 not out and also the match itself. Pick of the Westcliff performances were Jeremy Lawford, 63 runs, and Alan Hurley with five wickets.

Benfleet 2nd 136 all out
Belhus 2nd 138-3

Connor Day bagged six wickets with five of his victims being clean bowled in this Shepherd Neame Essex League clash at Woodside Park on Saturday. Day’s 10.2 overs – two of which were maidens – cost just 23 runs. Jabir Iqbal picked up 2-36 from 16 overs (four maidens), while Imran Mohammed and Sam Hall were rewarded with one wicket each. For the home side, Rob Zammit top scored with 26. After tea, Ben Marns continued his good run of form with the bat until he was trapped leg before just two runs short of a deserving half century, while Charlie Lewis was cleaned out by Jamie Critchell (1-19), one short of the 50 mark. John Lewis and Roy Heffernan completed the job for Belhus with undefeated scores of 24 and 7 respectively.

Belhus 1st 228-8
Gidea Park and Romford 1st 229-2

Belhus captain Danny Joyce led from the front with a solid undefeated knock of 69 runs from 125 deliveries but it was not enough to stave off an eight-wicket loss at North Stifford on Saturday. Visiting captain Chris Collier hit 53 which included nine boundaries from 66 deliveries, while Matthew Tarr and Russ Collard saw the Gallows Corner club home with undefeated knocks of 49 and 40 respectively. Joe Joyce picked up both Park wickets to fall, but the most economical Belhus bowling performance in this Shepherd Neame Essex League division two match came from Billy Winter, whose eight tidy overs cost just 22 runs. For Gidea Park and Romford, Rudi Filmalter captured 4-35 from ten overs (two maidens). His victims included both Belhus openers, Gavin Jefferies and Michael Fogg for ten runs apiece, Ryan Wells without score and Belhus second top scorer Martin Guilbert for 34.

Ilford 4th 245-4
Belhus 4th 145 all out

The Belhus fourth eleven were outplayed in all departments by a much stronger Ilford team at Ockendon Recreation Ground on Saturday. Ilford’s opening batsmen, Abrar Iqbal and Faheem Aziz scored all but 45 runs of their team’s total as Iqbal was finally castled by John Forrest, just one short of a deserving century, while Aziz finished on 101 not out when the declaration came after 49.2 overs. Then, Naveed Mirza top scored for the home side with 26, until he offered a return catch to Iqbal, who came on as fourth change bowler and promptly helped himself to 4-31 from eleven overs, two of which were maidens. Visiting opening bowler Ahmedjan Bramkheil was equally troublesome with 3-19 from 8.5 overs, while Sajjad Ashraff, 2-36, and Sanan Ali, 1-20 from ten overs, wrapped up the proceedings.

Belhus and Stanford le Hope opened their Shepherd Neame League division two campaigns when the two Thurrock clubs met at Stanford Recreation Ground on Saturday. But the match turned out to be a very one sided affair as Belhus stormed to a 165-run victory in this 50 overs per side match. Gavin Jefferies scored a half century and later claimed five wickets – this was only the 25th occasion when a Belhus player had achieved the feat. His knock of 51 was eventually concluded when he was caught by Gary Sanderson off the bowling of Lee Knight for 51 from 90 deliveries, striking five boundaries in the process. After tea, Jefferies ripped out the Stanford middle order, picking up 5-27 from nine impressive overs, which included one maiden. Joe Joyce top scored for Belhus with 57 from 48 balls faced, which included ten boundaries, two of which went for six. But it real team effort which produced the big Belhus total, as Ryan Wells scored 34, Danny Joyce made 20, Richard Day contributed 17 until he was last man out with just four balls remaining and Mathew Lewis junior bludgeoned his way to 22 from just twelve deliveries, hitting two fours and one six in his cameo innings. For Stanford, opening bowler Jacob Schouten picked up 3-36 from 8.2 overs, while Lee Knight and Michael Gray also picked up three wickets at a cost of 37 and 36 runs respectively. Stanford lost wickets at regular intervals as only Knight, 17 runs, and Robert Page with 11 runs reached double figures. Supporting Jefferies with the ball were Dale Kenyon, 3-28 from ten overs (one maiden) while Lewis junior picked up one wicket. Billy Winter came on to bowl as second change with the last Stanford wicket in residence. It took Winter just one precise delivery to end the match when Sanderson was caught behind by Michael Fogg to bring down the curtain.

Ardleigh Green 1st 134-7
Belhus 1st 139-2

Belhus have started the 2013 season strongly in all forms of the game as this comfortable eight-wicket win in the Dukes Essex T20 Trophy Group “E” match at Central Park, Harold Hill, clearly demonstrated. It was Belhus opening batsman Joe Joyce who led the way with a commanding knock of 63 runs from 55 balls, which included five fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, Ryan Wells was also firing on all cylinders as he struck 36 runs from just 23 balls faced with four boundaries which included one maximum. Michael Fogg managed 23 runs, after the early departure of Danny Norris, both of whom were caught by Green’s Alex Cason. Earlier, brothers Joe and Danny Joyce picked up two wickets each, while there was one apiece for Dale Kenyon, Billy Winter and Norris. Ardleigh Green’s opening batsman Paul Hurworth top scored with 25, while four batsmen in the middle order, Roy Smith, former Stanford player Ross Poulton, Chris Haylett and Cason all started well but were unable to press on for a big total. Smith and Poulton scored 22 and 14 respectively, while Haylett and Cason both contributed 16 runs.

Woodford Green 2nd 134 all out
Belhus 2nd 136-2

Captain Mark Sansom and Roy Heffernan put on 102 runs for a match-winning undefeated third wicket partnership for Belhus in this Shepherd Neame Essex League second eleven division three match at North Stifford on Saturday. Sansom’s score was 60 and Heffernan’s haul was a round 50. While his older brother was doing likewise just up the road at Stanford,
Owen Jefferies was demolishing his opponents’ middle order with five wickets for 34 runs from eight overs. But the visitors’ number ten batsman certainly made things difficult for the hosts as Shazhad Riaz finished undefeated with 31 runs to his name. Belhus, though, were largely unruffled as Connor Day picked up 2-35 from 11.4 overs which included four maidens and he received valuable support from Jack Martin-Hussey with 1-27 from seven overs (two maidens).

Benfleet 3rd 103 all out
Belhus 3rd 104-1

This match at Ockendon Recreation Ground on Saturday produced another comfortable Shepherd Neame Essex League win for Belhus. Benfleet were skittled for 103, despite some early dogged resistance from opening batsman Deryck Povey. He was eventually dismissed due to an excellent catch by wicketkeeper Brian Edwards, standing up to the slow-medium pace of Richard Waters for 21. Waters’ gentle pace was ideal on the slow, damp surface and he went on to pick up three wickets at a cost of just 14 runs from ten testing overs, five of which were maidens. Belhus opening bowler Mudassir Mukhtar collected 4-31 from 12.3 overs (one maiden) while Sam Hall’s ten overs from two spells yielded total figures of 2-30 which included two maidens. Tom Thompson saw Belhus safely home with an undefeated innings of 63 runs, as he put on 74 for the first wicket with Peter Clark, who became the only Benfleet victim, bowled by Tony Sherlock (1-11) for 16 runs. James Banner was also undefeated at the close with seven runs to his name.

Hornchurch 5th 126-9 dec
Belhus 4th 127-1

The Belhus fourth eleven made it the perfect start to the 2013 Saturday league season with four wins out of four in the competition sponsored by Shepherd Neame. Belhus travelled to the Metropolitan Police Sports Club at Chigwell for this match. Chris Didd picked up 2-23 from nine overs but was even more impressive with the bat, striking a fine half century.
Ben Marns blazed his way to an undefeated 68 as Belhus knocked off the runs in dashing style after just 15.1 overs.
Meanwhile, the Belhus fifth eleven played a social fixture with their co-tenants Rainham third eleven at Thames Rugby Club. Rainham emerged as eight wicket victors, having dismissed Belhus for just 61 runs.

Westcliff on Sea U15 182-1
Belhus U15 118-3

The home side powered their way through to the second round of the Peters Cup at Chalkwell Park on a cold and blustery evening. But there were some positives from a Belhus perspective, most notably a fine all round performance from Mathew Lewis who blazed four sixes and five fours in an undefeated innings to follow a tidy 1-14 from four overs of pace bowling earlier in the match. Mark Fogg performed admirably behind the timbers, taking a good catch to dismiss Gibbons off the bowling of Lewis for just one run with the score on eleven after two overs. Later, Fogg struck majestic boundaries all along the ground in an innings of 15 runs, as he put on 68 for the third wicket with Lewis. To conclude the Belhus innings, George Maidment and Ewan Day both finished undefeated on 21 and 8 respectively, with Maidment hitting five boundaries and Day one. Earlier, the Westcliff batsmen dominated after the early loss of Gibbons. Ravi, Pinkerton and Mackay all reached the competition’s compulsory half-century retirement score as they effectively piled on 171 runs in an unbroken second wicket stand.

Stanford le Hope U11 260-6
Belhus U11A 301-3

Belhus under elevens made a great start to their South Essex pairs league campaign at North Stifford on Sunday morning. Sttanford batted first making 230 with solid efforts from Smith and Forry. Tyler Crosbie’s three early wickets put the home side in the driving seat and there was good support from from Evan Gray (1-4) and Jamie Fairweather (1-9). After the biscuit and orange squash break, Belhus scored freely with the impressive Henry Benson striking 15 not out.

Belhus U11B 248-7
Thurrock U11B 303-1

For all but one of the Belhus team, this was their first ‘hard ball’ cricket match, played in pairs format at Blackshots on Sunday morning. Frankie Debono was the pick of the Belhus bowlers in this South Essex U11B division league fixture with one wicket at a cost of just nine runs from two overs.

Thurrock 2nd XI – 106 all out
Great Waltham 2nd XI – 155/8
Thurrock 2’s fell to a disappointing 49 run defeat at home to Great Waltham on Saturday after a decent performance in the field which restricted the visitors to 155/8 off their allotment of 45 overs. The home side felt they were well in the game at the interval after good bowling performances from Terry Hills who picked up 4 wickets, and Michael Parker who adroitly used the conditions to pick up 2-13 from his allocation of 12 overs, with Brooks picking up the other 2 wickets to fall. The hosts reply never got going and the only score of note came from Dan Groves who scored 38 as the lower order were unable to repeat the heroics of last Saturdays 1 wicket win as the visitors eased to a comfortable 49 run win.
Thurrock 3rd XI – 79 all out
Wickham 1st XI – 80/3
The 3’s were left to rue a poor batting performance that left the hosts chasing a sub standard score. After being inserted by the hosts, it was Gutteridge doing the early damage removing the top order by removing Richardson and Qureshi, Alan Fullbrook (16) and Troy Slaney (29) attempted to regain the momentum for Thurrock before McCoubrey (3-8) and Abbott (4-23) ripped through the middle and lower order to bring the innings to a premature end. In wet conditions the hosts then knocked off the target for the loss of just 3 wickets in just 13.5 overs with a wicket a piece to Shahmeer Qureshi, Simmons and Mclellan, with Hunt being the pick of the home side batting with an unbeaten 31 to seal the win.

Downham & Bellingham – 182/7
Thurrock Sun 1st XI – 184/4
Thurrock travelled to South London to play Downham & Bellingham in a traditional early season friendly and emerged victorious by 6 wickets thanks to fine bowling display from opener Dan George, and some lusty hitting from Mason Wren. The home side batted first and posted a competitive 182/7 from their 40 overs with the main contributors being Powell (62) and Barnes (50), there was little other support from the rest of the D & B line up as George with an excellent 3-18 off his allocation of 8 overs, and veteran all-rounder Matt Hills chipping in with 2-28 at the end to leave the game well poised going into the second innings. Wren got the Thurrock reply off to storming start striking several lusty blows before falling for an excellent 64 as he dominated the opening stand. Lee Downes also hit a well played 34 as the visitors reached their target 6 wickets remaining as the light began to draw in.

Thurrock Sun 2nd XI – 214/7
Island Taverners CC – 205/7
Blackshots played host to hard fought game which went down to the last over as the Thurrock prevailed by 9 runs over visitors Island Taverners on Sunday. The home side won the toss and opted to bat first and posted a very competitive 214/7 from 40 overs with excellent contributions from opener Jordan Owen (74) and Mark O’Neill (71) who helped rescue the innings after the fall of 3 quick wickets left the match evenly poised, their partnership as well as a composed knock from Nick Henry (41) meant that the home side were optimistic going into the tea interval. The visitors reply got off to a poor start as opening bowler Lee Henry struck early, after that the Shircroft brothers threatened to take the game away from the hosts with an excellent century partnership (L. Shircroft 67, A. Shircroft 58) to leave the Thurrock side on the rack before Michael Parker bowled L. Shircroft as the hosts fought back and regained the momentum. After an excellent spell by Parker (1-25) and fellow death bowler Tyrone Owen (3-27) left the game going into the final over with Taverners still requiring 12 to win as Owen kept his cool and bowled an excellent final over to leave the visitors 9 runs short.

Thurrock CC 1st XI – 250/4 Burnham Sports 1st XI – 98 all out

Thurrock began life in Division 1 of the T Rippon Mid Essex League with a resounding 152 run win over

Burnham Sports at Blackshots thanks to a fine knocks by skipper Nick Henry who recorded his second consecutive hundred,

and Umar Ayub. The home side were inserted by the visitors in overcast conditions and struck with Whittaker removing

opener Stanikzai first ball. 

A counter-attacking partnership of 63 from O’Neill (26) and Ayub saw the home side retake the initiative before

Whittaker removed O’Neill and no.4 Laird in successive deliveries to leave the match delicately poised.

However after a couple of interruptions for rain, Henry and Ayub (77) put together a fine partnership of 123 to

regain the upper hand, with Henry staying till the end to finish on 101 not out and the team posting a

daunting 250 for 4, with Whittaker being the pick of the bowlers with 3-80. In the second half the opening

pair of Madder and Andrew Hills struck some decisive early blows to leave the visitors reeling, with Hills taking 3-33.

Change bowlers Jordon Warren (2-10) and Abdul Stanikzai maintained the pressure until

Madder returned at the death to mop the lower order and finish with figures of 4-23 as the

home side recorded an emphatic win from the opening league fixture. 

Captain Nick Henry later said “we were very good today, we were solid from start to

finish and it was a very clinical performance all round”. Thurrock hope to continue their good form next Saturday away at

South Weald.

Sandon Sports 1st XI – 182/10

Thurrock CC 2nd XI 183/9

The 2nd XI travelled to Sandon Sports and edged a hard fought and nail biting encounter on a

sporting track thanks to a last wicket partnership of 35 between Clarke Wren (26 not out) and skipper Terry Hills (8 not out)

with Hills sealing the win with a 6 over long off. The home side batted first and posted a competitive 182

all out with Michael Parker doing the bulk of the damage by taking 4-16 in a tight and incisive spell of new ball bowling. 

He was backed up by Terry Hills who took 2-31 with Chapman being the pick of the home batsman with 37.

The Thurrock side began nervously losing some early wickets, however the chase was guided by a calm and excellent knock of 62 from Elliot McCartney before another flurry of wickets saw the visitors needing 35 to win with just 1 wicket remaining when Hills strode to the crease, however some sensible batting and a few lusty blows saw them close before Hills sealed the win in memorable fashion for the visitors.

Thurrock CC 3rd XI – 128 all out
South Woodham Ferrers CC 2nd XI – 129-5

The 3rd XI played host to a strong South Woodham Ferrers side at Blackshots on Saturday and battled gamely as a

lack of first innings runs saw the visitors leave with the points.

After being inserted by the visitors the home side made steady progress

through openers Danny Groves (20) and skipper Tyrone Owen (29), youngster Shahmeer Qureshi

also batted well for his 21 before being unfortunately run out, the inability to convert

these starts into substantial scores proved costly as there was no substantial support

from the rest of the Thurrock line up as they limped to 128/9 from their 43 overs with Ranjit (3/21)

and Cruickshank (3/33) doing the damage. The home side battled hard with the ball striking some early

blows through veteran left arm seamer Mal Umfreville who took 4-21 off his 12 overs to

leave the visitors wobbling. Unfortunately the rest of the bowlers could not force the further breakthroughs

required to force the win with Riz seeing the visitors to their target with 5 wickets to spare with a fine unbeaten 67.

Rayne 2nd XI – 261/8 Thurrock CC 4th XI – 116 all out

Thurrock 4’s made the long journey to Rayne on Saturday but were ultimately outclassed in their maiden outing

in the Mid Essex Division 11, battling hard but ultimately losing comprehensively by 145 runs.

The home side posted a daunting 261/8 from their allocation of 45 overs as the visitors toiled away,

with wily seamer Joe Singh taking 2-40 and Barrington Bundock taking 2-55. 

Unfortunately the visitors were never in danger of reaching such a stiff target despite fine knocks

by skipper Colin Richardson (59) and youngster Jack Bundock (33), but with little support from the rest

of the order they folded for 116 with Lee being the pick of the home attack taking 4-15.

Dartford CC Sun 1st XI – 211/6 Thurrock CC Sun 1st XI – 169 all out

The Sunday 1sts travelled to the former county ground in Dartford for a friendly on Sunday

but the inability of the top 7 to capitalise on starts meant they fell short by 42 runs.

On a pleasant day the home side won the toss and elected to bat first on a good batting track.

The visitors struck early through debutant Jibunoh but unfortunately could not capitalise

on the early breakthrough as a century partnership for the 2nd wicket proved crucial. 

Spinners Jordon Warren and Clarke Wren toiled away and applied the breaks but

ultimately could find a breakthrough until left arm spinner Stephen Brooks came into the attack

and took 3 wickets in an incisive spell on his way to figures of 3-52 from his 8 overs,

with Field being the pick of the home sides batsmen finishing with an unbeaten 68 not out.

After the tea break the Thurrock began positively through O’Neill (26) and Ayub (24) with

further contributions from Clarke Wren (24) and Danny Groves (24), but the home side made

regular breakthroughs to stop any momentum the visitors were able to create before cruising home by 42 runs.

Thurrock CC Sun 2nd XI – 162/5 Horton Kirby CC Sun 1st XI – 163/8

On a sunny day at Blackshots Thurrock hosted Horton Kirby from Kent for a friendly which

saw the visitors come on top in a close, hard fought encounter by 2 wickets with one ball to spare.

The home side won the toss and elected to bat but could not capitalise in good batting conditions,

with only young Bilal Qureshi continuing his recent good form with a patient 46 to steady

the innings with Troy Slaney hitting an aggressive 21 before Saturday 1st XI captain Nick Henry

continued his recent golden run of form to blast a quickfire 51 from only 26 balls to

propel the home side up to a competitive 162/5 from their 40 overs. 

After the interval The visitors got off to a solid start through openers Holman and Penfold

before a succession of wickets pulled the hosts back into the contest with leg spinner Alex Mclellan picking up 2,

Elliot McCartney taking 2 alongside a tight spell of bowling from skipper Tyrone Owen (1-18 off 8 overs)

took the contest into the latter stages before the visitors squeaked home by 2 wickets in an enthralling game of cricket.

Batting first, Rayleigh were all out for 93 with Thurrock emerging with great credit as they became the first team in the history of the competition to dismiss the reigning title holders. Rebecca Holyoak struck three sixes in a superb innings of 45 runs, but Hannah picked up 2-14 for Thurrock and she received valuable support from Sarah Fergey and Heather Phillips with one wicket each. Allison Edmeades hit 12 not out for the Blackshots-based side but Rayleigh bounced back in style as Elisha Brett picked up 2-8 from three overs while Louise Harmsworth and Holyoak collected 1-7 and 1-10 respectively.

Thurrock were restricted to 35 for the loss of five wickets after their ten-over allocation to leave Rayleigh at the top of the final league table once again.

Meanwhile, Stanford secured the runners-up spot with a 32-run victory over Belhus. Stanford, batting first, had three batsmen in double figures, being Gemma Reynolds with 11 runs, Olivia Wyatt contributed 13 while Laura Knight was undefeated on 21 as Stanford closed on 93 for the loss of three wickets.

Belhus lost their opening batsman, Amy Squires, in the first over for just one run when Rhiannon Hales (1-21) held on to a good catch off her own bowling. But Tracey Sloan joined Rachel Cordell and these two put on 49 for the second wicket until Cordell was bowled by Knight for six runs. Sloan hit two sixes in a bludgeoning knock of 20 runs, but perished when she was caught and bowled by Wyatt (1-7). Belhus concluded their innings on 60 for the loss of three wickets, with Knight (1-1) picking up the wicket of Cordell. Umpires for both matches were Graham Davies and Mike Randall.

Despite keep the scoreline within 4 points up to heat 6, the hosts then delivered heat advantages in the next six heats, succesfully negating two tactical rides from the away team in the process, the first by returning captain Davey Watt and then from Number 1 Peter Karlsson.

The Hammers pair, along with Piotr Swiderski provided a majority of the points for the Essex based side, who will need to regroup ahead of their next away fixture, at last seasons Play-off Finalist the Poole Pirates, this coming Wednesday.

Belhus 1st 168-4

BELHUS’ run in the Dukes League Cup came to an end with a comfortable but encouraging defeat to former Premier League champions Hainault and Clayhall. After electing to bat, former Essex staffer Zoheb Sharif and Irfan Shah, who has played second eleven cricket for four counties, put on over a hundred for the first wicket, as they both took full advantage of another excellent North Stifford pitch. Eventually, Shah chipped a Billy Winter full toss to Dale Kenyon at cover to depart for a well made 59. Skipper Danny Joyce picked up Sharif for 78, while Mousshin Ismail contributed 49 before becoming one of Gavin Jefferies’ two victims. Mathew Lewis Jnr rounded off a good day in the field for the young Belhus side with two run out dismissals in the closing stages.

Time lost for rain meant that Belhus would need an intimidating 240 to win in 35 overs and never really got going against an accurate attack. Fogg and Jefferies went early before Joe Joyce and Ryan Wells came together for a half century stand making 29 and 33 respectively. When they departed Danny Joyce and Richard Day ran down the clock ensuring they got some quality time in the middle before next week’s start of the league season, by making 40 and 38 undefeated. Belhus finished on 168-4. Joyce said after the match “We are obviously disappointed with the result, but are happy with the performance. We showed a lot of character in the field and thank Hainault for a good game, and wish them the best for the season.”

Belhus Team: G. Jefferies, M. Fogg+, J. Joyce, R. Wells, D. Joyce*, R. Day, D. Norris, M. Guilbert, M. Lewis Jnr, B. Winter, D. Kenyon.

Belhus visit Stanford-le-Hope on Saturday for the start of their Shepherd Neame League division two campaign, 12:30pm start.

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