Belhus 1st 291-8
Basildon and Pitsea 1st 181 all out
Belhus leap-frogged Basildon and Pitsea to lead the Shepherd Neame Essex League division three table. The Joyce brothers of Belhus were in their usual good form as Danny hit 81 from a measured innings of 106 deliveries, which included six boundaries. Joe’s 80 came from 78 balls and included eleven fours and one six. With openers Gavin Jefferies and Wayne Read scoring 24 and 21 respectively, then Martin Guilbert producing 37 in the Belhus middle order, the visitors’ innings concluded after 50 overs with a very healthy 291. Liam Rouse and Lloyd Lambert were the pick of the Basildon bowlers with 3-44 and 2-63 respectively. In reply, Phillip Tooke top scored for the home side with 47, while Rouse completed a fine all-round performance with 38. Dale Kenyon picked up 4-49 from seven overs (one maiden) and Guilbert impressed with 3-29 from six overs (also one maiden).
Belhus 1st 259-7
Hayes (Kent) 223-8
Belhus produced another strong batting performance at Hayes on Sunday as opener Michael Cansdale hit 64, Billy Winter made 45 and Joe Joyce contributed 45 not out. Connor Day proved to be the most effective bowler, he picked up four wickets at a cost of 38 runs from eight overs.
Belhus 256-6
Locksbottom 117 all out
Joe Joyce hit a exquisite 102 for high-flying Belhus to start Locksbottom’s annual cricket week at Tugmutton Common. Joyce hit fifteen fours and three sixes, while opener Michael Cansdale plundered 74 runs. The Belhus innings culminated in a superb cameo from Owen Jefferies, who hit six stylish boundaries to finish on 24 not out. After tea, with the weather closing in, Belhus opening bowler Danny Joyce (2-13) removed both openers, Ward and Crawford for 1 and 34 respectively. Locksbottom then capitulated to the spin of Cliff Cansdale, who bagged 5-14 from seven overs, two of which were maidens. Greg Mendham picked up one wicket, as did Wayne Read. It then took Billy Winter just three deliveries to wrap up the Locksbottom reply when he bowled number nine batsman Buck, who scored 15 runs.
Belhus 2nd 233-5 dec
Basildon and Pitsea 2nd 140-8
The Belhus second eleven also achieved top spot in their division three table despite having to settle for a draw at North Stifford on Saturday. In fact Belhus came much closer to a win than the scores suggest, as a Basildon player had to leave due to personal commitments so effectively one more wicket would have been sufficient. A difficult chance came when, with just two balls remaining, a fierce cover drive was struck to short-cover, but the opportunity was not taken. Scott Bayford and Lee Webber hit 53 and 50 not out respectively, while Mark Sansom contributed 31, Ben Marns made 30 and Danny Norris notched up 29 runs. With five of the six Belhus batsmen making significant contributions, it was little wonder that the home side were in such a strong position. Steven Ayres led the Basildon and Pitsea response with 46, but his team were kept at bay by a splendid eight-over spell by Marc Lewis, who claimed 4-27 from eight overs. Richard Waters gave valuable support with 3-39 from ten overs.
Belhus 2nd 210 all out
Langdon Hills 211-7
Danny Norris hit no fewer than nineteen boundaries in a superb knock of 111 at North Stifford on Sunday, but it was not enough as Langdon Hills overcame the Belhus total in a highly enjoyable social fixture. Mathew Lewis junior contributed 23, while Stuart Morris hit 17 and Michael Fogg and Alfie Rowley scored ten runs apiece. Knight was the pick of the Langdon Hills bowlers with 5-36 from seven overs (one maiden). After tea, Lagdon’s Paget hit eight fours in a crafted knock of 45, but the real match-winner was Lill, who bludgeoned one six and nine fours in a spectacular, undefeated innings of 59. Jack Martin-Hussey picked up 4-27 from eight overs (three maidens) while Ben Kent bagged 2-38 from five overs, which included one maiden.
Belhus 3rd 160 all out
Basildon and Pitsea 3rd 161-2
Despite good batting performances from Connor Elliot with 48 and Mathew Lewis junior who contributed 29 runs, the Belhus third eleven crashed to an unexpected eight-wicket defeat and the hands of third from bottom Basildon and Pitsea at Langdon Hills Recreation Ground on Saturday. By distinction, the home batsmen looked more comfortable as Phillip Murdoch and Ateeb Hassan paved the way to victory by scoring 59 not out and 81 not out respectively.
Belhus 4th 87 all out
Basildon and Pitsea 4th 48 all out
Jack Martin-Hussey and Sam Hall, both members of the Belhus U15 squad, turned this game on its head as they picked up seven wickets between them to send Basildon and Pitsea tumbling to a 39-run defeat at South Ockendon Recreation Ground on Saturday. Hall collected 4-13 from six overs (one maiden) while Martin-Hussey bagged 3-14 from eight overs (four maidens). With Scott Stonham returning 2-16 and Jack Plane picking up the remaining victim, the four Belhus bowlers did their club proud to salvage a great victory from a dire position. Only Lee Dutton reached double figures for the visitors with 13, while for Belhus, opener Barry Ruck hit the game’s best individual score with 23.
