Thurrock CC – 4th & 5th May
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.
