Belhus 1st 240 all out
Stanford le Hope 1st 75 all out
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.
