Belhus 1st 263-7
Hutton 1st 239 all out
A match-winning second wicket partnership of 165 between Danny Joyce (81) and Liam Wilson (83) kept Belhus at the top of the Shepherd Neame Essex League divison two at the Polo Field on Saturday. The visitors pressed on through Martin Guilbert’s undefeated 41. For the home side, opening bowler Carl Mumba finished with an impressive 4-34 from his allotted ten overs in this 50-overs per side encounter.
First change Mitchell Fenn finished with 3-57. After tea, Hutton’s first four batsmen, Daniel Hagger, Fenn, James Mowll and Stuart Feeley weighed in with scores of 27, 26, 57 and 46 respectively. However, the last eight wickets were lost for 64 runs as Hutton collapsed from 175-2. The demolition was a team effort: Gary Sanderson picked up 2-26 from a very economical ten overs, while Connor Day finished with 2-57. With Daniel Dreher’s 3-46 and Liam Wilson’s 2-38, it was left to Billy Winter (1-22) to conclude matters by dismissing last man Mowll courtesy of a Guilbert catch. Belhus are now 23 points clear of second placed Oakfield Parkonians.
Belhus 2nd 236-5
Harlow 2nd 238-7
Harlow are in third place in division two of the second eleven Shepherd Neame Essex competition following this three-wicket victory. In perfect conditions at North Stifford, Belhus were invited to bat which saw home captain lead from the front with a fine half-century. But Harlow were more than a match for the hosts as they gained victory with just ten deliveries remaining in this 45-overs per side fixture.
Belhus 3rd 112 all out
Billericay 4th 117-5
In atrocious Ockendon Recreation ground conditions which saw the boundaries shortened in an attempt to counter the difficulties of playing cricket in such embarrassing conditions, Belhus crashed to 112 all out. Four home batsmen reached double figures, being Stephen Huckstepp 20, Jack Plane 22, Chris Didd 13 and Liam Waters with 14. Billericay’s opening bowler Joe Parsons stood tall, like the vegetation around him, with 5-21 from 12.2 overs which included four maidens. Offering good support were John Hrusa, 3-24 and Michael Owens, 2-41. Billericay reached their target in 25.2 overs.
Walthamstow 4th 151 all out
Belhus 4th 152-5
Belhus maintained their position at the top of the fourth eleven division one west division following this five-wicket victory over bottom placed Walthamstow on Saturday. Opening batsman Ihsanullah Ahmed led the way for the home side with an inspiring knock of 70 runs, but Belhus fought back magnificently as paceman Robert Long, together with spin duo John Wilson and Mike Squires, picked up three wickets each. Brothers Ewan and Jack Day collected 36 and 23 runs apiece while Wilson played a captain’s innings of 30 not out and Bob Mead was also undefeated with eleven runs to his name. Ed Edward was the pick of the home bowling with 3-42 from eight overs.
Brentwood 5th 166 all out
Belhus 5th 154 all out
Outside of league competition, the Belhus fifth team made the short trip to Brentwood for an enjoyable fixture. Beckett top scored for the hosts with 37 while Henry Benson impressed for Belhus with three wickets at a cost of just twelve runs from 4.4 tidy overs. There were two scalps each for Billy Sloan, Brett Page and Wilfred Gansbuhler. After the break, Jack Thomas hit 36 which included five boundaries, George Benson scored 20 while veteran Don East finished undefeated on 27. Last man Page hit 14 as the tail wagged following a mini-collapse, but Belhus fell just twelve runs short of the Brentwood total.
Cor et Anima 194-7
Belhus 2nd 197-7
Two instrumental partnerships were key to giving Belhus a three-wicket win at North Stifford on Sunday. The East Londoners won the toss and had no hesitation in taking first knock at North Stifford. Opener Shakil was dropped first ball and took full advantage with a majestic century. Faisal gave valuable support with 46 but the visitors were pegged back by Mike Randall’s 5-14 and 3-42 from Adam Dudmish. Offering good support were Billy Maidment 2-16 and Zak Wilson, 1-22. The first key pairing for Belhus was an opening stand of 58 in ten overs by Keith Dhannie, 30, and Jack Plane 31. Plane was unlucky to deflect a long hop on to his own wicket when looking set for a big score. But Dudmish, 25, and Steve Huckstepp with 38 not out put on 51 for the sixth wicket as Belhus edged home with eight balls remaining. Supporting the Belhus total were George Maidment 25, Wayne Read 15 and Liam Waters with 13.
