Goresbrook I v Leyton County I - Essex County Cricket League - Prem Div

Goresbrook got their season up and running at the second time of asking with a hard fought win over newly promoted Leyton County on a stodgy May & Bakers wicket. The star of the show was all-rounder Kane Messenger who anchored the Goresbrook innings with a battling unbeaten 52, ensuring that Brook were able to set a target that their vaunted bowling attack was able to defend.

With skipper Kurt Whisker otherwise engaged in Munich following his beloved Chelsea, stand-in captain Bryan Atkins won the toss and elected to bat, but it was Leyton who were quickest into their stride, both opening bowlers taking quick wickets and then visiting skipper Joe Pierre following up with the wicket of Lawrence Walsh, to leave Goresbrook reeling at 25 for 3.

With the seamers well on top, it came as something of a surprise that Pierre elected to follow up with spin for the next 20 overs and although scoring was never easy, Michael Rooke and Messenger were able to add 50 for the 4th wicket before Rooke top edged a sweep shot to depart for 26. Rooke’s dismissal provoked a further collapse as Atkins and Afzal Hussain both went quickly, so it was left to Messenger and debutant Jordan Harris to dig their side out of a hole. Harris impressed with some positive intent on a difficult surface and with Messenger starting to break free, the pair pushed the score onto 120 before Harris was caught on the long off boundary. A late flurry pushed the score to 142 for 7 from 45 overs, usually well below par, however with the pitch providing plenty of assistance, the suspicion was that the Goresbrook bowling was savvy enough to defend the total.

That suspicion proved well founded, as although Matt Friend struggled to find the right length, his opening partner Richard Williams was quickly into his stride extracting sharp seam movement to pick up 3 quick wickets, all clean bowled. Friend did influence proceedings with a sharp direct hit to run out the dangerous Sumit Sharma and when Michael Rooke clean bowled Akhtar and Sharif, Leyton were in all sorts of trouble at 60 for 6.

County’s only hope at this stage was with the well set Raj Dohal and their veteran skipper Pierre, but although Pierre hit Lawrence Walsh for two quick boundaries, his attempt to bludgeon a third ended up with Atkins taking a juggling catch at cover, leaving Dohal with far too much to do. Walsh ran through the tail in ruthless fashion picking up 4 for 18 and with Williams in top form with 3 for 17 and Rooke registering 2 for 25, the day’s batting star Messenger was only required to keep it tight with the ball as Leyton capitulated for 92, with Dohal left unbeaten on 25.