Whisker leads from the front

Kurt Whisker lead from the front with a superb unbeaten 81 as Goresbrook maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 60 run victory over a battling Leyton County side.

Whisker won a 7th toss from 8 games and elected to bat on a wet surface in the knowledge that he and opening partner Jordan Calverley would have to see off some testing new ball overs. They were more than up to the task, adding 50 before Calverley was spectacularly held at third man after a top edged cut off the bowling of County paceman Amin.

After Calverley's dismissal, wickets fell at regular intervals as the Goresbrook batsmen struggled to impose themselves against Leyton spinners Sweeney and Ubhi, however as the innings progressed Whisker was playing with more fluency and with 5 wickets in hand heading into the last 6 overs, Brook were setting themselves for a late push towards 200.

In the event Whisker and Kane Messenger took 60 from the last 6 overs as Messenger's speed between the wickets and clean hitting saw the all-rounder hit 33 from 26 balls, closing the home innings at 203-5, a substantial score on a pitch offering plenty of help for the bowlers.

The Goresbrook bowlers quickly demonstrated what a strong target their batsmen had set, as Leyton were reduced to 15-3. Sumit Sharma being run out without facing a ball after a disastrous mix-up with his opening partner Leon Huntley and then Israel Ochwo picking up the wicket of Huntley and Pierre in a fiery new ball spell. Ochwo's opening partner Richard Williams then got in on the act dismissing Junior Kingsley in a trademark spell of 9 overs 1 for 10 and with the Goresbrook spinners Shane Barwick and Toby Maund also picking up early wickets, at the halfway stage of the innings County were already out of the game at 55-6.

The visitors refused to give up however and a fine 42 from Amin, combined with some obdurate resistance from the tailenders saw Leyton bat out their overs to reach 143-9 to fall to a sixty run defeat.