Calverley frolics in the Meadow

Goresbrook made it two from two in the Mid-Essex Premier Division with a fine win at High Roding’s picturesque ground The Meadow. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat on an excellent looking pitch and the Goresbrook bowlers toiled away without ever really looking like making serious inroads into the High Roding batting, the absence of opening paceman Israel Ochwo and middle overs enforcer Kane Messenger giving the Goresbrook attack a more pedestrian look than usual.

The bowlers used all kept the pressure on the batsmen however, backed up by some excellent fielding and although a 4th wicket partnership between Rory Burns (40) and Simon Sargent (57*) frustrated the visitors, tidy spells from spinners Billy Smith (10 overs 1 for 25) and Toby Maund (7 overs 1 for 23) ensured that the target for Goresbrook to chase was never going to be excessive.

The two spinners cut contrasting figures, the burly Maund ripping his off break hard and repeatedly utilising the full bunger and half tracker for variation every 6 balls or so and the smaller Smith studiously flicking out his more subtle variations (straight ball/straight ball with a touch of topspin/mildly spun offspinner which goes straight on) but they were both effective on this occasion as Goresbrook took control in the middle overs.

Some late hitting from Townsend, which saw 21 taken off an over from the previously economical Shaun Ross, helped the hosts to 191-5 from their 45 overs, a target that Goresbrook were confident of chasing, but one which would could look tricky if a few early wickets fell.

In the event, skipper Kurt Whisker and Charlie Thompson added 43 for the first wicket, although both unfortunately gave catches once set, much to Whisker's dismay given that he'd put at least 50 into his seasonal runs forecast spreadsheet for High Roding (a) given the reliability of the wicket and much to Thompson's team-mates dismay given that they were now consigned to half an hour of questioning about how much the ball moved, whether it bounced consistently with the previous 24 deliveries from that end and whether the wind changed slightly in the bowlers delivery stride.

However at 54-2 the foundation had been set and the remainder of the innings became the Jordan Calverley show as the powerful right hander with the sumo wrestlers haircut scored 101 of the 138 runs required. Calverley added 77 with Joe Curley and then a further 39 with Shane Barwick as Goresbrook raced towards their target, with only High Roding opener Rory Burns (10 overs 2 for 33) really being able to keep a lid on the scoring rate. Calverley scored all around the wicket hitting 13 boundaries and reached his century shortly before Goresbrook overhauled the hosts in the 32nd over, finishing on 101 not out.

Goresbrook return home to the comforts of May & Bakers to face newly promoted Rayleigh and appear at this early stage to be at full strength next week, giving skipper Kurt Whisker some difficult selection decisions to make.