Maund puts Old Boys to the sword

Goresbrook produced a confident batting performance to secure maximum points against Old Chelmsfordians at May & Bakers, the top order all firing as OC’s were set a target of 249-6 from 45 overs that apart from a brief flurry against the new ball, the visitors rarely looked like approaching.

Skipper Kurt Whisker won the toss and elected to bat on a hot afternoon and Whisker, along with partner Toby Maund soon had the Old Boys toiling in the heat. The pair added 116 for the first wicket, seeing off a lively new ball spell from Rob Wickham, before both fell in quick succession for 52 and 51 respectively. Shane Barwick and Jordan Calverley then built a partnership that was only broken when Callum Eva took the second wicket of his spell of 2 for 74, dismissing Barwick for 35. That left Calverley to see his side to maximum batting points and the tall, open stanced, right hander continued his excellent season with an aggressive 64, before he fell in the penultimate over to the pick of the OC’s bowlers ex-Barking left arm spinner Hassan Rasa, who took 2-36.

The Chelmsfordians response started confidently against some wayward bowling from Daryl Forward and Israel Ochwo, Forward's loose stuff being short, wide and despatched to the boundary and Ochwo's loose stuff being 80mph full tosses that the batsmen wanted nothing to do with and the keeper & slips even less. Ochwo also uncharacteristically bowled several no-balls, two of which cost him wickets as once he'd found his range, he yorked OC’s opener Wallis with successive no balls. However once the paceman sorted his run up out, he dismissed Shahid and Cook to give Goresbrook a foothold in the game.

The Goresbrook spinners then did the rest, despite a brief switch of ends for Izzy, Toby Maund picking up 3 for 37 to complete an excellent personal performance and Billy Smith continuing his excellent form, mopping up the tail with 4 for 20 as OC’s were dismissed for 183 in the 41st over. The OC's middle order batsmen played a few confident strokes before either stepping in front of, or playing round straight balls and the OC's tail got out of Dagenham at the earliest opportunity.

The victory cements the 1's 3rd place in the Mid-Essex Premier Division, however title contenders Bentley and Springfield, Goresbrook’s next two opponents, are well clear, meaning that although Whisker’s men may have a hand in deciding who wins the title, the remainder of the season is predominantly about building for the 2017 campaign.