'Brook Bubble and Squeak

West Essex skipper Nico Akhtar won the toss and elected to bat first at The Rolls on Saturday.
An excellent opening spell of bowling from teenagers Ted Ivory (2 for 23) and Pawanpreet Singh (1 for 27) reduced the hosts to 51 for 3. Waleed Khan then buckled down to produce a splendid display of resilience coupled with excellent shot selection in making a vital 78. In tandem with captain Akhtar who struck 68 from 58 balls, the pair added 110 for the fourth wicket to put West Essex in the ascendancy. Visiting skipper Kane Messenger then turned the innings on its head with a personal best return of 6 for 66 to give ‘Brook a lifeline with Afzal Hussain bagging three difficult catches in the field to restrict the hosts to 237 all out.
Set 45 overs to attain their target, ‘Brook were given the ideal start with an opening stand of 57 before the departure of George Godfrey for 21. Fellow opener Juber Rukon continued the excellent work providing a springboard for the Dagenham outfit’s run chase. Rukon despatched any loose offerings to the boundary, finding the rope a dozen times in a superb knock of 71 receiving staunch support from Lee jones who contributed a fine 36. ‘Keeper Jordan Harris picked up the baton from Rukon and fashioned an exhilarating exhibition of shots including 8 fours and 3 maximums in a delightful 71 from only 48 balls. Together with Jones, the pair accumulated a match winning partnership of 103 before both were dismissed in quick succession. There were to be no more scares for Goresbrook as Shaun Ross and Hussain saw them home for a comfortable six wicket success, elevating them to fifth place in the league table.

West Essex 1st 237 all out in 49.1 Overs (9 points) lost to Goresbrook 1st 238 for 4 in 41 Overs (20 points)