Joy of six for Toby

The 1's cantered to success by 8 wickets against bottom side High Roding to keep up the pressure on champions Bentley at the top of the Mid-Essex Premier Division.

After winning the toss and electing to field on an afternoon when rain was expected, Brook skipper Jordan Calverley rang the changes early on, as the High Roding openers Adam Holdgate and Simon Sargent started positively against the Goats new ball pair Kane Messenger and Harry Jackson.

It took the introduction of paceman Israel Ochwo to remove the dangerous Holdgate, but High Roding continued to move the scoreboard along, reaching 96-1 before Calverley turned to spinner Toby Maund, sparingly used in recent weeks, in search of a wicket.

Maund struck immediately to remove the obdurate Sargent for 38 and then Ben Gallop for 31. That brought two new batsmen to the crease and with the Brook bowlers and fielders suddenly energised, amazingly, for a second week in succession, Goresbrook’s opponents lost their last 8 wickets for less than 30 runs. After Maund’s double scalp, left armer Lee Ramduth picked up 3 quick wickets and then Maund took the last 4 to fall, ripping through the tail with some hard spun off-breaks that saw him secure 3 clean bowleds.

Maund finished with 6-23 and with Ramduth taking 3-22, Brook wrapped up the High Roding innings in the 38th over, leaving them 52 overs to chase their visitors total.

The Goresbrook response started shakily as Joe Grant removed Chris Burke for 12 and then Shane Barwick for a duck, but opener Kurt Whisker was in no mood to cede the initiative, the left-hander digging in for an unbeaten 52, as in tandem with his skipper Calverley, the pair whittled down the required runs, Calverley finishing unbeaten on 55, as Brook got home in the 31st over.

The win leaves the Goats 2 points behind champions Bentley, with a Springfield side that both Goresbrook and Bentley still have to play for a second time just 7 points further back.