2's ease past Herongate

Craig Ivey's men made it 19 out of 20 in their Mid-Essex career with a comfortable win against a Herongate side going through a bad patch with availability. The loss of the toss provoked a hysterical reaction from a batting line-up looking to cash in on weakened opponents and the shortest boundaries in the county, so it was left to the carrot topped cavalier to restore morale with a 3 wicket new ball spell typically heavy on accuracy, away movement and withering stares at fielders who fumbled the ball.

With Barwick J taking 3 wickets for 17, opening partner Daryl 'waiting for the great leap' Forward (early sense is that there are insufficient Billy Bragg fans at the club for this to take off) kept the ball in right areas to reel off 5 overs for just 13, no mean feat at Herongate and set the scene for the first change bowlers to take all the credit. So it proved as Bobby Gaymer rattled through the middle order to take 4-29 and Qaiser Mumtaz took his seasonal tally to 13 wickets with 2-9. That left 1 cheeky scalp for Lol Walsh and the great man needed only 2 balls to add to his unbeatable club record tally of wickets, Herongate being dismissed for 74.

The speculation at the 1's game was that Craig Irving, eased down to find some form, could score plenty given his propensity for straight hitting and the lack of grass between him and the straight boundaries at Herongate and so it proved, Irving racing to 66*, with 6 maximums, as Goresbrook reached their target in 9 1/2 overs, Andy Livett holding up the other end with a dogged 10.

The 2's remain top, but have Terling and Tillingham, both also unbeaten, in hot pursuit as the fixture list starts to become a bit trickier.