Big step Forward for the 2's

Craig Ivey's young side shook off the memory of an awful performance at Terling and an unconvincing win over Stock to breeze past 2nd placed Tillingham on a gloomy day on the Dengie peninsula.

After a couple of batting misfires, skipper Ivey had no delay in electing to bowl after calling correctly and his bowlers backed him up on a pitch damp after overnight rain & with plenty of grass offering some movement for the seamers.

The star of the show was Daryl Forward, as the young medium pacer took the new ball and picked up his second five wicket haul of the campaign with an outstanding spell of 10-4-22-5. His new ball partner Joe Barwick was also up to the job in hand, the tangerine tormentor taking 2 for 30 in conditions ideally suited to his intoxicating mix of drift and nip off the pitch. With a contentious run out added to the mix when the hosts number 3 went wandering down the wicket after playing a firm drive to Joe Curley and was most perturbed when the return fizzed in over the stumps for the keeper to take the bails, Tillingham were 8 down by the time the openers had bowled their 10 over spells.

Although Barwick couldn't quite bring things to a climax, the fat lady was at least limbering up to sing at the end of the Tillingham innings and the support bowlers were up to the task of finishing things, Brad Winsley bowled tightly in his return to 2nd XI colours, his 8 overs going for just 9 runs and a wicket and fellow spinner Billy Smith took the last wicket to fall, as Tillingham were dismissed for 84.

The Goresbrook response was set back by the loss of Joe Curley for 14 with the score on 29 and when Mark Bird followed for 20 with the score on 42, the nerves may have been rattling. However although Billy Chapmen also fell after a couple of boundaries and Charlie Thompson survived a caught behind shout that it would be fair to say the hosts were confident was out, skipper Craig Ivey ended proceedings with a quickfire 19 to see his side home in the 22nd over without too much further alarm. Tom Ford putting in an excellent stint for the home side with 7-4-14-2.

With Terling suffering defeat at Purleigh, Division 3 has tightened right up again, the 2's trailing Terling by a couple of points, with a 22 point gap back to Tillingham and Purleigh (who have a game in hand).