Walthamstow fold under 'Brook pressure

Goresbrook 3’s skipper Joe Barwick won the toss and elected to bowl on a damp but flat wicket at the Peter May Centre on Saturday.

From the off the Walthamstow 3’s struggled to score from the extremely accurate bowling of Harry Jackson and Daryl Forward, all the more so given the blustery conditions, both beating the bat repeatedly. A sharp chance was spilt by Jack Stead at short cover off Forward. Barwick introduced himself into the attack and despite struggling with the conditions produced some excellent deliveries that eventually gained their just reward: a stumping by Billy Chapman and a catch at mid-off by Martin Rooke.

Forward finished his luckless spell 9-4-15-0 and was replaced by Owen Elsom who soon found his line and length and in his second over bowled opener Iyas. The last ball of the over brought some confusion between the batsmen who set off for a single believing the ball had passed the fielder, but Joe Curley dived, and parried the ball to his right and making a lightning quick recovery, threw the ball back to Chapman who whipped the bails off with the previously assured looking Elliot in no-man’s land.

After this Elsom rolled back the years, continuing to bowl to his field, and using the lift afforded by the gradually drying pitch, enticed batsmen into wayward shots. Catches were snaffled by Rooke, Curley and Chapman. A rare wayward ball down leg found the batsman out of his crease and Chapman whipped the bails off.

At the other end first Aaron Scott and then Harry Jackson, in a second spell, looked to complement veteran Elsom with teenager, Scott, nabbing a wicket.

Elsom then grabbed the final wicket, yet another stumping from the faultless Chapman, to end with figures of 8.1-0-16-6.

Walthamstow totaled 88 all out from 35.1 overs with nearly half the runs coming from extras and just one boundary off the bat.

Brook’s openers Stead and Curley then set about the target with gusto, the in form Jack Stead driving straight for three 4’s in his cameo before holing out off Mirza. Billy Chapman then entered the fray and balanced his defence with some ferocious hitting- his first scoring stroke being a maximum over long- on in a typically swashbuckling knock. Curley (31) joined in the fun and games and this pair made light of the target with Chapman (36) hitting the winning runs with a six over mid-wicket in just 12.3 overs.