Rain spoils delicately poised encounter

Brad Winsley's 3's lost top spot in Division 9 as Thurrock made up a couple of points on his side after a frustrating afternoon of near incessant drizzle on the Essex Riviera was eventually ended with a full blown monsoon that washed out an encounter that both sides would have fancied their chances of winning.

Winsley won the toss and elected to bat and then suffered the ignominy of seeing both his openers lose their middle stump inside the first seven overs. Andy Livett, once again in T20 mode thrashed 16 from his first 13 balls before losing (playing all round) a straight one in the murky light to depart in the 4th over and then Aaron Scott, facing the 72 year old Short from the end with a sight-screen had no such excuse when he played all around one to depart for 10.

That brought Keith Friend and Adi Kumar together and the pair first rebuilt and then opened up to put Goresbrook on track for a good score. Unfortunately neither man reached 50, Kumar holing out for 46 and then next ball (from the other end) Friend was very well held at point for 47. Their departure stalled the innings somewhat and it was left to Paul Lowe to provide some acceleration at the end, Lowe taking 17 from an over before picking out square leg off the wily slow seamers of former Morrant league committee member Kevin Robinson.

Robinson then proceeded to run through the Goresbrook lower order to take 4 for 9 from his 2 overs, as successive batsman tried and failed to manufacture quick runs on a wet wicket, Brook closing on 173-9.

After an above average tea, the highlight of which was a bowl of frankfurter sausages and corresponding hot dog rolls and a fine selection of cakes, Goresbrook sprinted out into the gathering doom to set about the Eastwood batting.

The early scenes saw plenty of playing and missing, both from the batsmen and from the slip fielders (Marv and Lobo paying tribute to Rotherham's finest export the Chuckle Brothers with a to Me to You stand-off as an edge bisected them off Richie's bowling) and with the ball jagging around it seemed only a matter of time before wickets fell.

One finally did when Richie had Mitchell exceptionally well caught by Paul Lowe above his head at first slip, however the clouds were massing overhead and as the rains started to sweep across the ground, there was only time for Robinson to deposit a couple of Williams full tosses over the midwicket boundary as the ball started to resemble a piece of soap, the game eventually being abandoned with Eastwood at 35-1 in the 10th over.