Makeshift 3's make Boreham work.

A makeshift 3rd XI travelled to Boreham for this T RIppon Division 7 game at the Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Losing the toss and being asked to bat was the worst possible outcome for skipper Owen Elsom but Brook's top order really stepped up to the plate as Keith Maund and George Sleight added 57 for the 1st wicket before Sleight fell for 22.
On a pitch that bore characteristics akin to Goodmayes Park, hence Elsom's preference having been to bowl first, Jo Wilkinson could consider himself unlucky to get a ball that popped and offered up an easy catch off a leading edge.
Mark Sleight kept the score ticking along with a brace of boundaries but it was Maund who showed the way with a hard hit 51 including 6 boundaries, however when he fell to Kai Cresswell with the score on 94 in 40th over, the much anticipated collapse followed as 5 further batsmen fell for Ducks to Cresswell whose 6-25 was a career best. Late boundaries from Lee Granger and Dan O Sullivan took the score up to 109 all out from 44 overs. Batting all but six of the allocated allotment of balls was more than could have reasonably been expected from Brook at the start of play.
Opening up with Dan O Sullivan and Leonard Thoufick, Brook kept a tight line against Boreham's openers but when O Sullivan stopped a fierce drive with his ankle, his seismographic run up was adversely affected and his previously impeccable length suffered gravely.
Thoufick elicited good away swing and this accounted for the first wicket as Ling drove straight to Bobby Granger at point.
Owen Elsom relished bowling on such a bowler friendly pitch and grabbed an early wicket with his 4th ball,but with opener Ash Heal scoring freely at the other end his second wicket was mere consolation as it delayed the inevitable by just a few balls.
With 4 required Brook contrived to spill an easy chance at mid on but this was the only blot on an otherwise exemplary performance by a team that on paper were not given a hope.