Table-toppers toppled

Goresbrook 3's visited the Rolls Sports ground in Highams Park for this 40 over league encounter with West Essex 4's.
After steady rain around the scheduled start, which saw the wicket covered, the match was reduced to 34 overs a side and Brook were inserted by home skipper Colin Baxter.
Darren Ivory and Karnail Kalyan made steady progress against the home attack but the latter was bowled attempting a sweep with the score on 48. Alfie Atkins joined Ivory and helped the score progress to 68 when Atkins fell. Ivory opened up as the change bowlers entered the fray and smashed four 4's and five 6's in his swashbuckling 76, before he played on looking to accelerate.
Nevertheless Arayaman Parida took up the challenge and reached a club best 45 before he fell caught in the deep going for his 3rd maximum.
Steve Rooke made a welcome return to Brook's ranks but could score only 5 so it was left to Kamal Mani and Amit Yadav to smash 33 from the final 17 balls to leave Brook with an imposing 199-6 from 34 overs.
Martin Rooke also saw a return to action and was his usual vocal self throughout as West Essex made their reply. The hosts generally kept up with the required rate of a tad below 6 an over despite losing regular wickets including a 3 wicket salvo from swing King Karnail Kalyan. Bobby Granger was superbly accurate and enticed a stunning diving ( or perhaps falling with style?) catch in the gulley from Darren Ivory, a feat captured for perpetuity by the phone of Lee Granger (see @GoresbrookCC twitter feed). However despite the wickets and good fielding West Essex continued their quest for victory with Anthony Smith accumulating assuredly before he played on to Mafi Choudhury.
This lead to a tense finale with the hosts requiring 17 from 18 balls.
Owen Elsom conceded 5 singles, as did Arayaman Parida, to leave 7 required from the final over. Elsom , bowling full and straight, conceded 3 singles off the first 3 balls before blocking a hard hit straight drive from Baxter. A further single left only the final ball, with all three results possible. Elsom bowled full, Ashish Nimawat played the ball square on the off and despite the a single being completed Booby Granger ran to the stumps and whipped off the bails as the batters ran forlornly looking for the second run that would give them the tie.
Brook were superb in the field and the experience of Brooks elder Statesmen helped the team keep their heads in this epic battle.
West Essex were magnanimous in defeat and fully played their part in this game played throughout in the right spirit