Great Little Baddow

Gorestbrook 4's found beating table toppers Little Baddow a task too large on Saturday at the MABA.
Inserted on a good looking track after skipper Keith Maund lost the toss Brook got off to a quick start making the most of the the visitors use of a makeshift keeper as Dave Leadbetter and Atif Ali ran well between the wickets to numerous fumbles behind the sticks. But the combined arrival of the regular keeper and the bowlers finding their line with a swinging ball put the brakes on the openers charge and soon slowed things down to a crawl.
Leadbetter and Tommy Puncher fell to the accurate left armer Muthu and Ali made a good start following on from last weeks 48 with a good knock of 28 before offering a simple return catch to the left arm spin of Churchouse who also accounted for skipper Maund to a smart stumping.
Jo Wilkinson tried to play his own natural game hoisting Churchouse onto the remains of the sightscreen for a maximum but found the ball hard to get away against accurate bowling especially from visiting skipper Jarvis. Bobby Grainger was unlucky to middle a ball that would have been called a wide straight into the hands of the short fine leg.
In trouble at 93-5 Brook began to make progress with the experienced heads of Wilkinson and Martin Rooke taking quick singles (at least as quick as Bolt's knees would allow) and this allowed Wilkinson to complete his half century from 70 balls but with both Rooke and Wilkinson falling trying to up the pace it was left to the tail to try and scurry as many runs as possible from the remaining 2 overs finishing just one run short of the bonus point target of 150
Goresbrook 149-8
Ali 28
Wilkinson 55
Rooke 12

Owen Elsom and Atif Ali opened the bowling in Little Baddows reply and both beat the bat repeatedly in the early exchanges. But a difficult spilled chance at cover and an even harder spilled caught and bowled attempt by Elsom, who swore that he would have taken it easily 5 , 10 , 20 or 30 years ago* (* delete as appropriate), gave the visitors reply a solid foundation. Maund brought himself on with immediate success nabbing a leg before decision and U13 seamer George Smith followed suit in his remarkably mature spell of 1-18 but by then with opener Faram past fifty the writing was on the wall for Brooks unbeaten start to the season. Ali returned with a wicket and a run out quickly followed but this was too little too late as the visitors ran out deserved winners by six wickets with just under ten overs to spare.
This result left Brook in 3rd place in Division 11 with the long trip to Great Totham to come next week when it is hoped normal service will be resumed.