Back to winning ways

Goresbrook 4's got back to winning ways in their home encounter with Bentley IV on Saturday.

Batting first on a pitch that had a light drizzling of rain in the hours before the game, Brook lost Atif Ali and Tommy Puncher cheaply. Bobby Gaymer (14) got a start and was forging a productive partnership with Jo Wilkinson ( 22) but fell just before the drinks break and Wilkinson soon after to Mark Windley against whom Brook found scoring runs hard. Dominic Gurden (17)was run out as he started to increase the pace but Darren Boland simply did what he does best and started hitting the ball hard. Supported ably by Lee Jones who scored a mature 31 and then by skipper Keith Maund (10), Boland took the attack to the visitors and with his undefeated 40 helped Brook close on 180-7 from their allotted 40 overs.

The ever dependable Ricci Parnell opened the bowling but it was Atif Ali who soon had the visitors in trouble removing both openers with just a handful of runs on the scoreboard. Lee Jones entered the fray taking 3- 19 to leave the visitors in deep trouble at 56-5 at the drinks interval. However things did not continue to go all Brooks way as Bentleys lower order saw attack as the the best form of defence and began to take advantage of some slack fielding to give the home team some jitters.

This scenario is usually hand picked for skipper Maund who has become a regular partnership breaker in recent weeks but instead he turned to Dominic Gurden, who nabbed a brace and the very,very,very occasional spin of Dave Leadbetter, who after spilling two in the slips and one off his own bowling took his first ever wicket for Goresbrook to the delight of his team mates. Ali (3-13) then returned to the attack and finished of the visitors resistance to leave Brook victors by a far less comfortable than it appeared 30 run margin.

At the time of writing the result between Great Totham and Rainham was not yet known but either result would leave Brook in 3rd position in the table. With Leaders Little Baddow gameless next week and 2nd placed Rainham next weeks visitors to the MABA Brook need to win to consolidate a place in the promotion places before their own bye at the halfway point of the season.