Alfie the Acorn ousts Oaklands

Goresbrook 4's travelled to the Dawson Memorial ground in Danbury for this Division 11 fixture against Oaklands. A green tinged pitch on a slightly sloping ground on a hilltop setting with views across South Essex greeted the visitors and skipper Ricci Parnell had little hesitation inserting the ten strong home team with a strong bowling battalion at his disposal.
George Smith continued his fine recent form with a five over spell of 1-9 thanks to a fine reflex catch by Bobby Granger at square leg.
Frankie Boland at the other end bowled a tight and highly accurate spell without reward finishing with 0-5 from his 5 overs 4 of which were maidens. Boland beat the bat on several occasions eliciting several appeals of wishful hearing from various fielders.
Paul Atkins entered the attack 1st change and although bowling with venom found the belligerent home batsmen steadfast in their defence and when he did induce a lose shot it either fell just short of the fielder or was unexpectedly dropped at midwicket. Beva finished with 0-13 from a 6 over spell.
Ricci Parnell brought himself on and soon had 2 wickets courtesy of a slower off break and then a catch by his son Billy behind the stumps.
Bobby Granger bowled an accurate spell full of flight and bounce that reaped two wickets for just 10 runs thanks to off side catches from Ithias Adama and Ricci Parnell.
Alfie Atkins replaced his father at the Co-op end and was soon up against it as big hitting Jas Gill, having been recalled by Brook after given out LBW off a clear inside edge first ball, bludgeoned the ball all around the ground between Cow corner and deep mid wicket. However Atkins soon got his man as a straight one duped the home umpire into giving a fortuitous leg before. A second catch for Adama at point followed but Dan Ayris decided that attack was the best form of defence and clubbed two sixes which looked to start giving the home teams score a modicum of respectability.
However Owen Elsom entered the attack and although he got Ayris to sky the ball it was dropped at long on but a fine yorker accounted for Oaklands number 9 for a duck and Ricci Parnell returned to bowl Ayris, break the bail and close the innings on a meagre 75 all out.
Parnell finished with 3-5 from 3.2 overs
A fine tea followed with deep filled sandwiches and lashings of salad cream which were very well received.
Paul Lowe opened with Adama and although both hit boundaries they fell in quick succession, Lowe at square leg and Adama to a fine low one handed catch by Dan Ayris. George Sleight played two fine shots but then stepped inside a straight one from the dependable and highly accurate John Allen.
This brought Alfie Atkins and Billy Parnell together and the u15 stalwarts rebuilt the innings adeptly with a mixture of fine running and strong drives and a previously parlous position was soon turned into a match winning one as the pair put on an unbeaten partnership of 53 to win the game, with Atkins finishing on 30* and Parnell 15* in a seven wicket victory against plucky and friendly opponents.