Goresbrook 4's stumble to defeat.

In a bizarre encounter against St John's Billericay on Saturday that swung first one way and then the other, Brook's ultimate batting collapse from 54-0 to 77 all out left them with a 93 run defeat.
Bowling first in light drizzle Dan O'Sullivan struck early as Owen Elsom collected a top edge at long leg. A dropped catch in the slips off Elsom proved costly as the reprieved batsman smashed 74, virtually all to the leg side, even from outside off.
Matthew Elsom bowled a good line and length in his 5 over spell but it was not until skipper Ricci Parnell brought himself on that the partnership of 118 was broken as he removed both settled men in successive balls, to a fine running catch from Lawrence Walsh and then a slightly slower ball castling, and he soon nabbed a third wicket courtesy of a fine low left handed catch by Matthew Elsom at cover.
Beva was brought on but struggled firstly with the boundary rope, then with muddy footholds and a wet seam before being ignominiously removed from the attack after balls that passed 10 feet above the batsman were called as dangerous!
George Sleight struck twice and Lawrence Walsh got in on the action belatedly (after Owen Elsom slipped as the ball looped up to him at mid off), with a plumb LBW.
Owen Elsom came back on and channelling his inner Joffra Archer (without the bling) bowled two in two to end the innings. From 121-1 St John's fell away to 170 all out in 37.4 overs.
O Elsom 2-15
D O'Sullivan 1-24
Walsh 2-13
Parnell 3-16
Sleight 2-25
After a good tea with rustic sandwiches.........er, that's not jam it's cranberry sauce!, Brook got off a an absolute flyer as St John's had two bowlers removed from the attack in the first 15 balls of the innings. Given that Alfie Horan dispatched the full tosses far over the square leg boundary, the level of danger to the batsman was at best negligible but rules is rules apparently.
27 runs were smashed from the first over, 17 from the second and 10 from the third but home skipper Ricky Taylor had other ideas and his left arm round the wicket darts removed Horan for 41 from just 13 balls.
Sleight quickly followed then Walsh fell to a stunning diving catch at square leg. Consolidation was the order of the day but Brook failed to cope with Taylor or Jimmy Martin with both men taking 5 wickets to bowl Brook out for 77 in 15.2 overs.
Five ducks will make Skippy very happy!