One hundred and one up

This rearranged Havering league game, played at Upminster's main ground in glorious conditions on Wednesday evening, saw an emphatic victory for Goresbrook's U11 team.

Skipper Frankie Boland lost the toss and was asked to bowl first, a decision that immediately backfired on the homesters as George Sleight started off proceedings with a wicket maiden. Steady progress was made Upminster thereafter until the Thoufick brothers, Andre and Philippe, making their U11 debuts, bowled in tandem and returned figures of 2-4 and 1-5 respectively. Tommy Smith did not concede a run from his two overs and induced a run out when Stanley Sleight threw from point to Frankie Boland behind the stumps. Boland then handed the gloves to Tyler Fredericks and proceeded to nab tow wickets in his spell of 2-10.
Upminster totalled 243-7 from their 20 overs.
George Sleight (10) and Nathan Dowridge (8*) opened in Brooks reply and put on 24 with the loss of one wicket when Sleight chipped back to the bowler.
This proved to be Upminsters sole success as the ensuing pairs batted circumspectly. Stanley Sleight and Philippe Thoufick put on 15; Matthew Elsom and Andre Thoufick 20 and Frankie Boland and Tommy Smith 18, but the innings of the day, with competant support from Tyler Fredericks, was from Ted Ivory who, with his Father and grandfather watching from the boundary, compiled a mature innings of 26* including 6 boundaries, three of which coming from the final over.
These runs with the loss of just the single wicket got the boys to a seasons best 301-1 for an emphatic victory by 58 runs.
This victory puts Brook in a strong position with a crunch top of the table game against Hornchurch to come.