http://goresbrook.play-cricket.com/website/results/2823993

The Goats made their bow in the newly created Essex Cricket Foundation T20 competition with a nail-biting win over SNEL Division Two side Oakfield Parkonians side in Barkingside. Home skipper James Foley won the toss and elected to bat and he and partner Azam started positively against Shane Barwick’s left arm orthodox and visiting skipper Jordan Calverley’s right arm round the wicket darts.

After a positive start which yielded 32 from the first 5 overs, the introduction of the only Goresbrook pace bowler on show, Kane Messenger, saw the first wicket fall as Azam chipped one up to Mark Bird at point. The Goresbrook bowlers then started to get a squeeze on, backed up by the usual athletic and enthusiastic fielding and some canny field positions from Calverley, Toby Maund rattling through 4 overs for just 8 runs and the wicket of Foley, who walked past one to be stumped by Harris.

The 4th spinner into the attack, Billy Smith then took two wickets in his first over and with Bhatti being run-out by partner Haris Khan, who was noticeably reluctant to do more than hit boundaries or amble through for singles, Goresbrook were well on top on a pitch that the batsmen never looked in on.

Khan batted through to the final over for 45, hitting a couple of late sixes as Parks looked to push on towards 120, however Eshun Kalley with 12 was the only batsman to offer support as the innings closed on 106-9 after 20 overs. Messenger with 2-20, Barwick 1-19 and Maund 1-8 completing excellent economical 4 over spells.

The Goresbrook reply lost Shane Barwick early on as he popped up a catch off Aslam, however Messenger and Curley were soon into their stride and although Messenger fell for 19 as he feathered one behind, skipper Calverley and Curley took the score onto 48-2 before Curley chipped up a return catch off left arm spinner Patel.

After Billy Chapman was bowled another decent partnership between Calverley and Harris took the score onto 80-4, with Goresbrook looking virtually home and hosed, however one fatal heave from Calverley, looking to take advantage of a short leg side boundary before spinner Azam bowled out, saw his stumps disturbed for 26 and then suddenly in fading light, the Goresbrook batsmen required a further 26 runs from the last 5 overs with the Oakfield pacemen coming back into the attack.

Eshun Kalley, who starred in both Oakfield Colts sides that won the major Essex competitions last season and who looks a hugely promising player, took full advantage of the conditions, bowling a mixture of full quicker stuff and cutters to run through the Goresbrook lower-middle order with 4 wickets in his 2 remaining overs swinging the match dramatically back towards the hosts. The only bright spot in a difficult 15 minutes for Goresbrook was a big six off his first ball faced from number 9 Craig Ivey (he was lbw off his second), which meant that Goresbrook required just 4 runs from the final over, with 1st team opener Kurt Whisker, batting down the order at number 8, on strike.

After declining singles off the first two deliveries, Whisker flicked one off his legs for what looked like the winning boundary, but an excellent stop restricted Goresbrook to just one run leaving genuine number 11 Smith on strike with 3 required from the final 3 balls. Fatefully for the hosts, although Smith swung and missed by some distance, Whisker sprinted through for a bye as the keeper fumbled and with two required, Whisker made no mistake from the penultimate ball, carving seamer Thiru away through backward point for a boundary which saw Goresbrook home by the narrowest of margins.

The Essex Cricket Foundation Competition is open to all bar the top two Divisions of the Shepherd Neame league as those clubs play in the Essex rounds of the national T20 competition. The tournament is split into group stages initially with Goresbrook in the Met Group along with;

Oakfield Parkonians
Barking
West Essex
Buckhurst Hill B (SNEL Prem & Div 1 sides can enter second teams)

with the group winners going through to the Quarter Finals.

The other groups are:

South: (winner through to last 8)
Rainham
Canvey Island
Wickford
Belhus

E20 (top 2 through to last 8):
Stratford/West Ham
Wanstead B
Loughton B
London City
Newham
Walthamstow
Waltham

Central (winners)
Springfield
Bentley
Brentwood B
Harlow Town
Great Baddow
Broomfield

Essex (winners)
Braintree
Frinton
Matching Green

In addition a further two teams will qualify from the South Essex District Board competition, featuring

Orsett & Thurrock
Hadleigh & Thundersley
Belhus
Old Southendians
Benfleet
Leigh on Sea
Basildon & Pitsea
Stanford le Hope

The semi-finals in that competition have already been decided and are the top four sides named, so on the face of it that allows Belhus two chances to qualify for the quarter finals, meaning they could be playing themselves, which would at least cut down on their travelling. It's believed that in that eventuality Big Bill and Caper, the Waldorf and Stadler of North Stifford would still be pessimistic about their chances of advancing however.

The quarter finals will be regionalised, so it’s likely that the winners of the Met Group will play a qualifier from the E20 group, and then the semi-finals are an open draw, likely to be played on August Bank Holiday Monday, with the final in September at a neutral venue.