Buckhurst Hill 1st XI v Wanstead 1st XI
A comprehensive 7 wicket win by the firsts against Buckhurst Hill kept us at the top of the league on Saturday. Captain Kishen won the toss, put Buckhurst Hill into bat, and proceeded to take full advantage of the conditions, putting on a bowling masterclass. He finished with 7 for 29 off 15 overs in a total of 80 all out, supported by Zain who took 2 for 2 before he had to retire mid-over with a slight injury.
Our reply got off to a flying start, thanks to Tom and Hassan putting on a partnership of 51, before Tom fell for 26 to a superb one handed catch. We lost Robin shortly after, but Hassan calmed any nerves with 3 fours in an over. He finished on 42 not out as we reached 81 for the loss of 3 wickets in the 15th over.
Wanstead 2nd XI v Hornchurch 2nd XI
Only a few things are guaranteed in life; Wanstead's 2nd XI winning another toss is one of them and when won, electing to bowl first. Hamza steamed in for an over before unfortunately getting injured. Marley and Finlay started tidily getting to drinks (17 overs) at 83 for 3. Post drinks, Hornchurch restarted well, getting 41 off the next 5 overs before Abhay and Zoraiz took a couple of crucial wickets, getting us back in the game at the second drinks break (156 for 6 off 34 overs). The same bowling partnership polished off the tail, ensuring no wag and finishing off with combined figures of 19.3 - 2 - 40 - 6, leaving Hornchurch all out for 174.
Zoraiz and Pav started the innings looking to continue their fine opening partnership and as things look set, we lost our first wicket for 40. Hornchurch consistently chipped away, leaving Wanstead on 113 for 4 and a sudden flurry of wickets reduced Wanstead’s score to 118 for 6. All of a sudden the game which looked like a relatively simple chase now looked like a mountain to climb on a deteriorating pitch. Finlay and George put on a crucial 30 run partnership before the skipper threw away his wicket at the worst possible time. With 25 runs to win and 2 wickets in hand the game was truly in the balance.
George and Krish, the ninth wicket partnership, chipped away… ones here, twos there - and the score scrambled to 160. George then decided this was the over (against the opposition captains' bowling)… dot, dot, 6, dot, 4, 4 - a huge over going for 14. Scores were now level and the tension was relieved. Fittingly, George hit the winning runs, finishing on 30 not out off 47, causing celebrations to erupt around Overton Drive. A big shoutout to Krish, putting everything on his wicket with 7 off 34 as it also wouldn’t have been possible without his contribution!
A great close win for the Wanstead 2s who still sit 16 points clear in the league.
Wanstead 3rd XI v Woodford Wells
After losing the toss, we were asked to bowl first on Woodford Wells tiny, postage stamp sized ground. A disastrous opening saw some very wayward bowling carted to the boundary, starting the game with 37 runs in the first three overs. However, we began to settle as Sulayman Tahir bowled with daring drift and our bowlers began to pick up wickets to stem the flow of the runs; most notably Paul Richardson, who ended with 4 wickets. At 248 for 8 our eyes lit up, knowing 300 or less would be more than attainable, however, their number 9 (who scored a hundred opening the batting for their 2nd XI the week before) entered the fray with clever sweeps and crashing boundaries, leaving the boys bewildered. The rapid 92 by their number 9 coupled with a steady 24 by their number 10 helped to mass a total of 370 all out in 49.5 overs. It was a formidable total after having them on the ropes but one we had no choice but to try to hunt down.
With the Herons crying out for a solid foundation we found ourselves succumbing to the pressure, losing 2 wickets in the first three overs. However, enter Sulayman Tahir (“A New Hope”) who manufactured a memorable innings, spoiling the crowd with mesmerising drives and impeccable timing. Whilst he formed the back bone of our resistance, there were eruptions that further unsettled the innings as a run out decision went our way. As Antony Smith went for a solid 28, Shoab Iqbal (29) soldiered on with Sulayman but our stars' exquisite innings of 129 came to an end as he was caught at cow corner. This led to a collapse as we tried to continue the heroic run chase, but the gamble left our lower ordered exposed and they were unable to see out a draw as we were bowled out for 278 in 39.2 overs.
It wasn’t the win we craved but it was a very valuable 8 points gained. It looks like it will be a spicy scrap to the end to stay in the Premier but the difference in points remain tight at the bottom of the league. We go back into battle next week, hoping to defend our fortress at Nutter Lane vs Brentwood who sit 3rd in the league. Can we finally get the win we desire? Stay tuned!
Wanstead 4th XI (134 for 8) beat Horndon on the Hill (133) by 2 wickets
A tale of collapses at Nutter Lane as the 4s continued their upturn in form with a needlessly close win against Horndon on the Hill. Sat just one point behind the opposition at the start of play, the skipper won the toss and elected to bowl knowing the depth of batting should have left any score chaseable. The Horndon openers seemed to like the seam bowling, taking what felt like plenty of runs as the sun came out. The first wickets eventually came, but Horndon sat at 119 for 2 looking to build a formidable total. Spin was brought on after drinks, and this proved to be the silver bullet as Horndon's batting fell away completely with the loss of eight wickets for just 14 runs, including 5 wickets with the score unmoving on 122. Pavan Sunkara took 5 wickets for 13 runs, and Neil Patel took 3 for 5. Both bowled excellently and completely changed the game.
Setting out to chase a modest 133 in 61 overs, Zafar Saiyed took the initiative early on hitting all corners of the ground with a quick-fire 39. With the top order all making starts, the 4s found themselves 132 for 5, needing just two to extend our unbeaten run to 4 weeks. Clearly, the magnitude of the occasion was too much, as Horndon somehow took a hat trick. The skipper has to take a fair chunk of the blame after taking off his pads before the first of the three wickets, showing his ability to jinx even the most comfortable of wins remains alive and well. Another big win sees us jump to 6th in the table, potentially with ambitions to look upwards rather than downwards for a change.
Wanstead U10s v Ilford U10s
Wanstead's U10s had their final HD Cup match on Sunday away to Ilford. With some very good bowling and fielding, Wanstead restricted Ilford to 89 for 3 with Sid taking the first wicket and Lewis taking 2 wickets in the final over.
We started the batting very well with Olive and Zamrez putting on very quick runs, Zamrez retiring on 25. Alex batted well for 9. We then had a little wobble of wickets as the thought of winning their first game dawned on them. However Sid finished on 10 not out, including a 4 that travelled the whole width of Valentine’s Park, taking us to our first victory of the season. A very good display by them all.
Wanstead U12s v Hutton U12s
Wanstead U12s hosted Hutton on Sunday afternoon in the last 16 of the Brian Taylor competition. Wanstead won the toss and elected to bat, with the intention to set the opposition an imposing target, however, a combination of good bowling, difficult batting conditions and three unnecessary run outs left Wanstead in a spot of bother at 101 for 7, despite an excellent 50 from Hayaan. Fortunately this team is blessed with 11 all-rounders and the Wanstead tail wagged impressively to add 70 runs for the last 3 wickets to take us to a much more competitive total of 171. Bodhi led the way with a vital 43 runs, but was ably supported by Leo, before Moosa and Toby added a valuable 32 runs for the last wicket.
The strength of Wanstead’s bowling attack is such that the target always felt defendable, but a good start was required and that was exactly what we got when Furqan took 3 wickets in the first 3 overs of the innings. When Hayaan dislodged Hutton’s captain for 23, the momentum was well and truly in Wanstead’s favour, and Hutton were eventually dismissed for 62 to secure a 109 run victory. Hayaan ended with 4 wickets to cap an impressive day.
This extremely talented team still has further room for improvement, but if they manage to do that they are serious contenders for the trophy.
Wanstead U13G v Frenford U13G
Tuesday 16th July
Wanstead's U13G team hosted Frenford in the Essex hardball league at Nutter Lane for the final match of the group stages. Wanstead won the toss and chose to bat first (surprise surprise) and once again, there was a very complete batting display from all the girls. The openers set the platform and the girls that came after continued to push the runs along at a nice rate. The most noticeable development through the season has been the running between the wickets, and this was on full show today. After settling in for the first couple of overs and seeing a spread field, the girls were pretty much picking up singles at will. All this resulted in Wanstead finishing on 133 for the loss of one wicket (Saanvi (32 retired), Sienna (22 retired), Kiah (16) and Arya (14 not out)).
Over to the bowlers. Firstly a mention to our two stand-in wicket keepers, Saanvi and Olive, who were outstanding behind the stumps, with only 4 byes conceded in the whole innings. The bowling itself was spot on from the first ball. Both Sienna and Olive ensured Frenford weren’t able to get runs away at all and were very economical at the start. This followed through to the rest of the bowlers, who all bowled very tight lines supported by excellent fielding. The most notable bowling performance came from Anushka who finished with 2 overs, 1 maiden, 2 runs, 2 wickets. From an umpire’s viewpoint the line and length were far better than what this umpire ever saw her dad produce. Other wickets were taken by Kiah (1) and Saanvi (1) and one run out for Sienna, closing out the Frenford innings on 81 for 5.
So with that win, we conclude the group stages and we look ahead to finals day. While the result was nice to see, more importantly it was really nice to see some of the younger girls already having an impact in an age category well above them which bodes well for the future. Thanks, as always, to the parents for all the support and Romit for scoring.
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