Hornchurch 1st XI v Wanstead 1st XI
An 'end of season' performance by the firsts against Hornchurch on Saturday, highlighted by a number of dropped catches. At the start of the match, we knew we needed a win or 5 bonus points to ensure 2nd place, but we were unable to achieve either. On a turning wicket, we were asked to bat first and were bowled out for 178 in the 41st over, giving us 2 bonus points. Haaris made 57, Kishen made 40, and Harith 26, but we had no answer to the spin of Malik who took 5 for 23 in 9 overs. Although we took 2 early wickets, Hornchurch played positively from the start and reached our total with only 4 wickets down in the 27th over, including a century from George Hankins. We earned just a single bowling bonus point, and Brentwood's win meant we finished third in the league.
Wanstead 4th XI v Stanford Le Hope
Putting the opposition in to bat, the Herons kept Stanford Le Hope (who were giving their younger players a chance up the order) to just 42 for 2 from 23 overs at drinks. The senior batters came out attacking to up the run rate, but tight lines from Neil (3 for 41), Nikhil (1 for 30) and Ibby (1 for 14) meant the game stayed well within our grasp. It was then left to Amaan (3 for 0!) and Zaman (1 for 2) to mop up the tail. 12 out of the 36 overs were maidens as we bowled Stanford out for 109, showing how disciplined the bowling attack has become.
Dave Sacree (59 not out) was looking for an early finish and wasted no time getting us to 71 from 10 overs before the tea break. That clearly weighed us down, however, as it took another 11 overs to wrap up the win. In the end, a very controlled performance meant we overtook Stanford at the final hurdle to finish 5th. A very strong second half of the season meant the 4s managed to prevent a third successive relegation - a situation which looked unlikely after being winless from the first 7 games. Plenty to build on next year as we look to climb the ladder again.