Grays & Chadwell 1st 154ao Hornchurch Ath1st 150ao IN 2007 this fixture produced two games that went down to the final over, the final wicket, and left everyone watching with no fingernails left.

In 2008 both games were one-sided affairs. The season opener to 2009 produced a fixture that harked back to 2007, including the result: a narrow win for Grays & Chadwell.

Things couldn’t have started much worse for the visitors. Krish Mitra, returning to Grays for his second summer in England, mistook the lifeless Hornchurch track for Calcutta and snatched a stopping half volley on leg stump, flicking it to square leg.

Opening partner Rob Baker also convinced himself he was in more tropical climes and paid the price for playing back before June. Seizing the advantage Hornchurch skipper turned at once to spin, including himself, to devastating effect. Grays will be disappointed with their shot selections.

Three times their batsmen picked out Liam Porter in the outfield early in their innings with rash shots, and when Tony Hans (19), who had also been dropped twice from mistimed pull shots, was yorked by Humphries, Grays were 56-6 and in serious trouble. Abdul Stanikzai’s first two scoring shots cleared the rope, he applied himself where the upper order did not. Renowned for his savage hitting, he reined in that part of his game and went about steadying Grays’ ship with applaudable calm considering the circumstances.

Backed by Tom Hills, who’s cameo 15 brought up three figures for Grays, then a captain’s innings of 22 from Rhys Hymas, Stanikzai changed Grays fortunes and suddenly they had a total to bowl at.

He fell for 41, and Hymas Became Humphries fourth victim for 34 but Grays were happy to defend anything over 150.

Things didn’t look that way after tea when Hornchurch’s innings took on a parody of Grays’. With Andrew Hills generated some express pace with the new ball and Greg Cohen finding conditions conducive to his swing bowling, the pair blew apart the Hornchurch top order.

Hills rattled Gary Kent’s off peg in his first over after a nasty bouncer, then found the edge of the bat six balls later. Not to be outdone Cohen hoped the ball around, first yorking Lee Hawkins, then finding the edge from danger man Humphries to put Grays in the ascendancy. When Cohen produce another magic inducker for figures of 3-25 and Rob Baker’s arm produced too powerful when Hutchinson attempted a suicidal second run, Hornchurch were 43-6 and all but defeated. Cue Harry Bridge.

Bridge counter attacked early with a flurry of boundaries but as the wickets fell he tempered his heavy hitting for more stability. Supported by Samarasekera, who ground out his runs with the grit and determination of a man going to war, they repaired the home side’s fragile start.

Though Mitra and Tom Hills bowled economically neither could find the breakthrough Grays needed and Hornchurch’s total grew slowly and steadily towards three figures.

It took debutant Darren Manning to break the deadlock with a freak dismissal. Samarasekera jammed down on a Yorker but managed to squirt the ball out to cover where it looped into the waiting hands of Mark O’Neill. With Samarasekera’s 28 setting the foundations for a late assault, Bridge started the charge. He swatted some mighty sixes over long off and on to pass fifty and in just a few overs had Hornchurch within touching distance of Grays’ total. Hills returned and struck again, matching Cohen’s 3-25, he could only keep Bridge quiet. It was that man Stanikzai who came to the rescue.

Despite bowling poorly and being hit for ten off the previous two balls, Stanikzai managed to squeeze one through the advancing Bridge and pegged bat leg stump. Bridge’s 73 had brought the score to just 15 away and when Crane engineered 10 from one over, everyone’s hearts were in their mouths. Crane, however, nibbled at a Stanikzai delivery and Hymas clung onto his 4th catch of the day behind the sticks to give Stanikzai figures of 2-29 and seal a narrow Grays victory.

T Rippon mid Essex Div 3 Rettendon 1st 245-6(45 ov) Pegasus 2nd 192 all out (42.2) RETTENDON won the toss and elected to bat, Skipper J Roworth hitting a massive 130, with Mark Everitt 32 and Phil Everitt 49 taking Rettendon to 245 for 6 off their 45 overs.

Pegasus came out to bat in quite an aggressive style with their openers putting on 55 before Phil Everitt had Maxted brilliantly caught by Craig Mansell out at long off.

After that point Pegasus always were not quite up with the run rate but did enough to concern the Rettendon attack.

Eventually, skipper Jon Roworth, changed the bowling attack and brought on Mark Everitt and Luke Snelling, the pair of them starved the Pegasus batsmen of runs which then resulted in wickets falling, and both bowlers bowling out their overs finishing with M Everitt 12 overs 4 for 35, and Luke Snelling 12 overs 3 for 40. Phil Everitt grabbed the remaining wickets finishing with 9.2 overs 3 for 48.

Pegasus were bowled out for 191 in the 42nd over. Rettendon were pleased to get 24 out of a maximum 26 points for this 1st league game of the season.