Stanford feel the force of Belhus bowling skill (From Thurrock Gazette)

Belhus placed eighth after thumping finish

10:00am Monday 10th September 2012 in Sport

Belhus 1st 306-3

Stanford le Hope 1st 183 all out

BELHUS ensured an eighth-place finish in the Shepherd Neame Essex League Division Two following an 123-run thumping of their near neighbours at North Stifford on Saturday.

The home side won the toss and elected to bat. The opening partnership of Gavin Jefferies and Michael Fogg yielded 76 runs with Fogg the first to go, caught by Gary Sanderson off the bowling of Lee Knight (1-39) for 45. The in-form Fogg, fresh from his two centuries the previous week, faced 52 balls and hit six fours and one maximum.

Jefferies continued the momentum and fell just three runs short of a deserving century when he was caught by Jono Symes off Sachin Sewgobind (1-67) from 118 deliveries and put eleven boundaries into the mix.

The onslaught of the Stanford attack continued as Joe Joyce struck a magnificent 109 from 106 balls, after which he was trapped leg before by Matthew Higgins (1-73).

After tea, Belhus paceman Dale Kenyon had Stanford in all sorts of trouble; they lost their first three batsmen, Knight, Alex Ellis and Martin Leslie with only five runs scored.

Knight was caught for a duck by Joe Joyce having faced just five balls, while Leslie suffered a similar fate having faced one delivery more, a victim of one of two catches pouched by Billy Winter.

Ellis was next to go, he alone was responsible for the five-run accrual, but Fogg gleefully accepted a chance behind the stumps. Kenyon went on to pick up one further wicket, that of Higgins for 21, to finish with 4-35 from ten overs (two maidens).

Stanford's middle and late order rallied through Sewgobind, 20, Ross Poulton top scored with 41, Michael Gray hit 28, while Duncan Page and Symes contributed 17 and 23 not out respectively.

The visitors were eventually dismissed after 45.2 overs as Winter claimed 2-31 from 6.2 overs (one maiden), Martin Guilbert returned 2-34 from ten overs, which also included one maiden, while Owen Jefferies and Joe Joyce picked up one wicket each.

For the full story of this and all the other borough cricket see friday's THURROCK GAZETTE