Weekly Round Up (w/e 5th May)

Rayleigh welcomed Beaulieu Park to the old ground for the opening day of the league season. With skipper Neil Noble away on business, Brad Walker took the reins. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on Brad’s side as he lost the toss, and Rayleigh were asked to bat first.

James Balkwill and Brad opened the batting, but after just three balls, the former was walking back to the recently refurbished old ground pavilion. It only took another three overs for the stand-in skipper to follow suit. At 5-2, Rayleigh were reeling and needed a partnership. Kalpesh Patel and James Isherwood both took a watchful approach, attempting to stick around, but were undone by balls that kept low. John Wright fell two balls later, to one that popped up and he palmed the ball to the keeper.

Rayleigh slumped to 10-5 and needed a serious effort from the lower order to put on a respectable total. Chris Frost, back playing cricket after over 12 months out due to injury, soaked up 60 balls while wickets fell around him. Chris eventually fell for 19 runs (including 1 four and 2 sixes) for the ninth wicket, with no other Rayleigh batters able to push on thanks to the wet conditions – ending the innings on 56 all out from 31 overs.

With the pitch starting to dry, but still far from ideal conditions, the Beaulieu openers started watchfully. Aaron Mayfield made the first breakthrough in his second over, and then again in his fourth over. In his final over, Aaron was able to trap the remaining opening batter in front – finishing his spell with fine figures of 6-2-20-3.

The other Rayleigh bowlers struggled to make an immediate impact with not a lot of runs to play with. John Wright was the only other bowler to take wickets, snatching an LBW and fabulous caught and bowled from his two overs (2-1-2-2). Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to avoid a comprehensive five wicket defeat with the opposition chasing down the total in 15 overs.

The 4th XI embarked on their journey to the picturesque village cricket ground of Chignal CC. As their tyres squelched across the outfield upon arrival, the players were keenly aware of the importance of winning the toss.

Alas, with Geoff Morgan unavailable, Tom Peppiatt took up the mantle of stand-in captain for the fixture. Luck (as usual) was not in his favor, promptly losing the toss, relegating Rayleigh to bat first on a wicket still gleaming with moisture and mud from the heavy roller.

Mark Bailey and Mark Callaway strode out to open the batting. Bailey found himself deceived by a decent delivery that kept low in the very first over. In his place, Mike Mayfield stepped in, immediately sensing the challenges the pitch posed. Despite his valiant efforts, he succumbed to a straight delivery, quickly followed by Callaway. Tom Lloyd and Simon Harwood displayed more resilience, but Harwood’s innings was cut short by a sharp run-out chance.

With the scoreboard reading a meager 19-4, Rayleigh turned to their interim captain… however, much like the toss, Pep’s faltered and was dismissed for a golden duck by what the umpire hailed as “the best delivery he’d ever seen in division nine.” Pitching just outside off-stump, slightly full of a good length, the ball jagged, kept low, and demolished the skipper’s off-stump.

Thomas Lloyd and Richard Barker then took charge, steadily adding runs until Tom fell victim to a run-out. Richard and Oliver formed a remarkable 52-run partnership for the 7th wicket. Oliver, making his debut in adult league cricket, showcased maturity beyond his years, while his father Richard provided valuable support. With the score at 88-7, the father-son duo was eventually separated, and the remaining wickets fell swiftly, leaving Rayleigh all out for 107.

Sam Levett and Richard Barker opened the bowling, dusting off any winter cobwebs quickly. The pitch had definitely dried between innings and with not a lot of runs to play with, it would be an uphill battle. Richard was able to make the breakthrough in his fourth over, but the Chignal batters played well and rode their luck. Richard (6-1-17-1) and Sam (6-1-16-0) finished their spells and handed over to young bowlers Thomas Lloyd and Oliver Barker.

Both youngsters bowled exceptionally well in tough conditions. Tom Lloyd (4-0-22-2) managed to pick up two wickets and Oliver was unlucky to not have a breakthrough. Robin ‘OMP’ Peppiatt managed to snare a wicket, but with his son conceding 15 runs in a single over, the chase was effectively sealed. Chignal achieved the target, finishing their run chase at 108/4 from 25 overs.

Rayleigh hosted Oakland’s on the 3rd pitch. Skipper Smith lost the toss (a common theme throughout our league fixtures this weekend) and Rayleigh were asked to bat first.

The 5th XI commenced their innings with Terry Martin and David Turner at the crease. Martin’s resilient knock of 40 runs off 50 balls, laid a foundation for Rayleigh. However, wickets fell at regular intervals. Despite the efforts of Kuldeep Paik (21) and others, Rayleigh concluded their innings with a total of 130 all out from 39.5 overs. The stage was set for a riveting second innings battle, with the pitch starting to dry – would it be easier to bat on?

Chasing Rayleigh’s total, Oaklands faced an early setback with John Allan and Neeraj Jain departing cheaply, courtesy of Andy Long (8-4-7-2) and Sangeet Prasad (8-1-19-1) respectively. Matt Gardner and Jas Gill attempted to stabilise the innings, but Rayleigh’s bowlers, led by Kuldeep Paik (3-0-17-2) and Shane McDonagh (6-0-21-2), kept the pressure on.

Despite Robert Williams’ valiant effort of 28 runs, the middle order struggled against the disciplined bowling attack. Contributions from George Handley and Stuart Ayris were not enough to steer Oaklands towards victory. Marc Smith (2.4-0-9-2) took a few quick wickets, bundling the opposition out for 83 runs in 32.4 overs.

Rayleigh’s bowlers displayed exceptional teamwork, with Andy Long, Shane McDonagh, Sangeet Prasad, and James Offer providing crucial breakthroughs. Marc Smith and Kuldeep Paik’s tight spells added to Oaklands woes, ensuring the 5th teams dominance in their first game of the year.

Simon Lennox was the only Rayleigh league skipper to win the toss at the weekend – thankfully, he didn’t elect to bat! The 6th team took the field at Wickford Memorial against Basildon & Pitsea.

The opening bowlers found it hard to take wickets, but bowled excellently. Andy James was incredibly unlucky to not pick up a wicket, despite bowling 7 maiden overs and only going for one run (8-7-1-0)!

John Bedford got the innings off to a steady start but fell victim to a delivery from Steve Adams after contributing 19 runs to the total. Kiegan Scannell followed suit, departing for 23 runs, courtesy of a delivery from Duncan Bond.

Harry Suthar made a valuable contribution for Basildon, scoring 22 runs; however, it was Dean Parkinson who anchored the innings with a solid 33 runs before being dismissed. Paul McKeon and Lee Lewis provided a late flourish, remaining unbeaten on 19 and 31 runs respectively, steering the team to a respectable total of 161 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 40 overs.

The chase began on a challenging note for Rayleigh as they faced a disciplined bowling attack. Duncan Bond was the first to depart, falling to a delivery from Kirby Jennings. Ben James followed suit, dismissed without scoring by Henry Englezou. Steve Adams tried to steady the innings, but he too succumbed to the pressure, caught behind by the wicketkeeper after scoring 22 runs off 65 deliveries. Ray Hart couldn’t add much to the total, departing for a duck.

The rest of the batting order struggled against the relentless bowling attack. Lennox managed only 3 runs before being bowled by Harry Suthar. With wickets falling at regular intervals, the pressure mounted on the 6th team. However, Stephen Rothon stood firm amidst the collapse, holding one end up with a resilient unbeaten knock of 21 runs off 77 balls. Yousuf Khan provided crucial support, scoring 29 runs off 42 deliveries, including two sixes, to keep Rayleigh’s hopes alive.

Despite their efforts, Rayleigh couldn’t muster a substantial partnership to challenge the target set by the opposition. They fell short by 75 runs, finishing on 86/5 from 40 overs.