Weekly Round Up (w/e 19th May)

Welcome back to our weekly round up newsletter! Last week was much more successful result wise for the club, including wins for four of our six league teams.

Due to other commitments, there wasn’t a newsletter last week. However, if you want to read one of Rob Littler’s match reports from Saturday 11th May, which summarises a very tight game for the 1st team, please click below:

Match Report

Rayleigh 1st XI vs. East Hanningfield

Club Updates

Pool Table

We’re really happy to confirm that the club now has a pool table in the main clubhouse! Club Captain Matt Verrinder very kindly purchased and donated the table and the club would like to say a massive thank you to Matt for his generosity. The table has already had some usage and we’re looking to schedule a regular monthly ‘games night’ and BBQ.

A massive thank you also to Toby Turner, Sam Verrinder and Steve Lynch for helping to move and deliver the table. Well done, lads!

Sunday XI

If you would like to be considered for selection for Sunday cricket, please contact Sam Harmsworth via text, WhatsApp or call. If you need Sam’s contact details, please email info@rayleighcc.com.

End of Year Event

Please keep an eye out for a ‘save the date’ invitation to our end of year dinner and dance evening, which will be hosted at Saxon Hall as per last season.

Live Coverage of Fixtures

As many of your will be aware, the club heavily invested in live streaming last year. The reception to live streaming has been fantastic and we’ve had over 14k views on videos last season, as per below:

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Hours Watched

To ensure you receive notification of the latest streams, and when we go live, subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Either search for Rayleigh Cricket Club or click here. Our next live stream is scheduled for Saturday 25th May as the 1st XI take on Ilford Catholic.

Match Reports

1st XI vs. Broomfield 1s

Rayleigh won by 66 runs | 24 points

Brave batters set total for miserly Mihir to work his magic”

Rayleigh were visiting newly promoted Broomfield this week with high hopes of recording their first win after last weeks dramatic loss. The wicket was looking damp after the weeks weather and with a healthy layer of grass was begging for the skipper to win the toss and see what his bowlers could do… unfortunately, he lost the toss and Rayleigh where put in to bat.

Littler, still selected despite his injury, and young Sam Keene, deservedly promoted to the 1s after some early good scores, set about the task of seeing out the new ball. A wayward start helped them settle, with Littler’s first scoring shot being a six over midwicket. The bowlers slowly got into their groove, but Keene stayed resolute, ticking the score along nicely, while Littler found boundaries from the other end. The opening pair worked well in tandem to reach a 50 partnership. When the first change came, so did the field, and scoring slowed but remained steady. Keene, trying to rotate the strike, stepped in front and was out LBW. Francis followed two balls later. With the field back for Littler and up for Ox, the former was starved of the strike when singles were the only option, but Ox found some gaps and earned boundaries.

After drinks, with the pitch drying and becoming a bit two-paced, Littler mistimed a drive to cover, leaving Rayleigh at 99-3. When Harmsworth fell at 111-4, worries of a collapse started to creep in with the bowling now tightening. Frost was aggressive for a quick 15 but was bowled over, and then Ox, after working hard, snicked off soon after. Turnbull and Hood focused on getting the score up to something defendable. Hood, after some lovely timing, also got caught behind. The skipper entered the fray at 177-7 and in four balls hit three singles and then a six into the home spectators. This got to his head though, and his fifth delivery was his last. Turnbull was still going at the other end but was running out of partners quickly and was eventually bowled while trying to get Rayleigh above the 200 mark. Rayleigh finished at 197 all out and once again had not batted their overs. Top scorer, after a recount of the scorebook, was Littler with 52, Ox got 40, and Turnbull a very good 28. The pick of the bowlers was Cowell with 4-26.

The Broomfield openers came to the crease, and Rathnayaka took an immediate liking to Frost, smashing him over his head for six. He came out swinging, making it evident that defence was not an option. Although he scored quickly, he gave up two or three chances, and it was only a matter of time before one would be taken. They reached 30 in six overs, but then the momentum changed with one decision. Turner, looking to rotate the strike, patted down to cover and set off for a single, but Rathnayaka was unmoved. Harmsworth calmly picked up and threw in to his skipper, and that was the breakthrough.

Abley, back in the 1s after being dropped last week, opened from the other end and was on the money from the get-go. He bowled Rathnayaka and trapped the opposition skipper in front in quick succession. Frost got in on the act at the other end, with Hood taking a good catch to have the home side four down and in some bother. Abley started to tire and was wayward in his last over, so the change was made, and Patel made an immediate impact, getting the fifth wicket. J. Baines (35) and Fisher (19) settled in, though, and although Hood and Patel were economical, they couldn’t find the breakthrough. Slowly, Broomfield got past 100, but finally, Patel got Fisher when a rush of blood had him skipping down the track, and Verrinder took the easiest of stumpings. Brannan was out soon after with the introduction of Ox, whose usual brand of wickets and extras proved entertaining. Baines succumbed to Patel as well when he holed out to deep midwicket, and Turnbull was able to hang on.

Patel finished his superb spell with figures of 9-3-21-3, showing that with pace off and some guile, you could really get something out of the wicket. Turnbull, introduced for the death, made it swing round corners and got his reward with a wicket, and then Frost finished the innings. The wickets were spread around, with Abley being the best of the rest with 2-25, after Patel.

A good win this week with solid batting on a tricky surface by the top order, supported by key runs lower down. This was followed by some good bowling and strong fielding. However, some chances were still not taken, but luckily this week, we didn’t let them get away with it. On to next week, where we welcome Ilford Catholic to Rawreth Lane.

Written by Rob ‘Injured’ Littler.

2nd XI vs. Hornchurch Athletic 2s

Rayleigh won by 1 wicket | 23 points

Rayleigh collapse makes hard work of run chase”

Matt Walker welcomed Hornchurch Athletic to Rawreth Lane, hoping to record another victory. Matt won the toss and elected to field first on a drying surface.

After waiting for new signing Bala Rajagopal, who turned up just before one, Xavier Garms steamed in with the first ball of the innings. Delivering a half-tracker, the batter attempted to cut and popped the ball up to Bala at gully. He patted it up and secured the catch on the second attempt. A fantastic start for the 2s!

Garms struck again shortly after, removing the second opener Klein (13), leaving the score at 27-2. The wickets dried up for a period, despite some economical bowling from Bobby Mills (9-3-15-0) as the opposition built a 50-run partnership. Nick Green, off the back of his 5-wicket haul last week, managed to interrupt proceedings and snatched another three wickets (9-0-39-3), supported by spinner Jake Ashworth (6-0-26-2). A late partnership of 40 runs pushed the total to 154 all out, with Garms (8-0-27-3) and Skillett (5-1-15-1) picking up the last wickets.

Rayleigh started well, putting on 67 for the first wicket until Andrew Barker was removed for 13. Bala played an attacking innings but was undone by a sharp catching chance while trying to pull the ball. James Ellis continued hitting the ball to all parts of the ground until he was eventually removed for 60 off the same number of balls, with the scoreline reading 104-3.

Unfortunately, a small batting collapse ensued, with Rayleigh losing two wickets (Bobby Mills for 23 and Jess Walker for 0) for no runs. The skipper managed to stabilise the innings, but his departure prompted another mini-collapse, with four wickets falling for only seventeen runs. Thankfully, Jake Ashworth remained focused and was able to guide the 2s to a close victory with a four through the slips.

It was a good game played on a tricky track. The 2s now rise to 2nd in the table and travel to play Ardleigh Green next week. Watch full highlights below or view the scorecard.

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3rd XI vs. Woodham Mortimer 2s

Rayleigh won by 18 runs | 23 points

The 3rd XI made the short journey to Pheasant Park to play Woodham Mortimer, this week under the stewardship of Chris Frost (with Neil returning as captain for the next fixture). The pitch at Woodham had been underwater for the past few weeks, raising questions about how it would play.

Chris had a tough start, losing the toss, and unsurprisingly, Woodham put Rayleigh into bat first. Gosling and Balkwill opened the batting and started watchfully. Despite a good start, both Steve (16) and James (13) were sent back to the pavilion with the score at 49-2. A solid partnership between James Isherwood (28) and Kalpesh Patel (24) helped the visitors reach 100-3. Josh Francis chipped in with a helpful 13, supporting Kalpesh and rotating the strike. However, once both fell, the Rayleigh batting order struggled, eventually slumping to 155-9 from their 45 overs.

Woodham started their innings well, but the wickets soon started to tumble. Farid Mirazi (33) was the only Woodham batter to put up a fight, as all the Rayleigh bowlers delivered with good line and length. Dave Archer was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 7-0-31-3, supported by Chris Frost (2.4-0-10-2), Josh Mantle (9-0-32-2), and John Wright (9-4-9-2)—the latter only conceding a run an over.

The opposition were bowled out for 137. It was a good win for Rayleigh, but Neil will be hoping for a firmer batting track when he returns next week!

4th XI vs. Hornchurch Athletic 4s

Rayleigh lost by 21 runs | 6 points

The 4th team hosted Hornchurch Athletic on the old ground. Friday’s rain had made an otherwise hard surface damp and visibly green. Captain Morgan, winning the toss for the first time this year, opted to bowl first on a surface he felt would do something for his seamers.

Rayleigh started well, with good bowling from the skipper (7-2-27-0), who was unlucky not to pick up a wicket during his spell. Benny Mahoney, making his league debut for the season, bowled with good pace but couldn’t find a wicket in his first spell. The openers began to see the ball well, and the innings was taken away from Rayleigh by a fantastic batting display from Richard Pontin, who scored 124. All bowlers bowled well, but it wasn’t enough to limit the scoring. Hornchurch finished on 219-5, with Benny Mahoney (8-0-35-2), Sangeet Prasad (8-1-47-1), and Mark Callaway (4-0-25-1) doing the majority of the damage. A special mention goes to young Ryan Hart (8-0-30-0), who bowled well, containing the opposition’s centurion and was unlucky not to pick up a wicket during his very economical spell.

Rayleigh started their reply well, with Mark Bailey and Mike Mayfield opening the batting. Mike started strong, hitting three boundaries before he was caught trying to go big, scoring 17 runs. Tom Peppiatt joined Bailey at the crease, and they focused on seeing out the opening bowlers, who were bowling with considerable movement. When Tom was eventually out for 33 (including 5 fours and 1 six), the pair had put on 70 runs for the second wicket at a good rate. Mark continued to try and get the best of the Hornchurch bowlers but was eventually bowled through the gate while trying to get the scoreboard moving, finishing with a well-constructed 57. Simon Harwood (42*) looked good but struggled to find the boundary as the Hornchurch bowling remained tight. Geoff Morgan (10) had a quick cameo with Harwood, but was run out, leaving Sangeet Prasad and Simon needing 28 runs in the final over of the match. It was always going to be an uphill battle, and Rayleigh fell short by 21 runs.

5th XI vs. South Woodham 4s

Rayleigh won by 140 runs | 26 points

Rayleigh 5th XI, after winning the toss and opting to bat, posted a competitive total of 242 for 6 in their 40 overs against South Woodham 4th XI. The innings started with Terry Martin and David Turner providing a solid foundation. Martin’s aggressive 31 off 39 balls, including four boundaries and a six, ended when he was caught by Stuart Curtis off James Pretty. Turner played a steady hand with 33 off 74 balls, featuring five fours, before falling to Ed Martin.

Rebecca Walker’s brief stay yielded 4 runs, while Colin Mayor contributed 12 runs off 27 balls. The innings’ highlight was Philip Hammond’s unbeaten 77 off 56 balls, featuring 11 boundaries and a six, which propelled Rayleigh to a formidable score. Contributions from Marc Smith, who scored 12, and Kuldeep Paik, with an unbeaten 23, further boosted the total.

South Woodham’s chase started poorly, losing early wickets including Glenn Goldsworthy and Stuart Curtis. Despite Tommy Crocker’s resistance with 24 runs, Rayleigh’s bowlers kept chipping away at the batting order. Paik and Burton led the charge, taking 3 wickets each, while Terry Martin contributed with 2 vital scalps. James Offer’s economical spell added to South Woodham’s woes.

Rayleigh’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding restricted South Woodham to a paltry total. The tail offered little resistance as Rayleigh wrapped up the innings swiftly. South Woodham’s innings folded for 102, handing Rayleigh a dominant victory by 140 runs.

6th XI vs. Canewdon 1s

Rayleigh lost by 69 runs | 9 points

Rayleigh opted to bowl first against Canewdon, hoping to make early inroads into their batting lineup. However, Canewdon’s batsmen had other plans, putting up a challenging total of 257 runs before being bowled out in 37.4 overs.

While Rayleigh’s bowlers made some breakthroughs, including early dismissals of Jack Broad and Jack Berry by Andy James, they struggled to contain Kieron Lee. Lee’s explosive innings of 144 runs off just 106 balls, with 16 boundaries and 6 sixes, proved to be the cornerstone of Canewdon’s innings. Rayleigh’s bowlers found it difficult to contain the flow of runs, with only Andy James and Robin Peppiatt managing to take three wickets each. Despite efforts from Luke Gould, Yousuf Khan, and Duncan Bond, they couldn’t prevent Canewdon from posting a substantial total.

Duncan Bond and Duncan Baldwin started cautiously, but their partnership couldn’t build the required platform, with Bond scoring 20 off 73 balls and Baldwin contributing 16 off 32 deliveries. The early breakthroughs by Canewdon’s bowlers, including Omar Khan and Mohammad Saud, pegged back Rayleigh’s progress.

Stephen Rothon provided some resistance with a well-crafted half-century, scoring 51 runs off 58 balls, including 8 boundaries. However, the lack of significant partnerships hindered Rayleigh’s chase. Yousuf Khan’s brisk 39 off 31 balls, featuring 5 fours and 2 sixes, injected some momentum into the innings, but his dismissal, along with that of Rothon, dealt a blow to Rayleigh’s hopes.

Despite contributions from Oliver Guinn, who remained unbeaten on 16, and extras accounting for 36 runs, Rayleigh’s innings lacked the required acceleration. Canewdon’s bowlers, led by Jack Broad’s three wickets, maintained the pressure throughout, ensuring Rayleigh never got away. Rayleigh’s innings concluded at 188 for 7 in 40 overs, falling short of the target by 69 runs. Canewdon’s disciplined bowling and consistent wicket-taking prevented Rayleigh from mounting a successful chase.

Ladies XI vs. Great Waltham

Rayleigh lost by 3 wickets | Friendly fixture

Rayleigh faced a tough challenge against Great Waltham, setting a target of 88 runs after finishing their innings at 87 for 6. Rebecca Walker top-scored for Rayleigh with 24 runs, supported by G. Collins (13) and S. Lennox (13), but their efforts weren’t enough to set a formidable total.

In response, Great Waltham chased down the target comfortably, reaching 89 for 5. Despite some early hiccups, they were steered to victory by key contributions from across the team. Rayleigh bowled well, with K. Mayfield playing a crucial role and picking up 2 wickets. L. Harmsworth also made an impact with the ball, claiming 2 wickets – alas it was not enough.

Rayleigh fought hard but fell short in their defense, while Great Waltham showcased resilience to clinch the win.

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