Weekly Round Up: Mixed fortunes in final friendlies

Rayleigh welcomed Chelmsford Super Kings to Rawreth Lane for the final friendly of the pre-season before league action gets underway next week. After a heavy defeat to Belhus the week before, Rayleigh were looking for a more successful outting this time around.

Skipper Matt Verrinder lost the toss and Rayleigh were asked to bowl first. After a solid opening stand by CSK, which saw them reach 53 before the first wicket fell, Rayleigh’s bowlers turned the game with regular breakthroughs. Mihir Patel was the standout performer, picking up 3 for 23 in his 8 overs, including the important wickets of Kannan Ekanath and top-scorer Swami Bala, who was looking well set on 37 before being smartly run out by Sam Harmsworth and Matt Verrinder.

Ian Turnbull also played a key role in the middle overs, claiming 3 for 24, including two catches by Jonathan Cook, as CSK’s middle order began to falter. Turnbull’s aggressive lengths and smart variations put the batters under real pressure.

There was also a wicket apiece for Sam Keene (1 for 4) and Samuel Verrinder, who kept things tight with 1 for 17 from 8 tidy overs, including four maidens. Greg Hood kept the runs in check early on despite going wicketless, conceding just 12 from his five overs, while Nick Green toiled through six overs for 37.

From 93 for 3, CSK lost seven wickets for just 27 runs, collapsing under pressure as Rayleigh turned the screw. The visitors were bowled out for 120, setting up a very chaseable target for Rayleigh’s batters in the second innings…

A blend of youth and experience took to the field on the old ground against a strong Baddow side, with a few players perhaps trying to catch the eye of the 2nd XI skipper ahead of selection.

After making several frantic trips between the new and old grounds to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Nolde finally won the toss and made the bold decision to bat first—much to the surprise of some of his teammates.

Noble and Bailey were asked to open the innings, with Bailey clearly taken aback given his performance the previous weekend! Both started cautiously, as Baddow’s opening bowlers kept things tight. Once the openers had bowled their five-over spells, Noble and Bailey began to play more freely, taking on the first-change bowlers.

Bailey looked to shift gears, striking two boundaries in as many balls, but was soon bowled—becoming the first to fall. Mills entered at No. 3 and immediately looked assured, compiling an impressive 49 with elegant drives down the ground and punishing anything short, giving the 2nd XI skipper plenty to think about.

Just after drinks, Noble was adjudged LBW to Hayley, Baddow’s first team skipper. Skipper Nolde joined Mills at the crease but looked like Bambi on ice, dancing around nervously. After being dropped twice, he was finally bowled by Hayley.

While Mills anchored one end, wickets fell regularly at the other. Eventually, the pressure told and Mills was caught in the deep. This was followed by a classic Mantle tea party in the middle of the wicket, resulting in Josh being run out in a mix-up. Rayleigh ended on 149-8 from their 40 overs—a competitive score, but slightly under par…

Rayleigh overcame a nightmare start to post 207 for 8 in their 40 overs — a recovery powered by Shane McDonagh’s unbeaten 53 and an unmissable 58 extras that proved just as valuable as any bat.

Things went south quickly. The innings began with a misfire, as Dave Turner fell with the score on 15. The top three crumbled in the space of 8 runs — Andy Scogings was next to go, and then Terry Martin, who had tried to hold things together, departed for 8 with Rayleigh reeling at 23 for 3.

It only got worse as Philip Hammond was bowled with the score barely past 30. At 31 for 4, Rayleigh were in danger of folding completely.

Enter skipper for the day, Tom Peppiatt, who dug in and began to repair the damage. He found a fearless partner in James Offer, who injected some much-needed aggression with a blistering 34 off just 19 balls, including two big sixes. The pair added over 50 runs before Offer’s departure at 89 for 5 halted momentum again.

Peppiatt continued to hold firm and alongside Shane McDonagh, pushed the total past 120 before falling for a well-made 23 (including a sweetly struck straight drive for six).

From that point, McDonagh took control. Calm and composed, he anchored the innings brilliantly, punishing the bad ball and rotating the strike. He reached a crucial half-century in the closing stages, guiding Rayleigh through a tricky spell where Sangeet Prasad (17) and Tobias Allen fell in quick succession at 169 and 175 respectively.

Chloe Martin held up the tail with a resilient unbeaten 11, helping Rayleigh bat out their overs.

While Rayleigh’s batters contributed in patches, it was the bowlers’ generosity that padded the total — 38 wides and 10 no-balls made the opposition their own worst enemy, handing Rayleigh nearly 28% of their runs in extras.

From 17 for 3 to 207 for 8, it was a fighting effort with plenty of character, setting up a competitive target for the second innings…

The 4th XI took to the field against Eastwood with a blend of seasoned heads and fearless colts—and it was the youth that made all the difference in a composed and clinical bowling performance.

Eastwood’s openers made a cautious start, but it didn’t take long for Rayleigh to draw first blood. Rick Jackson was run out thanks to a sharp bit of work from Stephen Rothon, setting the tone early. Billy Gibbons looked to anchor the innings and batted doggedly for 34 from 82 balls, but struggled to find fluency against a disciplined Rayleigh attack.

Thomas Barker was relentless through his spell, using clever changes of pace to remove Bill Lovatt and later Dan Wooler. Luke Gould was equally impressive, picking up Freddie Reid and Kevin Robinson with tight lines and just enough movement to cause problems, finishing with a miserly 2 for 15 from six overs.

Phillip Bartlett threatened to swing the momentum back Eastwood’s way with a punchy, unbeaten 54 off just 42 balls. He capitalised on anything loose, finding the rope six times and running hard to keep the board ticking. However, support was limited as wickets continued to fall at the other end.

Prajin Raja and Stephen Rothon chipped in with wickets of their own, while Oliver Barker and Oliver Church both kept things tight, despite a flurry of extras—36 in total—offering Eastwood their largest contribution outside of Bartlett’s knock.

After 40 overs, Eastwood finished on 157 for 7—a target Rayleigh would’ve been happy to chase, especially with a confident batting line-up and the colts buzzing after their work in the field…