A very busy week for all Gidea Park teams but unfortunately the Saturday senior teams were not quite as lucky as the youngsters this week.
The 1st XI hosted an Upminister side looking to defeat a team containing a few of their previous players. Winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors looked in trouble as the two openers fell for a total score of just one. However with a third and fourth wicket partnership of 50-plus and Gupta and Ison scoring personal half-centuries they managed to pass the 200 mark with plenty to spare, eventually recording 223 all out with a ball to bowl. Ex-Upminister player Will Chuter will be pleased with his display of three wickets for 27 runs including a caught&bowled, whilst Aditya Kumar and Omar Ayaz contributed two wickets and captain Jamal Francis and Sam Farrow one apiece.
In reply Park started steadily but with three gone for 30 runs, it was apt that another ex-Upminister player Frankie Hazel and Francis put on a spurt with a 50 partnership in 45 balls. Hazel eventually departed for 23, but the captain stayed firm through the next three wickets before becoming Billy Wright's third victim of the day, dismissed for 43. Matt Hogg and Chuter did their best for the 10th wicket, their 50-partnership coming in 47 balls but the run chase proved too much and Park were all out for 192.
The 2nd XI visited Brentwood at the Old County Ground and, as seems to be the way when winning the toss, elected to bat.
Park got off to a poor start with Iftekhar Muntakim going for his first ball and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals with only opener Pete Collier holding firm through six further wickets before succumbing at 47. Home bowler PJ Jacques ripped through the lower order, eventually recording six wickets for 25 runs and without the 28 knock from Shaker Ullah Wasiq the eventual total would have been far less attractive.
In reply Shaker bowled a tidy first spell before Park's captain Callum Mitchum elected to open with spin on a dry pitch. Unable to find the right length, the home side managed to saunter to 88 before the first wicket fell to Krishnan Kumar's tight stump-to-stump line. Iftekhar joined the attack to take out opener Berry with a caught & bowled whilst Kumar continued to take wickets at regular intervals, finishing with an excellent five wickets for 19 runs off just six overs, two of those thanks to catches by Iftekhar.
Ultimately it was the slow start that cost Park on this occasion, but it was a tremendous fightback and had it not been for a dropped catch and one expensive over they may well have taken Brentwood to the line. Ultimately, the home side achieved the required total in 35 overs for eight wickets but there was lots of encouragement from the performance and we look forward to a mid-table clash with Colchester next weekend.
Our 3rd XI visited Harold Wood and with the home team winning the toss and electing to bat were always going to need to fight a tough battle.
Despite excellent bowling performances from James Griffin (four wickets for 23 runs off eight overs), Greg Hammond (two for 25) and Faizan Saiyed (two for 21) and cutting the home side innings to 35 overs, Wood reached a decent score of 193.
Batting second, Park couldn't really get going and with only captain Hammond scoring over 20 runs (44) the away team were all out for 131 off just 34 overs.
Finally our 4th XI were awarded the points when their opposition, Goresbook, cancelled their league match. However, a quickly arranged tie against Upminister 6th XI at home gave the players a decent chance to play at the Main Road ground.
Winning the toss and unusually electing to field, the visitors reached 138 before promising under-3 player James Radden broke the opening partnership. Finishing with figures of three for 10 runs, Radden led the way for the attack, with Michael Ryan (two for 45) and Curtis Mullenger (one for 18) supporting. That start was crucial however as the visitors recorded 175 for 7 in the allotted 40 overs.
In return, the home batsmen never got going with the first four wickets falling for just seven runs. Only three batsmen recorded double figures - Mohammed Rashid (14), Radden (11) and best-of-the-innings Stephen Ashlin (32) in a collapse totalling just 80 runs off 20 overs.
Not the best of weeks for our teams but definite encouragement in parts going forward. Here's to a successful weekend coming up.