RAYLEIGH FAIRVIEW 219-8

OLDCHURCH 169 all out

(RAYLEIGH WON)

A fine win littered with splendid individual displays enabled Rayleigh to leapfrog Oldchurch and move out of the Mid-Essex League Division Four relegation zone.

Veteran opener Dave Webster (40) and skipper Richard Casey (38) helped Rayleigh overcome the loss of two early wickets.

Then Dave Simpson (33) and 17-year-old Seevic College student Adam Keating, whose unbeaten 39 included two successive sixes in the final over, revived Fairview after their innings faltered.

James (4-44) was Oldchurch's top bowler.

Mike McHale (4-37), continuing his fine summer, and three superb slip catches by Spencer Collins left Oldchurch's reply reeling, while Stuart Faulkner took 2-23 and Kevin Hayward 2-34.

Johnson (36) and Ryan (27) offered the main resistance for Oldchurch.

Fair revenge

RAYLEIGH FAIRVIEW IIs 155

WOODHAM MORTIMER 123 all out

(RAYLEIGH WON)

Promotion-chasing Rayleigh Fairview earned sweet revenge for the 300-plus rattled up by Woodham Mortimer in the two sides' first encounter this season - after strong displays from the Smiths.

Skipper Bob Smith (31) held Fairview's innings together, despite 4-43 from Shaw.

Then Smith (2-18), his nephew David Smith (3-33) and Bob Donovan (2-21) undermined Mortimer's response, in which Southwell made 59.

Saggers collapses but Trojans stay top

TROJANS 174-9

ETON MANOR 171 all out

(TROJANS WON)

Runaway Morrant League leaders Trojans kept up their perfect record of beating and bowling out every side - despite Paul Saggers literally collapsing in the stifling heat.

Second-placed Eton Manor crumbled from a strong position to lose with an over to spare.

Andy May (29), then Saggers (39) and inspirational skipper Gary Vann (21), who transformed some slow-middle-order batting, had earned Trojans a defendable total.

Saggers, though, had to retire through dehydration two overs from the end of the innings.

Eton's leading bowlers were undoubtedly spinners Wadood (2-63 in 18 overs) and Hassan (2-48 in 19).

Manor's reply began in quickfire fashion, before they slumped to 53-4 and recovered to 126-5 - thanks again to Hassan (49) and Wadood (43).

Three superb bowling displays reduced Eton to 139-8 and 171 all out. With Saggers unable to bowl, Pete Coste took 3-54 in 17 overs, Vann 3-43 in 13 and leg-spinner Simon Hixson 3-20.

Gardiner's 195 leaves Shoebury soaring

NORTH SHOEBURY 281-7

BROOMFIELD IIs 147 all out

(NORTH SHOEBURY WON)

In-form opener Brian Gardiner blasted 195 runs all around the ground as soaraway leaders North Shoebury moved 61 points clear in Division Seven of the Mid-Essex League.

Phil Pope hit 32 - helping Gardiner put on 174 for the third-wicket - then took 4-20 off ten overs as Broomfield were dismissed 134 runs short.

Paul Thorburn (3-50), Lee Proud (2-55) and Dennis Boreham (also 2-55) had toiled well for Broomfield, for whom Matt Dobson (35), Thorburn (33) and Jarrod Morris (28) later batted defiantly.

However, Pope, Jim Cousin (3-30) and Peter Bradfield (2-25) took unbeaten Shoebury to their tenth win in 13 league games.

Two of those games were non-results, underlining Shoebury's dominance as they moved to perhaps just two or three wins of the title.

Stand-in bowler takes five wickets

EVERSLEY 152

HERONGATE 136 out

(EVERSLEY WON)

Eight-man Eversley saw stand-in bowler Mark Robinson, normally just an opening batsman, take a match-sealing 5-35 in their home friendly. Nigel Spicer (24), Tony Morgan (29) and Tony Westwell (29 not out) were Eversley's main scorers, with Sale taking 2-32 for a weakened Herongate.

Then Robinson, Westwell (3-34) and Spicer (2-21) secured the hosts' win. Bull hit 28 and Hicks 19 for the visitors.

Chequers record first win against Centurions

LEIGH CENTURIONS 108

CHEQUERS 111-8

(CHEQUERS WON)

Chequers clinched their first ever win over Centurions - after the youngest player on the field joined the oldest one to dismiss Leigh.

Up-and-coming Paul Giess (3-25) and highly-experienced Cliff Francis (3-11) did plenty of damage, with Colin Campbell taking 2-10.

Alex Heighington made 31, backed up by J Selby (29) and J Clark (17).

Then Giess (19), wicket-keeper Chris Goodwin (19), young Sam Sharpe (13) and Jim Pooley (12) sealed Chequers' tight win.

Roger Walcott (3-19) and Selby (2-28) performed well for Leigh - but in vain.

Ekco in last-ball triumph

An all-run four off the final ball - with the bowler's throw missing the wicket - enabled Ekco to scramble to victory amid the week's closest finish in the Centurion Southend Evening Cricket League.

Southend Ambulance had struggled to 70-6 off 12 overs, Patel taking 3-14.

Then David Toplis's excellent 4-24 failed to stop Simpson, whose 37 not out included the winning runs, from sealing Ekco's win.

Prittlewell clinched the Division One title in nail-biting fashion - against their closest rivals.

Prittlewell totalled 103-5, with Mark Watson contributing 39, before Civic Centre fell just short at 98-6.

Down in Division Two, Midland Bank were also out six runs from victory.

P Mara (22) and Adams (21) helped Rebus to 93-8, although Jim Lawrence took 3-13 in his two overs.

Lawrence then hit 39, backed by Mark Harding-ham's 26, but Bartlett's accurate bowling (3-30) limited the Bank to 88-7.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.