27th May 2000

ECC v Corringham

Having just produced one of the best performances under my reign at Little Baddow this was without doubt the most disappointing performance in the last three years. Yes, there were excuses, the withdrawal of Tony Mitty did not help us and the conditions with which we bowled in were certainly a disadvantage, but lets put this in perspective, the opposition had only 10 men. I would say there were only two batsmen and two bowlers of any great note as five of their regulars including their star player, captain Steve Ayllif, were absent on a stag weekend. Asked to bat our old friend the Animal hit a brisk 45 before Jitts removed him, caught on the boundary. This should have led to us removing them for less than 100. However, poor bowling, poor fielding and windy conditions meant somehow they scraped together 155-8 from their 37 overs and even with 10 men this looked about 40 runs too many on a disintegrating pitch. My worse fears were to be proved right although Buck Jones and the more reliable Rob Gregg got us off to a good start adding 39 in 11 overs but yet again once one wicket fell, four quickly followed including centurian Ian Gandy for 9 when looking able to repeat his feat from the week before. The big disappointment is that three of the Club's big hitters who are able to win games single-handedly all have failed to even score one run between them as Mark Williams and Eric Pulsford were both dismissed for ducks. For the second consecutive home game the only batsman to come out with any credit was Nic Woollard who again was left stranded and was last to fall for a decent 46. As ECC were bowled out for a disasterous 105.

Corringham 155-8 Lewis 12-0-42-2, Read 9-0-50-1, Claughton 12-0-33-4, Pulsford 4-0-23-0

ECC 105 all out Jones 15, Gregg 22, Gandy 9, Woollard 46, Williams 0, Pulsford 0, Claughton 3, Vale 0, Clarke 3, Lewis 0, Read 1no Corringham won by 50 runs

MAN OF THE MATCH Nic Woollard