The indoor season got off to an indifferent start against Horndon. There were a number of absentees for various reasons which made getting a side out very difficult. For many of the boys, this was the first time that they had turned their arm over and swung the willow in anger since last season and it showed. Horndon scored 97 batting first, with Rayleigh conceding 31 extras in the total, In reply, only 2 players troubled the scorers – Luke Sullivan with 4 and Conor Slough (c) with a top score of 6 – in a paltry looking total of 27. On the upside, there was a promising debut behind the stumps for Craig Smith, and the effort was there.
Game 2 saw Rayleigh put the preceding week’s woes behind them as they took on Thurrock A and put in a much better performance all round. Bowling first, Rayleigh restricted Thurrock to 84-3, which included a triple wicket maiden for the returning Josh Jones – all bowled!! In reply, Rayleigh got home with 10 balls to spare thanks to Craig Smith with 10 and Alex Belcher 16 no.
The 3rd game of the season saw Rayleigh take on Belhus B. Batting first, Rayleigh reached 124 in a stronger performance with 3 players retiring – Matt Dobson was out last ball for 25, his opening partner Max Jones made 26 no and Conor Slough made 25 no. In reply, a tighter bowling effort from the team restricted Belhus B to 89 off their allotted 12 overs with Conor Slough taking 2-15 and Josh Jones 1-18.
Rayleigh played unbeaten Stanford Le Hope in their 4th game of the season and came up against a good side in form. Ultimately, it ended in defeat but it was a very close run thing. Batting first, Stanford le Hope got off to a flyer, but Rayleigh gradually reined them back in to a competitive but gettable score of 85 thanks to wickets for Josh (1), Conor (1), Max (1) and Owen Brooks 2-11. Craig Smith also took 3 great catches behind the stumps. In reply, wickets fell at regular intervals preventing any real momentum being built, but 10 from Conor and an outstanding 41 from Max Jones nearly got the team home. In the end, they fell an agonising 13 runs short.
So halfway through and Rayleigh have won 2 and lost 2. The boys are beginning to get to grips with the different tactics required for the indoor game. This is a young side for the age category and all 9 boys used so far will be eligible for next season in the same age group. All have contributed in some way. A number of the boys they have played against are a year older, and this is all good experience. The boys have carried themselves well, and special mention has been made by the umpires to this effect. Here’s to a better second half of the season.