Result: Rayleigh (112-9) beat Benfleet (92-3) by 20 runs
On a dry, sunny but very windy Sunday morning in Benfleet, Conor lost the toss and Rayleigh were inserted. Rayleigh got off to a wobbly start, losing their first 3 wickets for just 15 runs. This brought skipper Conor and Craig together. Despite the occasional suicidal run, the boys batted sensibly and a mixture of big hits, quick singles and accumulation of extras saw them put on 53 for the 4th wicket in just over 7 overs. Conor was run out on 22 and Craig soon followed for 11. The following boys tried to push on and it was left to Mihir to strike a couple of lusty blows for 14 at the end which saw Rayleigh post a score of 112-9.
In reply, Benfleet were immediately pegged back by Josh, taking a wicket in the first over. Matt backed this up with a maiden and did even better in his next, bowling Benfleet’s other opener. When a run out followed, Benfleet were 9-3 in the 5th over. Some good batting from the 2 Benfleet batsmen and some slightly wayward bowling in difficult, windy conditions saw them get back in the game. However, their untimely retirements and 2 good last overs from Matt and Henry (picking up another wicket) meant that Rayleigh were safely home by 20 runs.
Everyone got a bat and 9 bowlers used so this was a real team effort. Matt was the pick of the bowlers with 1-11 of 4 overs and skipper Conor weighed in with a top score of 22. Three of the boys had seasons’ best batting (Mihir 14, Calum 5 not out, and Harry 2 not out) and there were no dropped catches again.Some momentum is building.