1st XI vs Stanford Le Hope CC, 1st XI

Season 2025 began with a crushing victory at Stanford-Le-Hope, the hosts crumbling to a six wicket defeat.

Winning the toss, Stanford decided to bat on their own track, not sure of what a decent score might be, given that changes to the side had been made since last season's promotion. There was a sense of anticipation on their side that they would give us a decent game, but that was blown out of the water inside seven overs as three wickets fell, including a run-out with the batsman not having faced a ball. Wickets were taken regularly as Stanford capitulated before drinks were taken, limping to 97 all out. Debutant Caleb Seleka immediately showed off his pedigree, taking a wicket with his fourth ball and ending up with impressive figures of 4-14 from 6.3 overs. He was assisted by Jack Plom (2-19), Alex Rickenbach (1-26) and Tom Arnold (1-28).

An uneven pitch could have been used as an excuse for a poor batting performance, but Jack and (later on) Caleb made light work of their bowling. Jack hit the winning runs to the boundary to complete an unbeaten half-century whilst Caleb scored 20 not out in a partnership of 42. The game was finished in the 19th over, with less than 43 overs bowled throughout the match. Four cheap wickets were lost chasing their total, and whilst a couple could consider themselves unlucky to get out, a couple need to think about shot selection.

There will obviously be more difficult games to encounter as the season progresses, but a winning start is always an asset. Next game is away to Goresbrook, a side who can sometimes surprise you. Let's surprise them.........................................