HADLEIGH & Thundersley got back to winning ways with a 48 run win against Ilford.

The triumph kept Hadleigh eighth in the Shepherd Neame Essex League Premier Division standings and delighted skipper Richard Revell, whose side had been beaten by Hornchurch last time out.

“It was a great win for the lads and just the response I was looking for after the disappointment of last week,” said Revell.

“From the offset, we knew a total around 180 was going to be hard to chase as Ilford’s pitch was proving very tricky to bat on.

“But our middle order really stepped up and gritted it out to give us a total of 193 from our 50 overs.

“Max Holmes and Luke Smith both got fine half-centuries to put us in a good position at the halfway mark.”

And Hadleigh were also able to impress with the ball to secure a third win in their last four games.

“We started well with the ball and took a couple of early wickets,” said Revell.

“Ilford did manage to build a couple of partnerships but were always behind the run rate.

“We were sharp in the field and patient with our bowling.

“The pressure built and the wickets started to fall.

“Everyone did their bit with the ball but Haider Zaidi was the stand out bowler, taking 4-34.”

Hadleigh - who are now 31 points clear of the drop zone - made 193/5 in their innings before bowling Ilford out for 145.

And Billericay were also celebrating after securing an 11 run win against Chelmsford.

Billericay - who have now won three games in a row - hit 226, with David Houghton top scoring with 49.

But, in reply, Chelmsford were all out for 215 as Andy Smith took five wickets for 45 runs to leave Billericay skipper Lee Knight a happy man.

“I’m very pleased to pick up another important win,” said Knight, whose side now sit sixth.

“We have had a couple of close matches against Chelmsford this season.

“I felt we had the game sewn up at 87/8, but Chelmsford proved they bat all the way down as the last couple of batsmen batted brilliantly.

“Thankfully, we picked up the final wicket in the penultimate over just as it looked like Chelmsford would pull off a remarkable victory.”

Bottom of the table Southend & EMT suffered a fourth defeat in succession, losing by seven wickets against league leaders Hornchurch.