SHEPHERD NEAME ESSEX LEAGUE, DIVISION THREE

WESTCLIFF ON SEA and Benfleet both climbed to the top of the chasing pack with victories at the weekend.

Westcliff enjoyed a three-wicket victory over West Essex, while Benfleet defeated Walthamstow by three wickets.

The wins moved Westcliff up to third in the table, with Benfleet five points further adrift in fourth.

Old Southendian & Southchurch secured a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Woodford Green but remain second in the table behind Oakfield Parkonians.

The top two are still well clear of their rivals, with Basildon & Pitsea’s narrow one-wicket defeat to West Essex leaving them in fifth place.

Peter Barnes had a fantastic day for Westcliff taking four wickets and smashing 145 runs.

He took 4-23 during a 3.2-over spell which claimed vital mid and tail end Old Brentwood wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 256 in 49.3 overs.

Tom Baker (2-24), Callum Pastfield (2-44), Graham Cox (1044) and Alex Hatton (1-51) also got among the wickets.

Opener Osman Chaudry scored 46 runs but it was number five Sumit Sharma (63) who anchored the innings until he became one of Barnes’ victims.

Barnes opened the innings in style until he became one of Awais Sadaqat’s two wickets.

Charlie Lockhart (33), Adam Pickering (20) and Alex Hatton (23no) also made vital contributions as Westcliff lost five cheap wickets in their 257-7 reply.

Benfleet travelled to Walthamstow and saw their bowlers dismiss their hosts for 172 in 48.5 overs.

Paul Frensham led the way with 4-31, while Callum Wheeler (2-20), skipper Gareth Steed (2-29), Mark Accraman (1-36) and Stephen Reeve (1-29) claimed the other wickets against resistance led by Khuram Pervez (39).

Gavin Blowes hit 74 runs as he led the Benfleet run chase. Rob Zammit (25), Reeve (23) and James Wilkins (15) also got into double figures as Benfleet survived a late order collapse to reply with 173-7.

Old Southendian travelled to Woodford Green and thumped them by nine wickets after putting their hosts into bat.

Adam Hunt (4-19), Jamie Robinson (2-35), Michael Bunce (2-31), Adam Rendall (1-36) and Matthew Austin (1-25) restricted Woodford to 174 all out in 35.4 overs, with Hamza Hussain (47).

Max Craddock was the Old Boys' batting star with an unbeaten 108 and despite Chris Bunce going lbw for 31, captain Aaron Lucas was undefeated on 27 as Southendian cruised to 175-1 in 26.5 overs.

Basildon & Pitsea were pipped by a wicket in their home match against West Essex as a hat-trick for Abdul Gafangaf (5-34) put pressure on the batting.

He took the wicket of Sandeep Abhyankar (18) and Darren Thompson and Liam Rouse for ducks.

Rob Davies (26) had started well but valuable contributions from Dean Bedford (29), Danny Gray (23), Philip Tooke (22) and Jamie White (14) steadied the ship as Basildon reached 192 all out.

Lloyd Lambert blitzed 5-32 from his 10 overs to spearhead the Basildon attack and Dan Bedford had 2-64, with Dean Bedford and Rouse taking a wicket each as Ahmed Baker (54) helped guide West Essex to 194-9.