Scorecard

Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI v Chelmsford on Sun 14 Apr 2019 at 12.00
Halstead Cricket Club Lost by 133 runs

Match report Halstead – 157-9 – lost to Chelmsford – 290-6 – by 133 runs

By Callum Hansey

Chelmsford took the spoils in a bitterly cold pre-season friendly at Star Stile on Sunday.

With hail interfering midway through the Chelmsford innings, the cricket season feels a long way away but the game afforded Josh Wells’ side much-needed match practice ahead of next week’s Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship Division One opener at Woolpit next weekend.

Wells won the toss and put Shepherd Neame Essex Premier League Champions – captained by former Essex, Durham, and Western Australia quick, Matt Dixon – in to bat.

Oliver Wagstaff (78) and Dan Hagen (40) took advantage of some rust from the Halstead openers, on a pitch that looked more akin to something produced in mid-summer rather than early April to the credit of the ground staff.

A short boundary to the road presented issues for the Halstead bowlers, with anything off line and length frequently punished as Chelmsford moved easily toward three figures, Wagstaff passing his half-century with a boundary off Joe Morris (1-38).

Fellow opener Hagen looked set for a fifty, but a change of ends for Ed Clark (1-62) helped him find a groove, bowling Hagen as he looked to whip the ball through midwicket to leave Chelmsford 94-1.

The introduction of Josh King (2-46) also brought rewards for Halstead, with Bradley Green (0) trapped lbw first ball.

Wagstaff and James Gruijters (44) kept the score ticking along at more than a run a ball, adding 53 for the third wicket before Wagstaff miscued a sweep across the line, against King, finding Liam Jones who took a calm boundary catch that had been swirling in the wintry conditions.

Another 50-run stand ensured as Gruijters and Ben Clifford (73) scored quickly, the latter hitting six 4s and four 6s in his innings, the short boundary again being peppered.

Jones (0-50) bowled well for no reward with Wells’ first spell also proving fruitless. Charlie Douglas-Hughes (1-29) took the brunt of the onslaught but had Gruijters caught behind by Harry Pritchard – his first stint behind the stumps in four years – to break the partnership.

Sean Sullivan (32) came in and scored quickly alongside Clifford, the pair adding 74 in quick time for the fifth wicket, until Morris strangled Sullivan down the leg side, Pritchard taking a good catch.

Matt Dixon (6*) joined Clifford for the final two overs, helping Chelmsford to 290 before the sixth wicket fell with the final ball, Jones again with a catch, this time off Josh Wells (1-58) as Clifford was looking to finish with a six.

Halstead’s reply was hindered by a broken thumb suffered by Pritchard three balls into the Chelmsford innings, meaning Charlie Douglas-Hughes (17) was promoted to open alongside debutant Tommie Predgen (24).

Dixon (0-20) bowled with good pace alongside the swing of Mark Drain (2-25) as Halstead got off to a tentative start. Douglas-Hughes hit two boundaries in a fluid innings of 17 before he cut Drain to Ben Waring at backward point.

Predgen had got off the mark for the club with an excellent driver over cover for six but was bowled by Drain as Halstead fell from 43-0 to 44-2.

Josh King (1) hit a pull straight to Drain at midwicket to give Sean Sullivan (3-29) his first wicket, with Mark Johnson (13) and Josh Wells (87) needing to rebuild from 51-3.

Wells dominated the strike in his 48-run stand with Johnson, hitting twelve 4s and three 6s in his time at the crease, but Halstead found themselves four down before reaching three figures, Johnson chipping Sullivan straight to Gruijters at mid-off.

Joe Morris (1) helped get the score past 100 but offered a simple return catch to Ben Clifford (1-35) to depart. Ed Clark (4) hit a sweetly struck four off his legs to get off the mark, helping Wells past his half-century but was out lbw to Andy Styan soon after.

Adam Morris (0) and Liam Jones (6) were both bowled by Ben Waring (2-20) as Wells started to run out of partners as he searched for a century.

Callum Hansey (2*) was the last man as Pritchard would not bat due to his thumb injury, so Wells tried to accelerate but ultimately fell 13 runs short of three figures in the same vein as King, caught at midwicket by Hagen off Sullivan.

Despite the defeat, Wells felt it was important to transition to match practice: “It wasn’t the result we wanted but I hope all the side took something from the game. We have netted well over the winter and outdoors in recent weeks, so hopefully this leads into some early form for the start of the league season.”

Halstead start their Division One campaign at Woolpit on Saturday, whilst the Second XI host Easton at Star Stile.

Chelmsford Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 8w 3b 4lb 
for 6 wickets
17
290 (40.0 overs)		     
O. Wagstaff ct  L. Jones - b J. King 78 75 13 1 104.00
D. Hagen b  E. Clark 40 52 7 76.92
B. Green lbw  J. King 0 1 0
J. Gruijters ct  H. Pritchard - b C. Douglas-Hughes 44 45 5 1 97.78
B. Clifford ct  L. Jones - b J. Wells 73 45 6 4 162.22
S. Sullivan ct  H. Pritchard - b J. Morris 32 20 2 2 160.0
M. Dixon Not Out  6 5 1 120.0
A. Stayn  
M. Drain  
B. Waring  
   

Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Joe Morris8.0238138.004.75
Ed Clark8.0162162.007.75
Josh Wells7.0058158.008.29
Josh King8.0046223.005.75
Liam Jones7.005000.007.14
Charlie Douglas-Hughes2.0029129.0014.50

Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
2w  
for 9 wickets
2
157		        
Charlie Douglas-Hughes ct  B. Waring - b M. Drain 17 33 2 51.52
Tommie Predgen b  M. Drain 24 27 1 3 88.89
Josh Wells ct  D. Hagen - b S. Sullivan 87 78 12 3 111.54
Josh King ct  M. Drain - b S. Sullivan 1 15 6.67
Mark Johnson ct  J. Gruijters - b S. Sullivan 13 19 2 68.42
Joe Morris ct  & bowled B. Clifford 1 6 16.67
Ed Clark lbw  A. Stayn 4 14 1 28.57
Adam Morris b  B. Waring 0 7 0
Liam Jones b  B. Waring 6 14 42.86 2
Callum Hansey Not Out  2 10 20.0
Harry Pritchard   Absent Injured 2

Chelmsford Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
M. Dixon7.022000.002.86
M. Drain6.0325212.504.17
A. Stayn7.0128128.004.00
S. Sullivan6.112939.674.70
B. Clifford4.0135135.008.75
B. Waring7.0120210.002.86

  • Umpire :
    D. Robinson
  • Scorer :
    N. Morris
 
Photos and video of Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI v Chelmsford on Sun 14 Apr 2019 at 12.00

Performance of the Week: Preseason

Josh Wells with Performance of the Week for his 87 in the preseason friendly with Chelmsford