Scorecard

Witham CC 1st XI v Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI on Sat 31 Jul 2021 at 12:00
Halstead Cricket Club Lost by 5 wickets

Match report Halstead will be ruining missed opportunities after defeat in a game they could have won at champions-elect Witham on Saturday.

Ed Clark's men had set the hosts 225 for victory off the back of half-centuries from Matt Cooper and Josh Wells, with Witham falling to 111-4 in their chase, but skipper Jake Wakelin (88*) and South African Onke Nyaku (31) shepherded their team to a 5 wicket victory.

Winning the toss Halstead batted first, Matt Cooper (58) and Harry Pritchard (44) putting together a 94-run opening stand, the highest for the first wicket in the 1st eleven this season. Pritchard departed six runs short of a deserved half-century when trapped lbw by Jake Wakelin (3-35).

Cooper passed his half-century shortly after, his first for the first eleven, as Halstead went into three figures. Liam Jones (2) miscued a shot over the top off Wakelin finding former Halstead man Chris Huntington at mid-on.

Josh Wells (53) joined Cooper in the 31st over with the score on 108, but it so nearly could have been a short stay at the crease with Wells dropped off a very straightforward chance at mid-on. The partnership would be short-lived though as Cooper played onto his stumps to give Wakelin his third scalp. Craig Spooner scored a quickfire 20, including a towering six off Wakelin, but was the next man to depart, edging Onke Nyaku (2-56) behind to Kaan Hawes.

Wells and skipper Ed Clark (17) took the score into the 180s, but first Clark and then Josh King (1) were both bowled, the former by Greg Stephens (1-21) and the latter by Nyaku to leave Halstead at 189-6.

Adam Morris (5*) was at the crease as Wells passed his half-century - a third fifty of the season to go with his two centuries - but the latter had in truth not been fluent in his innings and was the last man to depart, picking out Michael Godwin in the deep off Chris Huntington (1-29). Sam Hawes (4*) and Morris seeing Halstead through to 224-7 from their 50 overs.

Witham got off to a flyer in their reply before rain curtailed the innings for a period, the hosts sitting pretty at 25-0 off three overs when the heavens opened. Huntington (54) and Godwin (29) resumed play an hour later in the same vein and it would require the introduction of Josh Wells (1-38) to break the partnership when it was worth 74, bowling Godwin through the gate.

James Smith (8) - one of three centurions the week prior, alongside Godwin and Cody McDonald against Braintree - was the next to fall, trapped lbw by Liam Jones (1-38) attempting to play a sweep and 94-2 soon became 94-3 as Huntington played around one from Craig Spooner (2-40).

Halstead firmly had the bit between their teeth when just before drinks McDonald (4) slapped Spooner to Ed Clark at cover - the captain clinging on to a tough chance - to leave Witham 111-4 and 23 overs to score the 114 needed for victory.

Wakelin went hard in counter-attacking the Halstead bowlers, scoring swiftly in a not without chances knock. The key passage of the game however was a three-over spell where both Nyaku and Wakelin were dropped early in their innings. The errors continued in both ground fielding and overthrows as Halstead switched off in the field.

The Witham pair put on 103 for the fifth wicket and firmly put their side on course for victory. Callum Hansey (1-10) did trap Nyaku LBW for his first first eleven wicket of the season, but it was too little too late as Wakelin finished the chase with back-to-back boundaries the next over.

Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
10w 9b 1lb 
for 7 wickets
20
224		        
Matt Cooper b J Wakelin 58 86 4 1 67.44
Harry Pritchard lbw J Wakelin 44 67 8 65.67
Liam Jones ct C Huntington b J Wakelin 2 15 13.33
Josh Wells ct M Godwin b C Huntington 53 59 4 1 89.83
Craig Spooner ct K Hawes b O Nyaku 20 17 2 1 117.65
Ed Clark b G Stephens 17 30 56.67 1
Josh King b O Nyaku 1 6 16.67
Adam Morris Not Out  5 5 100
Sam Hawes Not Out  4 5 80.0
Callum Hansey  
Greg Oxlade  

Witham CC 1st XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Onke Nyaku10.0056228.005.60
Cody McDonald4.001900.004.75
Leroy Facey6.013300.005.50
Carl Bragg4.002400.006.00
Jake Wakelin10.0035311.673.50
Greg Stephens10.0121121.002.10
Chris Huntington6.0129129.004.83

Witham CC 1st XI Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
11w 1b  
for 5 wickets
12
227 (43.0 overs)		     
Chris Huntington b C Spooner 54 60 8 90.0
Michael Godwin b J Wells 29 50 3 58.00
James Smith lbw L Jones 8 23 1 34.78
Cody McDonald ct E Clark b C Spooner 4 12 33.33
Jake Wakelin Not Out  88 61 7 5 144.26
Onke Nyaku lbw C Hansey 31 45 1 68.89
James Suett Not Out  1 7 14.29
Leroy Facey  
Carl Bragg  
Kaan Hawes  
Greg Stephens  

Halstead Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ed Clark9.005800.006.44
Josh King7.004200.006.00
Josh Wells10.0038138.003.80
Craig Spooner9.0140220.004.44
Liam Jones6.0038138.006.33
Callum Hansey2.0110110.005.00