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SATURDAY REVIEW

SATURDAY REVIEW

Kevin Roome

Wins for 2s, 4s, and Mid-Essex sides, but narrow derby heartbreak for 1st XI

It was a dramatic Saturday afternoon for the club's senior sides with four victories from seven league fixtures, highlighted by a staggering 193 not out from George Sheridan for the 4th XI alongside convincing wins for the 2nd XI, Mid-Essex XI, and Mid-Essex 2nd XI.

The 1st XI suffered a narrow four-run defeat in a high-scoring derby against Harold Wood at Upminster Park. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors posted 251-8 from their 50 overs. Craig Perrin (55) and Haaris Ayub (67*) led the way for Wood, alongside a quickfire 42 from Farhan Javeed. Nehal Butt was the pick of the Upminster attack, claiming 4-59 from his 10 overs, with Vansh Mehra (2-32), Jamie Green (1-38), and Jon-Jon Smuts (1-32) also among the wickets. In reply, Upminster made a flying start despite the early loss of Kiran Kullar, as Jon-Jon Smuts smashed 65 from just 40 balls (including 9 fours and 3 sixes) in an 84-run stand with Pulkit Gupta (26). Gus Philpot kept Upminster firmly in the hunt with a composed 55, while Adam Wheater added a brisk 32. Wood hit back through Taqi Abbas (4-71), but late cameos from Jamie Green (24) and Ollie Burley (20) brought Upminster to the brink of victory before the home side were bowled out for 247.

The 2nd XI recorded an emphatic six-wicket victory over local rivals Harold Wood at Harold Wood Park. Upminster won the toss and elected to field, with John Curtis (2-25) striking early to reduce the hosts to 10-1 and 39-2. Christopher Bennett anchored the home innings with 70, but Gus Siggins broke through the middle order with 3-60 from his nine overs. Captain Oliver Peck (1-31) and Tom Daniels (1-51) also claimed a wicket each as Wood reached 221-8 from their 45 overs. In reply, Upminster made light work of the chase. Harry Jenkins (12) and Mit Shah (35) provided a solid platform before Ian Russell (36) and Akibur Rahman combined in a dominant 93-run partnership for the third wicket. Rahman was the standout performer with an aggressive 84 from 71 balls, striking 16 boundaries. Tom Daniels (17*) then helped guide Upminster across the line at 226-4 with more than 10 overs to spare.

The 3rd XI suffered a six-wicket defeat against Brentwood at the Old County Ground. Upminster won the toss and elected to bat, with Stuart Connor making 25 at the top before Zoran Suneel (47) and Arun Kullar (39) rebuilt the innings with an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Michael Pedrick (25) and Joseph Brooks (18) provided useful runs in the middle order, while late hitting from Dylan Narbheram (16*) pushed Upminster to 203-9 from their 45 overs, with George Bull claiming 4-30 for the hosts. Finley Tolan made an early breakthrough in the Brentwood reply before Brooks produced a superb spell of 3-33 to reduce the hosts to 73-4. However, Harry Hobson took charge of the chase with a fine unbeaten 115 from 105 balls, combining with Jatin Patel (55*) in an unbroken 133-run partnership to see Brentwood to victory in 36.2 overs.

A breathtaking innings of 193 not out from George Sheridan powered the 4th XI to a thrilling 62-run victory in an extraordinary high-scoring clash against South Woodford at Coopers. Upminster chose to bat first and, despite losing Stephen Limn early, took complete control of the match. Sheridan joined William Peck (64) to compile a brilliant 136-run stand for the second wicket before skipper Matthew Ingleson kept the momentum surging with a rapid 45 from 33 deliveries. Sheridan was in unstoppable form, smashing 27 fours and two sixes in his 141-ball masterclass, and combined with Bobby Mack (37* from 17 balls) in an unbroken stand for the fourth wicket to propel Upminster to a mammoth 378-3 from their 45 overs. South Woodford launched a spirited chase in reply, with Saqib Ali smashing 123 from 78 balls and Mohsin Zamir adding 59 to take the visitors to 199-2 and 259-3. However, Upminster held their nerve in the field, supported by three sharp run outs from Nathan Brown, Ewan Lowrie, and Aedan Daly. Lowrie (1-51), Stanley Moore (1-63), and Daly (1-41) each claimed a wicket before captain Ingleson turned the game decisively in Upminster's favour, taking 4-34 in 6.4 overs to wrap up the South Woodford innings on 316 with two balls to spare.

The 5th XI suffered a 123-run defeat against Harold Wood 5th XI in a high-scoring encounter at Harold Wood Park. The home side elected to bat first and piled on the runs, reaching 343-3 from their 40 overs thanks to an aggressive 96 from Ghazanfar Ali Shah, an unbeaten 104 from Gurmaan Singh, and 62 not out from Shaurya Kumar. Anay Narbheram was the pick of the Upminster attack, taking 2-41 from his eight overs. In reply, Upminster slipped into trouble at 60-4 against a disciplined Wood attack led by Zeeshan Jan (3-38). Stewart Hammond stood firm at the top of the order with a fighting 67 from 96 balls, before a spirited late partnership between Aalok Latey and Shreyansh Shah helped restore pride. Latey made a fine 51 from 49 deliveries alongside Shah's brisk 28, adding 74 for the ninth wicket to take Upminster to 220 all out from their 40 overs.

The Mid-Essex XI produced a dominant performance to secure an eight-wicket victory over Chelmsford Super Kings 2nd XI. The visitors elected to bat first and moved into a promising position through Saumitra Kanoongo (49), Biju Nair (38), and Udham Partap Singh (36). However, Upminster's bowlers maintained control, with Woody Treadwell leading the way with a superb spell of 4-26 from seven overs. Ryan Brown picked up 2-44, while Aadit Latey (1-35) and Mark Schofield (1-62) claimed a wicket each, and two sharp run outs from Schofield and Ralph Burchell helped dismiss the visitors for 216 in 38.3 overs. In reply, Upminster made light work of the target. Skipper Craig Grote got the chase off to a flying start with a brisk 44 from 24 deliveries before Billy Sheridan and Robert Healy took complete control. Sheridan anchored the innings brilliantly with an unbeaten 69 from 84 balls, while Healy attacked with fluent strokeplay, finishing 75 not out from 54 balls (including 12 fours and a six). The pair shared an unbroken 131-run stand for the third wicket to guide Upminster to 219-2 in just 28.2 overs.

The Mid-Essex 2nd XI stormed to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Ilford Catholic 4th XI. After winning the toss and electing to field, Upminster made early inroads as Karim Govani ripped through the top order, claiming 3-20 from his eight overs to leave the hosts reeling at 17-4. Amit Saluja briefly held Upminster at bay with 32, but Archie Lowe (2-12), Aiden McNeela (1-15), Ewan McArthur (1-9), and Kevin McNeela (3-20) maintained relentless pressure to bowl out Ilford Catholic for 124 in 30 overs. Upminster wasted no time in the chase, with Donald Triggs (11) and Harrison Simpson (22) putting on 50 for the opening wicket. Max Malby then struck a brisk 28 before Kevin McNeela (29*) guided Upminster past the target at 125-3 in just 14.5 overs to seal a swift victory.

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