Chingford Guardian
www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/cricket/
Below are a collection of articles that have appeared in the Chingford Guardian about Chingford Cricket Club.
Chingford fall just one boundary short
Chingford 217-7
Westcliff 223-10
(Essex League Division One)
CHINGFORD showed much improved form as they ran league leaders Westcliff very close at Forest Side.
After losing the toss and being consigned to the field, the home side claimed the wicket of Steve Green with the first ball of the match, delivered by Jon Dyers.
Grant Mather then took the wicket of John Pratt (32) with the score on 68 but a fine partnership of 100 between Brian McKeith (77) and Tim Wade (57) put Westcliff in a strong position with 14 overs left.
Shaun McMurray then entered the fray and dramatically changed the course of events, snapping up six wickets for just 17 runs as Westcliff collapsed to 223 a/o when a much higher total looked likely.
Openers Richard Alston (40) and James Hill (33) gave Chingford an excellent start, putting on 76 for the first wicket, but sadly the innings suddenly disintegrated to 99-4 as Mather and Rhone quickly followed Hill and Alston to the pavilion with Nick Cooper picking up three quick wickets.
Shaun McMurray (47) and the injured James Runciman (34) batted gamely to put the home side back on track but the task of scoring 42 from the last four overs proved just too much despite Jon Dyers' quick fire 24 n/o.
1998
Alston Ignites Chingford
Chingford 226-5 beat West Herts 202-7 by 24 runs.
Abbot Ale Cup Round One
Chingford progressed to the second round with a solid victory over West Herts, who only fleetingly looked capable of matching their total.
Chingford batted first and after losing James Hill early on, they consolidated with a partnership of 121 between Rowan Akram with 63 and Chris Leighton who scored 59.
It took a ten over blitz from veteran Richard Alston, notching up 69, to enable a total that looked far in excess of what West Herts would manage in reply.
West Herts made the worst possible start, losing their first three wickets for just 22 runs. Kirby and skipper Hodges steadied the ship with a fine partnership of 119 but having scored only 76 from 28 some drastic action was required.
Akram hit 23 runs in two overs and the run chase was on. However, Chingford skipper James Runciman's tight offspin slowed the charge and when he captured the vital wicket of Kirby West Herts never looked likely to reach their target.
Chingford Marching On
Chingford Cricket Club are just two games away from a dream Lords final after causing another shock in the Evening Standard Trophy.
They disposed of last year's beaten finalists, Sevenoaks Vine, by five wickets on Sunday to set up a quarter final clash at Malden Wanderers.
The Surrey side won the competition in 1995 and they go into this Sunday's clash as firm favourites, but Chingford are confident that they can cause another giantkilling.
Club president, Jeff Runciman said: "We weren't optimistic about our chances against Sevenoaks, but we beat them and we've shown that we can do well against any team.''
`The beauty of this competition is that you meet sides that you wouldn't normally play and now that we're on a roll you never know what will happen on the day.''
Chingford had been on the wrong end of an upset themselves on Saturday, giving bottom of the table Ilford their first victory of the season in their Essex League clash.
Fortunately they were able to get their act together the following day and bounce back to their best after Skipper James Runciman lost the toss and was asked to field.
Superb opening spells from John Dyers, who took 2 for 33 and Kerry Marriott with 4 for 20, made early inroads into the Sevenoaks batting and and left them reeling at 31-3, a position from which they never really recovered.
More tight bowling kept the home side under the cosh, and Dyers and Marriott returned to bowl the final overs and clean up the tail, leaving Sevenoaks with a total of 157.
In reply Chingford made a shaky start before pinch hitter Tariq Mahmood provided the backbone of their innings.
He made a calculated 53 after seeing Runciman and Alston depart with only 19 on the board.
James Hill with 27 supported him in a stand of 56, but with the run rate creeping up to four an over, Mahmood made a rare error and skied to the keeper with the score on 101.
Strong nerves were now needed but Imran Mahmood with an unbeaten 30 played with refreshing freedom to take Chingford home to a magnificent five-wicket win.
1999
Chingford nerves hold despite late collapse
Chingford 160-9d Orsett 103
Chingford won by 57 runs
(Division One)
CHINGFORD took a while to find their feet but still got off to a winning start in their first Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League match of the season.
Batting first, Chingford were struggling when precise bowling by Polyblank and Humphrey reduced them to 41 for four after 23 overs.
James Runciman and Tariq Mahmood hit 23 and 34 to effect a spirited recovery but once they had departed Chingford collapsed once again to a precarious 109 for eight.
Again they recovered thanks to Kerry Marriott, whose unbeaten 32 enabled declaration on 160 for nine, which in the conditions was always going to be a difficult target.
Orsett's reply almost mirrored the Chingford innings and they quickly found themselves on 39 for four before Mark Downey showed some stubborn resistance in the crease to give his side a chance.
James Runciman ended that threat and Jon Dyers was also in lethal form. His aggressive fast bowling flattened the Orsett tail end and gave him a five-wicket haul for just 26 runs.
The visitors were dismissed for 107 with just two deliveries remaining, giving Chingford 18 points towards their promotion bid.
2000
Chingford Buried By Rampant Horndon
Chingford 162ao
Horndon 242-3
Horndon won by 80 runs
(division one)
A WEAKENED Chingford side were systematically taken apart by top of the table Horndon-on-the-Hill on Saturday.
Danny Hill and Jon Dyers bowled well early on, restricting Horndon to 81-2 off the first 27 overs.
But Chingford's tardy over rate forced them to bowl their slower bowlers who were dispatched to all parts of the ground by Paul Bennet (59) and Dave Stitson, who completed a fine undefeated century.
The eventual target of 243 was always going to be difficult to beat with Chingford missing three front-line batsmen and they quickly lost three wickets with just 36 on the board.
Skipper James Hill batted gamely to score 61 but only Darren Ross (24) and Roy Williams (16) gave him any support.
Horndon eventually ran home winners by a substantial 80 run margin with ten balls left.
2003
Chingford go for youth
Chingford…204 a/o Hornchurch…184 a/o (Essex League Division Three)
A YOUNG Chingford side, featuring no less than five players under the age of 20, claimed a good win over a more experienced Hornchurch outfit on Saturday.
Batting first on a wicket that was taking a lot of spin, Chingford made steady, if not spectacular, progress with the willow. There were no outstanding knocks, captain Shaun MacMurray top-scoring with 34, but consistent batting throughout the order saw Chingford reach 204-9 off their allotted overs.
When they took to the crease, Hornchurch were offered a simple ultimatum by the Chingford bowlers – If you want to win you're going to have to work hard for it. Refusing to take the new ball and utilising just spin bowling, Chingford forced the home side to battle hard for every run.
The tactic paid off as Hornchurch were skittled out for 184 runs. Star of the Chingford attack was Yogi Flora with a five-fer, while captain McMurray chipped in with three.
After the game McMurray said: "I'm very happy with the way we played, it was a real team effort. But I'm especially pleased with the younger players in the squad, who all played with real maturity."
Chingford Still In Danger
Chingford 185-8 dec drew with Orsett 151-9
Chingford's bad luck continued on Saturday as they failed by a whisker to take the maximum points they needed to escape relegation.
Things looked bleak when Chingford collapsed to 28 for five having elected to bat. Tariq Mahmood steadied the ship with 24 but at 58 for six there was still much work to be done.
Skipper James Runciman and Paul Adshead batted with much skill and application, putting on 60 runs, before Adshead departed for 19 runs on his debut.
James Runciman went on to complete a fine half-century and his hard graft was rewarded by the tail who pasted a tiring attack with an enterprising stand of 38. Six valuable batting points were achieved which had seemed totally unlikely earlier.
Orsett's reply began at pace with Humphreys hitting a brisk 29. Andy Perkins once again came on to take two crucial wickets before Stuart Moon and David Cracknell embarked on a menacing partnership which took the score to 124 for four and left them ideally placed.
The return of Marriott turned the game on its head, taking three quick wickets and with Safraz and Runciman chipping in, Orsett were reduced to saving the game.
Last men standing deny Chingford deserved win
Chingford…266-4 Westcliff…207-9 (Essex League Div 1)
CHINGFORD continued their new-found form against second-placed Westcliff, but despite having nine overs to bowl against the last pair, could not force home a deserved win and had to settle for 12 bonus points.
Having been put in to bat, Chingford lost MacGregor early but Richard Alston (18) and James Runciman (22) helped Jamie Hill put on 113 runs.
Billy Rhone with a fine unbeaten 54 then shared in a century partnership when Hill departed for a truly magnificent 123.
Skipper Shaun McMurray then put the icing on the cake blasting 25 not out from eight deliveries to allow Chingford to declare on 266-4.
Chingford opted to bowl with the old ball and opened the bowling with James Runciman and Kerry Marriott who both took early wickets. On a turning wicket, spinners Runciman, MacGregor and Flora accounted for eight of the wickets with only Choksi's pair making any impression.
At 176 for nine with nine overs left, Westcliff seemed dead and buried, but Taylor and Cooper survived enabling Westcliff to finish on 207 for nine.