Braintree 2s crossed back across the Orwell to face Mildenhall at St Peter’s Road. The day was scorching, and thankfully captain Gowers won the toss and chose to bat.

The experienced Dave Hale strode to the crease, hoping to regain his early season form, accompanied by Dan Garner. Garner set to work quickly, punishing the loose bowling by Mildenhall, striking the ball for four with ease. Hale started differently, dropped on 2 at point and at square leg on 19, but this seemed to be the break he needed. Garner continued his fluency, batting watchfully and content to play out a maiden, before bringing up his fifty off 50 balls, dispatching one to the ropes. Hale made his way into the forties into the forties, a few inside edges flying to the boundary before finding his timing with two fours and a six to bring up his half century off 54 balls. Hale continued the attack, regularly finding the boundary, hitting 8 maximums in his knock. Hale went to a very well made third century of the season by hitting the ball onto the roof of the nets, facing only 83 deliveries. It wasn’t as plain sailing to double up for Garner, dropped at long on when he was on 62, and what a costly moment that proved to be. Garner continued the trend set by Hale, and went to a fantastic century just before 30 over drinks, proving his claim that he could ‘hit a century with a plank of wood on that wicket’. Garner was soon to raise the bat again, as Himesh Patel told everyone he was four away from 150 just soon after, despite him only being on 110. Cue much applause and looks of confusion from Garner. Garner and Hale now had the young off spinner in their sights, both heaving him straight down the ground into the gardens for six. Hale fell playing onto his stumps for an incredible 136 off 101 balls, Braintree 270-1 off 34.1 overs. Joe Osborne came to the middle and immediately made the opposition pay for bringing up the field, smashing one through the covers for four. He looked to run and support Garner, who was now seeing it like a beach ball and finding boundaries so often, whether it was hitting over the covers, sweeping or smashing straight down the ground. After surviving a missed stumping, Osborne continued his attack, striking 4 4s and a 6 in his innings of 31 off 22 before being bowled. Captain Gowers joined Garner who had now raised the bat for the fourth time at 150, and nicked the strike with 1 ball left meaning the Garner fireworks were over at a classy 195 not out off just 142 balls, Braintree finishing on a mammoth total of 395-2.
The 395 Braintree put on the board looked formidable, but on a good deck they knew anything could happen. Andrew Sherry and Rhys John opened up for Braintree and caused problems straight off the bat, with Sherry’s inswing looking to target the stumps. Both bowlers beat the bat, but it was Sherry who took the opening wicket, bowling Handy with a full toss to leave Mildenhall 16-1. Thurston and Horrex set about rebuilding for Mildenhall, but it was an interesting partnership, as the pair lacked aggression in their batting, leading to Braintree’s attacking fields. Seamer Patel and the spinners Geoff Eveling and Toby Adcock continued to keep it tight, however the wicket just would not come as the overs whizzed by with few runs. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. After an incredible net session on Tuesday, captain Gowers turned to Guy Walton for his leg spin. And the man with the moustache did not disappoint. Among some double bounce no balls, Walton bamboozled the batsmen, a flighted deliveries taking the edge of Thurston’s bat and into the safe hands of Garner at slip, Mildenhall now 80-2. With the partnership broken, Walton decided to try and bring himself off in the middle of the over, and Gowers turned back to John and Sherry to try to dismiss Grinling, who had begun to attack. John fulfilled his captains orders, bowling Grinling then trapping new batter Collins’s in front, Mildenhall now 141-4 off 37.2 overs. The pair of Horrex, who had now passed his fifty, and L Handy frustrated Braintree until the last over, where a quicker ball from Eveling castled captain Handy. Mildenhall finished on 194-5, 201 runs short of Braintree’s total.
Overall, it was an important win for the Second XI to overcome the fourth placed team in the league and keep a firm foot in the promotion race with 17 points from the game, moving up to second spot in the league