After a morning of biblical rain, the Braintree 3’s returned to their home away from home at The Airfield looking to continue their fine form from the previous weeks drubbing of Witham under bright sunshine.
After losing the toss and being invited to bat, birthday boy Ian Johnston and Will Sherry went out with purpose to put the opening bowlers under pressure. Johnston, in his usual measured way, deciding it was really too hot to run hit a number of quick boundaries, judging the pace perfectly to beat the fielders to the boundary, despite young Sherry’s best attempts to try and get him to run in case the ball didn’t get there. His quick-fire innings was brought to an end on 17 as he looked to put his foot down.
This brought their inform leader to the crease, and whilst he played the bowling with a respect lacking from Johnston, he soon had both Sherry’s come and go at the other end, both being bowled as they looked to get going.
At 46-3 matters could’ve turned bad, but Jay Singh Shera came to the crease and put on a partnership of just under 80 with the captain- a mixture of good (yet somehow silent) running between the pair and shots to the boundary when anything was loose. Shera’s innings was somewhat interrupted by him being caught by a clear no-ball for height, with it being obvious to everyone including the fielding team. Everyone except the umpire at square-leg who didn’t see it at all.
Thankfully the fielding team did the right thing and called him back, enabling him to continue. The fall of the captain and swift return to the pavilion of Shub Alhat brought the returning and bionic Glen Newham to the crease. A man desperate to play since being injured, his enthusiasm was just what we wanted to see, even before he, along with Shera, took the bowling apart.
Watching the pair of them run without calling each other through, and the state of them both in the searing heat was quite amusing for everyone except the opposition, with some big biffing towards the end giving them an 88-run partnership, Shera departing for a well-played 75 and Newham for 41 off only 33 balls.
All that was left was for Chaplin and Lazarus to chip away at the last few overs, with a gorgeous shot to the boundary from Chaplin the highlight of his cameo, leaving Braintree on 226 off their 40 overs.
Whilst Johnston has bemoaned constantly the lack of tea being provided in certain situations, as it was his birthday a cake was produced for the tea break for the team and their supporters. Fueled by a pre-diabetic chocolate coma the team took to the field to keep things tight from the outset.
Confucius once said ‘Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it’, which sums up perfectly the spell of bowling then produced by Leigh Garner. Anyone who was there to see it witnessed truly one of the great spells of swing bowling - your Hoggards, your Pollocks, even your Jimmy Andersons would’ve been challenged to produce a spell as beautiful as his.
The first 5 overs he produced were maidens. The next 3 went for 13 runs, and he wreaked havoc on the opposition, claiming all 3 of his victims with in swinging Yorkers and ending with figures that belong in the Louvre of 8 overs, 6 maidens, 3 for 13.
At the other end he was ably supported by young Lucas Hale, a picture of pace and accuracy. Seeing the experience at the other end, he roared in and hit the pitch hard, removing one of the openers with an ‘LBW’ that was somewhat generous, but the umpire seemed unconvinced until the keeper and slip cordon joined in at which point he raised his finger. Hale’s second wicket really was just too quick for the batter, knocking the stumps back.
At such a young, tender age, as required Hale was then forced to have a break, leaving him with a better economy rate than even Garner, 5 overs costing just 8 runs and taking 2 wickets.
Having seen the carnage occurring, and deciding he fancied a piece of the action, the older Sherry started to catch the skippers eyes with some over the top warm up action. Some of the planes coming to land in the airfield might have mistaken him for directing them in he was so obvious, but the captain relented.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean a let up for the opposition, as the flat track bully with a swinging ball, despite starting off just a couple of paces because of his injury, soon decided to bowl his usual pace - as indicated by asking the umpire to take a step back.
3 quick wickets fell to his swing, all bowled, leaving the opposition in disarray and teetering. Sherry ended up with 3 wickets of the lower order for just 10 runs off 5 overs.
Whilst one or two of the tail of the opposition managed to get them through to drinks, the rock they based their innings on eventually gave a catch off the wily spin of young Sherry to the older Sherry, leaving Callum Lazarus to give the coup de grace with a bowl straight and they’ll miss approach.
The opposition were all out for 56 off 24 overs - a comprehensive all-round performance with both bat and ball by the team, and everyone walking away with smiles on their faces.