Braintree Battle Hard in Low-Scoring Contest at Ipswich
After last weeks washout due to the weather and with glorious weather forecast for the day, there was plenty of high spirits and optimism within the team as Braintree travelled to Ipswich. Despite the forecast, there was some cloud cover and a breeze at Ipswich, however the sun was trying to burn through the clouds and the track looked a good one. Based on this Captain Walker made the decision that Braintree would bat first after winning the toss.
However, Walker was left questioning himself if he had made the correct decision at the toss as Braintree found themselves under pressure early on as Matt Renvoize (6), Bryn Powell (0) and Toby Adcock (0) all fell cheaply, leaving Walker, walking out to bat to join Hinks with the score 10/3.

Hinksy and Walker were able to steady the innings with a valuable partnership of 38 as Hinks struck four boundaries in a patient 18 before snicking off to the keeper. Walker, despite being dropped on 6, provided the main resistance as he continued moving the scoreboard forward to make 24 from just 25 deliveries before he was undone by an inside edge onto his inner thigh pad that sent the ball onto the stumps to be bowled. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, however Matt Hollingsworth contributed a determined 17 and Glen Newham added 11 useful runs lower down the order. Although he only scored 2, Callum Lazarus freshly back from Magaluf in the week, is worthy of a mention as he faced 38 balls to keep Ipswich in the field longer whilst forming partnerships to advance the score by 25 before being the last man out with Braintree eventually being dismissed for 105, a total that looked way below par and a sight far too familiar this season for Braintree.

Defending a modest target, Braintree needed a strong start with the ball and the talk as they entered the field was that they had been in this position several times this season and could draw on the experience to make the run chase as hard as possible for the Ipswich batters. Braintree delivered exactly that. Chris Hinks bowled a superb opening spell, finishing with outstanding figures of 2 wickets for just 6 runs from 9 overs, including 4 maidens with an economy of just 0.67.
Captain Chris Walker also produced an excellent spell, taking 2 for 15 from his 9 overs, while Toby Adcock and Callum Lazarus added a wicket each. Ipswich were made to work hard for every run, with Braintree’s bowlers showing excellent discipline and control backed up by excellent fielding throughout, with catches from Bryn Powell, Chris Walker, Glen Newham and Matt Renvoize helping to keep Ipswich firmly on the back foot. Unfortunately, James Alder’s unbeaten 27 proved important for the home side, while Adnan Tassadduq’s 20 helped edge Ipswich closer to the target.
Despite Braintree taking six wickets and applying pressure throughout the chase, Ipswich eventually reached 106-6 in the 38th over to secure victory in a tight, low-scoring match.
Although it was a frustrating result for Braintree, again there were plenty of positives to take from the performance, particularly tthe team’s commitment in making Ipswich work hard for the win. That first win isn’t far away!!