HARLOW TOWN C.C. v. LEIGH-ON-SEA.
Saturday 25th August 2018

Harlow Town 169 all out.
Leigh-on-Sea 118 all out

HARLOW Town never make it easy on themselves, digging themselves out of a hole once again.

Dan Farmer’s team electing to bat first soon rattled up 100 runs in just 17 overs and then plummeted to 169 all out!

The Alderson brothers, Ashley, 18 and younger brother Shaun, 57 went straight for the visitors’s opening attack as they had them chasing all over Ashtree Field, then Shaun was bowled by Paul Humphries, who went on to take 6 Town wickets for 42 runs and turned the game in the visitor’s favour as Town’s middle order batsmen collapsed with only Jibran Azam, 42 and Suraj Chauhan, 14 saving the Home side from an even lower score.

But once again, Town’s “Never Say Die” fighting spirit came to the fore again with top fielding led by keeper Pat Yates, back to his best, with a lightning stumping off Ben Eversden to dismiss Leigh’s skipper Joe Sexton, set the tone. James Pettitt, 45 and Dean Waller, 38 had put the visitor’s in a strong position and had got them to 92-3, but like Town they then sank without trace and could not even hold out for a draw as Town’s fielding pressure supporting top bowling led by off spinner Jibran Azam 4-27 off 13 overs in an unbroken spell was just too much. Ben Eversden 3-22 off 10 overs, Dan Farmer 1-17 and Suraj Chauhan 2-47 brought Leigh’s innings to a close in the 41st over.

Another 25 points that sees the Phoenix Park side move to the middle of the table and needing just 5 points to be completely safe from relegation and 2 more 25 point wins could see them go third in Division 2 of the Essex League.

The return local derby with Harlow C.C. comes next week with the Marigold’s side in dire trouble holding bottom spot.