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4th September - U11A vs Chelmsford (CECB Cup Final)

Bentley U11s were unluckily beaten in a nail biting final on Sunday that went right to the final ball.

Skipper Phil Coleman won the toss and elected to bat on a warm and sunny afternoon at Chelmer Park. Unfortunately, the early batting didn't fire, and it was well into the second pair before Bentley registered a positive total.

A lot of pressure was therefore placed on the lower order, but they did not disappoint, with outstanding contributions coming from Luke Jewers & George Bateson, both 11 not out, Stephen Naven who also scored 11, and Coleman with

13 not out, maintaining his record of top scoring in every game. A final total of 245-5 did not appear to be enough against a powerful Chelmsford team who, faced with a similar score in the earlier league match between the sides, responded with a massive 297-1.

This looked to be the case as the opening pair 'retired' with the score on 225. Clare Woodrow sparked the Bentley response with a wicket, and when Rebecca Reid held a hard caught and bowled, Chelmsford were rocking. Bentley stayed in the game throughout, taking wickets to keep the pressure on and with sharp fielding preventing singles. When the match reached the final over, Bentley led by a solitary run, with Coleman to bowl. 4 successive dot balls kept Bentley's noses in front but the fifth ball was edged to third man, and Chelmsford scrambled a two. The final ball was just kept out by the Chelmsford batsman, leaving his team the victors by the smallest possible margin.

Bentley will look back on a number of decisions that unfortunately went against them, and the Central Essex organising committee should reflect upon the fact that in a match of this stature, neutral umpires are a necessity.

The effort put in by the boys and girls of the Bentley squad was brilliant and deserved a more favourable result. Many thanks to Sharon Coleman for scoring, and to the families, friends and neutrals for their magnificent support (outnumbering the home support by a good 3 to 1).

31st August - U11A vs Brentwood (Friendly)

Bentley took on a youthful Brentwood side at the Old County Ground last night.

Batting first, Bentley scored steadily throughout their innings to total 255-5. Good innings came from Andrew Pagett (13*) and Robert Hyams (10) in his first game as skipper, with a number of wides and no balls contributing to the total.
Brentwood's reply started positively with a good contribution coming from their first pairing. 2 wickets in 2 balls from Sam Humphries then gave Bentley a grip on the game that they never relinquished and wickets fell regularly thereafter, with Robert Hyams (2), Alex Cook, Sarah Cozens, Clare Woodrow, Matt Rowlinson & Sophie Doncaster all chipping in. Highlights of an excellent Bentley fielding performance were a smart piece of fielding from Ellis Crispin to engineer a run out, and a sharp catch by Sarah Cozens in the last over in the gathering gloom. Despite a flurry of boundaries towards the end of the innings, Bentley were never seriously challenged, winning by
29 runs

14th August - U11A vs Cloghams (League)

Bentley met Cloghams at Coxtie Green Road on Sunday in a rearranged league match, as seems to be the norm this season, the game was a real nailbiter.

Bentley batted first and posted a challenging total of 257-3, with skipper Phil Coleman maintaining his good form with an unbeaten 16, ably supported by Rebecca Reid (10 no). There was solid contributions from the rest of the order, with only 3 wickets being lost (two of them to run outs). Cloghams started extremely well, with good partnerships from each of their first three pairings. Just past the half way stage of the innings, Cloghams had reached 250-0, and appeared to be well in control. Bentley then forced their way back into the game. First, Coleman yorked Halls and then he took a sharp catch at point to dismiss Grebutt off the bowling of Reid. The other bowlers then found their line and length to further restrict the batsmen and with one pair to bat, Cloghams total stood at 252-2. Reid then held a skier off the bowling of Jewers to further increase the pressure, and when the last over arrived, Cloghams were only 2 runs ahead, with Coleman to bowl. Batsman Bibby decided to settle for the total achieved and elected to leave the ball as much as possible. This appeared to have paid dividends as 5 dot balls were bowled. Unfortunately for Bibby, the final ball found the outside edge of his bat and the ball ended in the safe hands of keeper Bateson. With the loss of 6 runs for the wicket, Bentley had won by 4 runs. Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An excellent all round team performance by the Bentley Boys & Girls, and they were rewarded for hanging in the game when things were going against them.
Thanks to Matt Coleman for scoring, and Trevor Woodrow for umpiring (and for sorting out the team at the very last minute)

24th July - U11A vs Brentwood (CECB Cup Semi Final)

Bentley Under 11s reached the final of the Central District Cup with a strong performance in appalling weather at Coxtie Green Road on Sunday morning.

Brentwood won the toss and invited Bentley to bat first in overcast conditions. A steady opening stand of 19 between Clare Woodrow and Steven Naven was followed by a partnership of 16 between Luke Jewers and 9 year old Charlie Yorke. Robert Hyams and Sarah Cozens carried on the good work with a stand of 9, however it was with the last two partnerships that the innings was given its impetus. First Andrew Pagett and Jake Kavanagh added 30 with a mixture of good shots and suicidal running, and then skipper Phil Coleman and Frankie Barrett pushed the final total beyond 300 with a hard hitting partnership of 33. Bentley ended their innings on 307-3.

Unfortunately the weather had deteriorated considerably towards the end of the innings, and by the break steady rain had set in. Fortunately the rain relented enough to enable Brentwood to begin their innings, although it returned with a vengeance later in the morning. A catch by keeper Barrett off the bowling of Jewers put the breaks on immediately, and by the half way stage, Brentwoods score of 234 was well behind the rate. Great fielding by Kavanagh, which led to a run out, increased the pressure still further, and wickets for Woodrow & Pagett in the last 4 overs meant that Brentwood were never able to challenge the Bentley score, their innings ending on 275-4 and giving Bentley a 32 run victory

In conditions where water wings and flippers would have been more than useful, Bentley's bowling was exceptional - only 10 wides being bowled - with off-spinner Pagett producing the outstanding figures of 4 overs, 1 wicket for 7 runs. Both teams are to be commended for producing an outstanding game of cricket in such awful conditions. Bentley now go on to the final at Chelmer Park on September 4th, with all support being very welcome.

Thanks to Trevor 'Webbed Feet' Woodrow for umpiring and Sharon Coleman for scoring (whilst also educating the Brentwood scorer!).

17th July - U11A vs Shenfield (League)

A young and relatively inexperienced Bentley team produced a fine all-round performance to defeat Shenfield on Sunday.
Batting first after losing the toss on a scorching morning, Bentley at first found runs difficult to come by when faced with excellent opening bowling. A good partnership between Robert Hyams (9*) and Steven Naven (3) eventually got the scoreboard moving. George Bateson & Andrew Pagett continued the good work with a stand of 27, and the last pair of skipper Phil Coleman (22) and 8-year-old Matthew Crawley (4*), who was making his debut, boosted the total to 272 with a partnership of 20. Playing on the full size boundary, 4's were extremely difficult to hit (only 3 in the entire innings!), however Bentley made good use of the extra space with good running between the wickets, eventually totalling 67 runs off the bat.
Shenfield started in a very positive manner, and with a score of 235 off only 8 overs, looked to be well on the way to reaching the target. A fine piece of fielding from Rob Hyams led to a run out which put the brakes on, and then for the first time this season the Bentley bowlers started to take wickets. Phil Coleman hit all 3 stumps with his 3 wickets, and Andrew Pagett ripped out the middle stump with a big off-break. He then induced an outside edge which was well held by keeper Bateson. Shenfield were never in the game after that, ending on 237-7 and a comfortable victory for the visitors.
Bentley's much improved bowling was complemented by an outstanding fielding display in which the second debutant, Gyles Till, excelled.
Thanks to Matt Coleman (umpire) & Graham Hyams (scorer).

27th June - U11A vs Brentwood (League)

Bentley U11s suffered their second defeat in 2 days, going down by 16 runs at Brentwood, however it was a vastly improved all-round performance over the previous day.
Batting first on a hard pitch with a lightening fast outfield, Brentwood started at a tremendous rate, posting 240 runs by the 6th over with Hemsbro (24) and Mathias (16) dominating the bowlers. Bentley however gradually gained some control through accurate bowling and fine ground fielding which led to 2 run outs. Brentwood struggled in the latter part of their innings, to the extent that only 27 net runs were posted in the last 12 overs. Cian Holland (1-8) and Frankie Barrett (1-7) were the pick of the bowlers. A final score of 283-5 was impressive, but it could have been so much more.
Bentley's reply started slowly, but the second pairing of Barrett & Claire Woodrow posted a stand of 28 with hard hitting and sharp running. This was continued by the subsequent pairings of the Kamikaze Kids (Robert Hyams & Elise Whiteley), and Rebecca Reid & Luke Jewers, so when the final pairing of Philip Coleman & Andrew Pagett came to the wicket, Bentley had just a chance of victory. The Brentwood fielders scattered to all corners of the field to prevent the boundaries, however Bentley looked to be in with a chance of an unlikely win until an unfortunate run out in the penultimate over put paid to their chances. Bentley finally fell short by 16 runs on 267-8. Coleman top scored with 16 and Barrett completed an excellent all-round game by hitting 14.
Bentley will look back at a number of minor lapses in concentration which, when added together, probably cost them victory. However an excellent game of cricket, played with great spirit by two well matched teams, was enjoyed by a large crowd on a sunny evening at the Old County Ground. If Bentley win their Cup Quarter Final against South Woodham Ferrers, these two teams will meet again, at Bentley, in the Semi Final.
Steve Coleman umpired and Graham Hyams (again) scored. Thanks, guys

26th June - U11A vs Chelmsford A (League)

Bentley U11A suffered their first defeat of the season at Chelmer Park on Sunday, going down by 57 runs to a powerful Chelmsford team.
Batting first, Bentley's runs almost dried up early on (at the half way stage, the score stood on a lowly 196). That they reached a final total of
244-5 was due to powerful hitting in the latter stages of the innings by Frankie Barrett (14 no), Cian Holland (13 no) and skipper Philip Coleman (17 no).
The score at least seemed a competitive one, however Chelmsford's reply raced ahead with no Bentley bowler being able to put the breaks on. The fact that Chelmsford were never troubled was largely down to the fact that not one Bentley bowler managed to take a wicket. The solitary dismissal was a run out, engineered by a smart piece of fielding by Barrett. Chelmsford's final total of 297-1 emphasised the difference between the teams.
The Bentley boys and girls however battled to the end, and their strong team spirit and 100% effort throughout will no doubt bring its rewards in future matches.
Thanks Brian Pagett for umpiring & Graham Hyams for scoring. It was also nice to see a large crowd of spectators who were appreciative of good play by both sides.

6th June - U11A vs Hutton A (League)

Bentley and Hutton were involved in a cliff-hanger last night at the Coxtie Green Road ground.

Bentley were put into bat by Hutton, and batted cautiously to reach 228-0 at the half way point of the innings. Unfortunately two run outs in the 16th over reduced the score to 216, a total which would have been very difficult to defend, however the final pair of Philip Coleman (24 no) and Andrew Pagett (2 no) boosted the score to 246 -4 at the end of the 20 overs.

The Hutton boys began confidently, and the score was 219-0 when the first pairing had completed their 4 overs. Excellent bowling by the Bentley boys & girls, backed up by sharp and enthusiastic fielding, then pegged the opposition back, and when Hutton's last pair came to the wicket, they were still 6 runs short of victory. Hutton edged in front by 1 run at the end of the 18th over but then Rebecca Reid, who again bowled well (3-0-4-1), took a wicket with her 2nd ball. All down to the final over then, with Hutton needing 5 to win. 3 dot balls from Coleman were followed by a mix up in the field, enabling Hutton to scamper 2 runs. 2 balls left, 3 to win. Excellent fielding by Luke Jewers then led to a run out off the penultimate ball, leaving Hutton with the impossible task of scoring 9 off the final delivery.
Coleman took a wicket with the final ball, leaving Bentley victorious by the slightly flattering margin of 14 runs. Bentley's bowling was a vast improvement on their first game, only conceding 8 wides and 3 no balls, with Reid, Coleman (4-1-11-1) and Robert Hyams (3-1-3-0) being the pick. George Bateson again kept wicket very well.

Both teams are to be congratulated on providing superb entertainment on a chilly evening (albeit taking a few more years off their respective managers' lives). Thanks to Steve & Matt Coleman for umpiring and scoring, and also to the supporters of both sides for their sporting and good humoured backing of both teams.

30th May - U11B vs Stock (League)

On a damp Stock pitch the Under 11B played their first league match of the season. Clare Woodrow captain for the day won the toss and sensibly put Stock in on the tacky surface. However Stock batted well and made steady progress against some accurate bowling from the Bentley side who had to contend with a wet ball and slippery underfoot bowling conditions. The first wicket fell in the 10th over with Stock having reached 231 Jamie Baker was the man to break the deadlock with two wickets in his first over. He went on to claim a further two wickets (all bowled). Matt Rowlinson claimed the other wicket and with Charlie Yorke performing well behind the stumps and good all round ground fielding from the Bentley side Stock were restricted to 238 at the end of their 20 overs.

Clare Woodrow and Jamie Baker started the Bentley reply and a couple of wickets went down, however heads didn't and the Bentley reply gathered momentum with Steve Naven hitting a brisk 12 being well supported by Chris Botwright who batted and bowled well. Bentley had lost 3 wickets in the first 5 overs ,but no more wickets to fall in the remaining 15 overs. This is testament to the sensible batting approach taken by Charlie Yorke , George Bateson, Oliver Lee and Mattew Rowlinson who all knew what they had to do to achieve the right result, AND THEY DID!!

Well played Girl and Boys, and a special thank you to Trevor Yorke for scoring.

22nd May - U11A vs Little Waltham (Cup)

Bentley Under 11's opened their season with a fine win in the 1st Round of the Cup at Little Waltham on Sunday, in an excellent game of terrier cricket. Captain Philip Coleman lost the toss as usual, and Little Waltham batted first. An erratic bowling performance enabled Little Waltham to total
271-2 in their 20 overs. Clare Woodrow and debutant Matt Rowlinson took a wicket apiece, but the pick of Bentley's bowlers was Rebecca Reid (3-2-5-0).
For Little Waltham, Essex wicketkeeper Rob Lee scored a fine unbeaten 12, but an extras count of 56 made Bentley's task all the more difficult.

If the bowling lacked direction, Bentley's batting was full of aggressive strokeplay and positive (not to say on some occasions, kamikaze) running.
Robert Hyams (14*) and Elise Whiteley (3*) had the Waltham fielders chasing shadows, playing almost tip and run. Another fine partnership between Reid and the 2nd debutant George Bateson (who also kept wicket well) of 23 meant that, when the last pair of Coleman and Andrew Pagett came to the wicket, only 12 runs were required. The Waltham total was passed in the 18th over, with powerful hitting from Coleman (14*) and sound defence from Pagett (3*).
The game was safe when Coleman hit the last ball of the innings for 4. A total of 70 runs from the bat emphasised the difference between the sides.
Waltham's bowling was far more accurate, but they had no answer to Bentley's positive approach. Bentley go into the 2nd round where they will meet either High Roding or South Woodham Ferrars at home. There is much room for improvement with the bowling, but all in all, a more than satisfactory start to the season.

Thanks to Trevor Woodrow for umpiring and Tim Whiteley for scoring.