On a day that brought everything from dropped catches and on-field injuries to high-class individual performances and a packed VP Lunch at Marigolds, Harlow CC made it back-to-back league wins with a tense but well earned 4-wicket victory over Hornchurch Athletic.

After a long spell of rain early in the morning, Harlow skipper Andre Riddell made the obvious call to bowl first upon winning the toss. The opening bowlers started well, and it was David Waters who made the breakthrough removing Alfie James via a sharp catch in the gully from Rhys Stewart.

Soon after, controversy struck as Sam Samarasekera appeared to edge behind early in his innings, only for it to be turned down. He and Fazi Hussain made the most of that fortune, putting on a dominant 141-run partnership. Hussain was especially destructive, smashing 90 runs with six 4s and seven 6s.

With captain and keeper Andre Riddell forced off with a knee injury, club stalwart Jon Allen entered as a substitute fielder and Harlow’s luck began to turn.
The turning point came with George Jessey, who delivered a sublime 10-over spell. His 4-36 changed the complexion of the innings, removing Hussain, Louie Ling, Noragal De Silva, and Nathan Duke in quick succession.

Chris Whitworth (3-34) also struck at key moments, while Joe Riddell and Waters kept things honest up front. Despite some costly drops again, to hold Hornchurch to 243-9 after they were 200-3 was a great result.

Chasing 244, Harlow’s top order handled the early overs well, despite further misfortune.

Chris Whitworth looked in outstanding touch, racing to 48 with crisp timing before pulling up injured and requiring a runner. Battling through discomfort, he continued to score freely before being bowled by Noragal De Silva, whose pinpoint delivery clipped the top of off stump.

Matt Hurley (15) and David Waters (37 off 80) played important anchor roles, absorbing pressure and ensuring the run rate stayed under control.
Raihan Hussain then added a breezy 19, striking a big six to shift momentum before falling to a mistimed shot.
At 148-4, the match was finely balanced.
That’s when Gull Hassan took centre stage.
Calm, focused, and playing with intent, Gull crafted a magnificent unbeaten 71 off 61 balls, striking 10 boundaries and manipulating the field superbly. He mixed powerful strokes with clever placement, keeping the chase on track even as wickets fell at the other end.

Waheed Azam (6) and George Jessey (7) came and went, but Umar Raza proved the perfect foil, finishing unbeaten on 15 and ensuring Gull had the support to see it home.
Their composed stand took Harlow past the target in the 48th over a confident and mature chase, full of contributions and anchored by a match-winning knock.

The game was also the setting for the season’s first VP Club Lunch, a huge success thanks to the efforts of Pip Riddell, Alan Howick, and the team behind the scenes.

With both sides dealing with injuries (including both wicketkeepers!), runners, and momentum swings, this was cricket at its most unpredictable but always competitive and played in the right spirit.
Next up: a trip to Barking, where Harlow will aim to keep the winning run going and push further up the Division Three table.

2nd XI
On a damp and overcast day, we won the toss and elected to bowl first. Despite the wet conditions, Sunny and Jack Fuller opened with a tight and controlled spell. Jack struck early, removing their most dangerous opener and giving us a strong start.

Harris followed up with a tidy first spell, keeping things tight and building pressure. In the middle overs, Amir picked up 4 key wickets, breaking the back of their middle order and leaving them in real trouble at 86 for 6. Abdul Moiz also bowled a disciplined spell of left-arm spin, picking up a wicket and helping maintain control during a crucial phase.

Alfie was outstanding in the field, taking 4 sharp catches that backed up the bowlers brilliantly.

However, their No. 7 and 8 batters staged a strong recovery with a 150-run partnership, lifting their total to 223.

Bowling Figures:
• Jack Fuller: 8 overs, 1 for 34
• Sunny: 7 overs, 1 for 30
• Harris: 9 overs, 1 for 54
• Amir: 8 overs, 4 for 33
• Abdul Moiz: 8 overs, 1 for 32
• Ronnie Fuller: 5 overs, 0 for 30

In reply, Zabi and Munim started the chase with intent. Munim played positively but was dismissed LBW for 17. Riz added a solid 34 and Dip contributed 27, keeping us in the hunt.

The finishing touch came from Ronnie Fuller, who played a match-winning innings of 46 off 43 balls, steering us home in the 39th over.

A strong all-round performance with disciplined bowling, sharp fielding, and a calm, composed chase to keep our unbeaten run going!

3rd XI
Harlow won the toss again and chose to bowl first on a damp pitch and damp outfield. We got off to a reasonable start picking up a wicket in the first 10 overs and the run rate not being too high. Harlow then thought they picked up their next wicket when their batsman gloved it behind but the umpire didn’t give it out and that batsman then ended up scoring 116 not out!! Our heads went down a little bit and we also dropped catches in the field. West Essex ended up scoring 324 runs making it a difficult run chase.

J Afaq 2/41, F Javed 1/63, D Stone 0/44, T Dobson 0/48

We didn’t get off to the best of starts losing 2 early wickets but a very good partnership between Ben Terrington and Naseer Mirza kept us in the game with both batters getting their 50’s. Both then got out meaning we had to try and rebuild again which was a struggle to do. We fell short of our total but still scored 236 in our 45 overs and losing by 88 runs.

N Mirza 67, B Terrington 59, F Javed 26

4th XI
Harlow 4th Xl v Horndon on the Hill 3rd Xl.

Horndon won by 3 wickets.

Availability issues left the 4th Xl with only 3 regular bowlers. Horndon won the toss and elected to bowl first. Freno Fahad was the only batter to stick around and got to 68 before being caught. Harlow finished on 141 all out.

A return to Harlow for Evie Matthews opening the bowling finishing with figures of 1 for 29 off 7. Emilia from the other end bowling tightly for her 6 overs for 19 without success. When both opening bowlers had finished Horndon punished every loose ball from the other bowlers only Zach Burns had any success with 2 for 27. Horndon knocked off the runs in 24 overs. Next up is Old Brentwood’s away.

5th XI
Harlow lost the toss and was put in the field on a muggy yet overcast afternoon

Opening pair Benjamin Dack and Lawrence Forde kept it nice and tight and a good made a break-through in third over of the day, followed by the second in the 4th over, restricting the opposition to 89/4 off 20 over.s
Despite more good bowling from Musharaf Hussain 2-16 (5) & Laurence Forde 2-42 (8), the hosts posted a total of 228-9 off their 40 overs.

Harlow in response struggled with some very tight bowling from the opposition, but Marius Scholtz made a very respectable 39 and with the support of the lower order of Lawrence Forde (16), Oscar Syrett (12), and Musharaf Hussain (16), we passed three figures for the second time in two weeks and battled well in to the 34th over before a late flurry of boundaries and wickets saw us fall all out for 118.

While again the result wasn’t important it was the younger bowlers accuracy with the new ball and calmness while batting, again showed that the 5’s are not far away from the first win of the season. Heads are definitely held high again as we walked off with everyone playing there part

On to next week and a opportunity to really keep up the positive energy and momentum we're building.

Sunday 25th May
Harlow vs Woodford Wells
T20 Cup

Harlow Storm Into Next Round With Crushing Win Over Woodford Wells

Harlow breezed into the next round of the Essex T20 Plate with a dominant 188 run victory over Division 2 side Woodford Wells in a completely one-sided encounter on bank holiday Sunday.

The fixture marked the return of skipper Tom Garner from injury, and the squad rose to the occasion with a performance full of power, discipline, and confidence in all departments.

Put into bat, Harlow were aggressive from the start. Captain Tom Garner wasted no time settling in, launching a sublime six over cover, reminding everyone of what the side had been missing though he soon forgot about his recovering injury and was bowled advancing down the track.
It was the destructive Gull Hassan who stole the show. In a blistering innings that mixed timing, power, and creativity, Gull smashed 93 off just 43 balls, including 9 fours and 4 sixes. He looked destined for a hundred before being bowled just shy of the milestone.

David Waters (25 off 13) and Umar Raza (19 off 11) provided strong middle-order hitting, while the Fuller brothers, Ronnie (16) and Jack (an explosive 37 off 16), piled on the late runs with big hitting of their own.

The innings ended in style with George Jessey reverse sweeping the final ball for four to take Harlow to a commanding 236-6 from 20 overs.

With a huge total on the board, Harlow’s bowlers came out firing and the difference in class was obvious.
David Waters was virtually unplayable with the new ball, taking 4 wickets for just 13 runs in a devastating 4-over spell. He dismantled the Wells top order, removing the dangerous Haider Zaman, Umar Ayub, and first-class cricketer Chaim Holder, among others.

The change bowlers kept the pressure on. Rhys Stewart took 4-11 in just 2.4 overs, including two LBWs, while Jake Messenger chipped in with a wicket in his single over.

Importantly, Harlow held their catches, addressing a key issue from previous games and helping skittle Wells for just 48 in 9.4 overs.

A complete performance and an emphatic statement of intent from a Harlow side firing on all fronts. With Tom Garner back at the helm, the bowling clicking, and the batting order brimming with confidence, they now march into the next round of the Essex T20 Plate.

Match Summary:
• Harlow CC – 236-6 (Gull Hassan 93, Jack Fuller 37*, David Waters 25)
• Woodford Wells – 48 all out (David Waters 4-13, Rhys Stewart 4-11)