Chesterfords found it hard going on Saturday against Stansted Hall as they tried to get their season back on track after the disappointment of losing their first two games of the Lords Herts & Essex Cricket League. Chesterfords won the toss and put Stansted into bat on a damp hard pitch.

Chesterfords took the early wicket of Livings thanks to some good bowling from Alan Stokley and a sharp catch from James Lipscombe fielding at silly mid off, Mark Keefe  asserted himself on the game and looked very comfortable as he began to increase the run rate. After a shaky start Paul Harvey also began to stamp his authority on the game as Chesterfords’ bowlers struggled to make a break through. Some good fielding from Chesterfords, especially Steven Squares, meant that the score wasn’t totally out of Chesterfords’ reach. Both Keefe  and Harvey scored well deserved 100’s within minutes of each other. James Pullen and James Lipscombe bowled well at the death, with Lipscombe picking up two late wickets and Pullen picking up one. By then however, Stansted Hall had scored a potential match winning 258 off of 45 overs.

In reply Chesterfords’ batsmen struggled to deal with the new ball on the hard track as J. Williams and P. Dawson soon found their line and length. With a mixture of good bowling and poor shot selection Chesterfords soon found themselves in serious trouble. At 42 for 4 the game was all but lost; Steven Squares and Tim Lewis’ innings were the only highlights of what proved to be a disappointing run chase. Squares played beautifully, cutting and pulling the ball with consummate ease. Tim Lewis followed Squares’ exemplary example and began to open up. As he tore into the bowling line up it felt that the balance of the game was just beginning to tilt in Chesterfords’ favour. Alas, both Squares and Lewis fell on 59 and 73 respectively with Chesterfords finishing 47 runs short of their target.