Essex League: Harold Wood, Upminster win; Ilford deny Billericay

The hosts slumped to 15-7 after being put into bat, with Daniel Carter helping himself to five wickets in his first five overs, all of which were maidens! 

Shahbaz Khan struck twice at the other end and, after Carter completed a 6-13 haul, removed the last two batters to finish with 4-14 as the innings lasted just 14.4 overs.

Wood openers Usman Shafi (21 not out) and Dhruv Talati (12 not out) then raced to the target in just 31 balls, to boost their promotion hopes with five games to go.

Upminster claimed the bragging rights in their derby against Gidea Park & Romford at Gallows Corner.

Put into bat, the visitors saw Pulkit Gupta (33) put on 78 with Adam Wheater, before offering a return catch to Hasitha Nirmal.

And Wheater was dismissed by Will Chuter soon after for 46, before Harry Jenkins fell cheaply to Nirmal (2-38) to make it 93-3.

Shavawn Cunningham got rid of Nehal Butt with the total on 104, but Kiran Kullar then joined James Evans in a 102-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Evans hit 64 off 89 balls against his former club, before falling to Cunningham (2-39), and Kullar was unbeaten on 54 as Upminster closed on 225-5.

Park slipped to 15-2 as Butt and Max Carter-Miller had success at either end, before Nirmal and M Alikhail fell in the same John Curtis (2-17) over to make it 63-4.

Cunningham made his way to 51, before he was trapped lbw as Park lost their last six wickets for 22 runs to Shafiq Rahman (4-25) and Ollie Todd (2-5) to go down by 113 runs.

Fives & Heronians were on the wrong end of a 104-run loss against Belhus at The Paddock.

Bradley Copper took 5-41 as the visitors were dismissed for 203, with Khalpawak Zazai (2-41) and Mehad Khan (2-42) nabbing braces as Jack Plom (53) top scored.

But Mendis removed Copper and Gupta with successive deliveries to leave Fives 4-2 and dismissed Bradley Yeats (21) with the total on 25.

Max Osbourne (2-24) and Plom (2-40) also had success, as Mendis finished with 5-17 from his 12-over spell, before Joe Joyce claimed the final wicket with the total on just 99.

Honours finished even at Billericay as Ilford’s last-wicket pair held on for a draw.

Matthew Bell (63) and Raynard van Tonder (58) scored half-centuries for Billericay, who were put into bat, and Michael Pearn (46) and Arjun Bhardwaj (30) also made starts as they posted 237-9.

Haaris Ayub (3-75) was the pick of Ilford’s attack, as Akhil Anil (2-13) and Mohammad Akhtar (2-68) nabbed braces, but the visitors slumped to 16-3 in reply as Louis Barrell and Robert Rayner made early inroads.

Akash Raji (54) and captain Ayub (42) shared 88, before Joe Carson (2-21) dismissed both to leave Ilford 127-5.

And Barrell (3-63) and Rayner (3-25) had further success to keep Billericay hopes alive, but Akhtar (36 not out) held firm to see the visitors close on 194-9.

Old Brentwoods went down by seven wickets against leaders Epping, after being dismissed for 199.

Husnain Ali fell five runs short of a century, putting on 52 with Mo Amin (28), who was the only other batter to pass 16.

But Epping’s top four all contributed in reply to ensure they reached their target in the 42nd over to leave them 25 points clear at the top of the table and next-to-bottom Brentwoods 33 adrift from safety.