Essex League: Harold Wood keep hopes alive at Ilford

Shahbaz Khan struck early with the ball after the hosts were put into bat, but Mohammad Ahktar (62) and Akash Raji (36) put on 91 for the second wicket before Taqi Abbas struck.

Kanchana Dassanayake dug in to score 25 off 70 balls, with captain Haaris Ayub (44) helping his side reach 232-8.

Praveen Kumar (2-40) nabbed a brace for Wood, who used eight bowlers, with Dhruv Talati (35) and captain Craig Perrin (32) making starts in reply.

Eesa Faheem (66) and Khan (42) put on 88 for the fourth wicket and, after Akhil Anil (4-38) raised Ilford’s hopes, Wood clinched a three-wicket win with three balls remaining.

It leaves Wood 12 points off the top two with three games to play.

Billericay are a further 11 points back in fourth place after their eight-wicket derby win at Shenfield.

Matthew Elliott (2-20), Arjun Bhardwaj (2-23), Robert Rayner (2-24), Joe Carson (2-25) and Louis Barrell (2-28) shared the wickets as Shenfield were put in and dismissed for 144, with only Matt Salisbury (26) and Oliver Ekers (24) passing 20.

William Dale clubbed 39 off 19 balls in reply, with two sixes and six fours, as Bhardwaj (21) and captain Matthew Bell (57 not out) helped the visitors to their target in 30 overs.

Fives & Heronians are in fifth place after a four-wicket loss to leaders Epping.

Bradley Copper hit 10 fours in his 83 off 86 balls to lead Fives to 247-9, but Sarthak Kohli’s unbeaten 104 saw the hosts to victory with five balls to spare.

Qasim Nasiri (2-43), Mehad Khan and Khpalwak Zazai (both 2-44) shared the wickets for Fives.

Upminster are three points back in sixth place after a heavy home loss against second-placed Belhus.

They reduced the visitors to 52-4, before an 85-run stand between Danny Joyce and Jack Plom, who went on to add 97 with Max Osborne before falling for 83 off 88 balls.

Osborne hit 64 off 47, with a six and 10 fours, as Belhus closed on 304-9, with Ollie Todd (4-51) and Nehal Butt (3-34) the pick of Upminster’s bowling.

Pulkit Gupta fell cheaply, but Josh Lamont hit 10 fours in his 45 off 30, dominating a 54-run stand with James Evans.

Akibur Rahman (21) added 52 with Evans, who was fourth man out for 56 off 85 as Upminster collapsed from 155-3 to 159-9.

Callum Berry hit a cameo 26 off 16, with a six and three fours, and put on 51 with last man John Curtis, who was unbeaten on 25 from 15, having hit two sixes and two fours, as Belhus completed a 94-run win.

Gidea Park & Romford got the better of relegation-threatened Old Brentwoods in the other match played in the division, after Krupesh Patel’s 131 led the hosts to 248-8.

Hasitha Nirmal (3-26) was the pick of Park’s attack, with captain Jamal Francis hitting 57 off 45 balls in a 99-run opening stand in reply, with two sixes and six fours.

Sam Hewitt hit six fours in his 59 off 76, before Nirmal smacked 58 off 44, with a six and eight fours, and shared 73 with Shavawn Cunningham.

Park clinched a five-wicket win in the 40th over with Cunningham unbeaten on 52 from 36 deliveries after hitting two sixes and four fours.