Essex Matchplay Shield win a proud moment for Harold Wood

Harold Wood chairman Tom Clarke paid tribute to the club’s under-16s after their Essex Matchplay Shield success at the County Ground.

Aditya Singh (4-35) shone with the ball as they dismissed their Shenfield rivals for 206 in the 38th over.

Saad Ali Baryar, Umar Shafi, Eesa Faheem and Hrithik Gosain took a wicket apiece, as Theo Robinson (54) and Joe Radford (53) led the way with the bat for Shenfield.

And Wood sealed a five-wicket win with eight overs to spare, as captain Faheem hit three sixes and eight fours in his 71, while opening partner Aayush Baluja clubbed 10 fours in a 39-ball 56.

Qasim Farooq was unbeaten on 40 from 35 deliveries, having hit seven boundaries, as Wood reached their target, with Daniel Green (3-49) the pick of Shenfield’s attack.

And Clarke admitted it was a special day in the club’s history.

“A very proud moment for the club to win the most prestigious trophy in youth cricket in the county,” he said.

“The players were incredible on the day, and showed that they could deliver under some serious pressure from a talented Shenfield side.

“The team has been led brilliantly by passionate manager Zach Faheem and the smiles on the all the players and their families on the day will be something that I will always remember.

“I would like to thank the groundstaff and everyone at the county for putting on the day so well, especially when dealing with the early morning rain.

“The team contained players who play across all of our six adult Saturday sides and we’re sure they will bring more success to the club for many seasons to come.”