Weekend 29^th-30^th June

Saturday 
Canvey Island I            314-4
Rayleigh Fairview         148 all out    
Canvey won by 166 runs

 Dave Knox has been playing for Canvey for the best part of 20 years, but in all this time he had never come close to scoring a century. Better known as a penetrative quick bowler, Knox put this statistic right with a wonderful display of clean hitting against a poor Rayleigh Fairview attack. With Paul Ward (82) and Terry Snowdon (55) putting the bowlers to the sword early on, Knox came to the crease with only 19 overs of the innings left to play. Sixteen fours and one huge six later he returned to the pavilion with exactly 100 to his name. Putting on an unbeaten 152 for the fifth wicket with Gary Burton (50 not out), Knox pushed Canvey to their second highest total of the season. Four wickets from John Gunn, and another three from league-leading wicket taker Gary Snowdon ensured Rayleigh Fairview never came close to the victory target, Canvey winning by the comfortable margin of 166 runs.

Eastwood                  223-9
Canvey Island II        212 all out      
Canvey lost by 11 runs

 Eastwood and Canvey played out an absolute thriller at Smallgains on Saturday, with Canvey unlucky to come out second best in a tight finish which could have gone either way. Chasing an unlikely 224 to win, Canvey looked to be out of it after a clatter of early wickets. However, Dave Higgins followed up his five wickets with a superb knock of 88. The Eastwood bowlers were scattered about the park as Higgins unleashed his usual array of the unorthodox and unpredictable. Just as it looked like Canvey would pull of an unlikely win, Higgins was dismissed and the chance faded. With the main man gone the task proved too much for young Sam Collins and Dan Flewers whose valiant ninth-wicket stand was undone by Eastwood’s Daniel Thrale, Thrale finishing with a career-best 6 for 40.

Sunday    
Canvey Island               224-3
Island Taverners            142-9          
Match drawn

 The local derby ended in stalemate on Sunday as Canvey were unable to force a deserved victory against a poor, unambitious Taverners team that looked like they were playing for a draw from the first ball bowled. Canvey were able to declare early in the piece to give themselves the maximum chance of victory largely thanks to a classy knock of 91 from opener John Gunn, and an entertaining 70 not out from Richie Burrill. Early wickets from Lee Banks, Gary Snowdon and Glenn Eckett suggested that Canvey might find it easy to knock over Taverners, but some stubborn resistance from the tail proved more difficult to overcome. Paul Ward snaffled 4 for 27, dismissing dangerman Dave Higgins in the process, but no one was able to deliver the final knockout blow.