Stansted Hall & Elsenham beat defending champions on opening day of 2025 Tees Herts & Essex Border Cricket League season
A youthful Stansted Hall & Elsenham got the better of defending Premier Division champions Nazeing Common by 26 runs when the new Tees Herts & Essex Border League season got under way on Saturday (May 3).
Matt Reader struck 50 and there were contributions from Andrew Mackinlay (46) and Michael Linegar (39) as the hosts made 220 all out from 45 overs.
Isaac McGinn then took 3-30 to help remove last season’s table-toppers for 194 in the 41st over.
Also in the top flight, Hockerill thrashed visitors Bishop’s Stortford III by 137 runs.
Home openers Asim Waheed (79) and Shy Waheed (75) set up their innings with a partnership of 181 as they amassed 276-7, with Andrew Barber taking 3-39.
Only Matt Drury, with 59, was able to get going for Stortford in reply as they were removed for 139. Simon Foster and Adeel Dar took three wickets apiece.
Stortford IV suffered a seven-wicket home defeat at the hands of Thaxted in Division One.
The home side started positively before getting into trouble against the visitors’ opening bowlers and were rescued by Simon Sargent (74) as they posted 192-6.
Thaxted were always in control in the reply and reached 195-3 thanks to the efforts of Stuart Levey (65) and S Singh (58), with 15-year-old debutant Sam McGinn taking two wickets.
In Division Two, Sawbridgeworth III registered a 35-run home victory over Ardeley Walkern.
Andrew Foster got 62 and Nick Dale hit an unbeaten 42 off 33 balls as the hosts totalled 235-8 from 40 overs.
The visitors appeared to be in a commanding position on 113 without loss after just 13 overs, but Romesh Paktsun’s five-wicket haul - including three wickets in 11 deliveries - led to them being dismissed for 200.
Will Zobel hit an unbeaten 92 to steer Stansted Hall & Elsenham II to a two-wicket success at Broxbourne V in Division Three.
His innings, along with 20 from the bat of Paul Walton, got the visitors to 199-8 in 34 overs after Austin Chamberlain had taken 3-30 in their opponents’ 198 all out.
The HEBL has a new chairman this season in the form of Matching Green’s Martin Figg, with Stansted Hall & Elsenham’s David Brown stepping down after five years but becoming the league’s president. Carl Ginn and David Wheatley have joined the league management committee.
The league has expanded to four divisions, with new teams including Bishop’s Stortford 1825s, Sawbridgeworth IV, Hatfield Heath II, Potter Street & Church Langley II and Little Bardfield Village.
Free Play Cricket scoring tuition sessions were held over the winter, as well as ‘10 over’ umpiring courses.
Meanwhile, the Bishop’s Stortford first team continued their preparations for the start of the Saracens Hertfordshire League season with a commanding 174-run friendly win at Welwyn Garden City.
Ben Twohig made an effortless 110 and was ably assisted by Joe Burslem (75) while Max Sanderson added a quick-fire 46 as Stortford racked up 353 all out from their 50 overs.
Welwyn were subsequently dismissed for 179 in the 41st over as Austin Osborne, 18, took 5-26 and Sam Braund, 15, claimed two victims.
The previous weekend, Stortford’s new overseas star Cameron Fletcher helped them beat Chingford by eight wickets at home in the ECB National Club Championship.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, who toured England with the Black Caps in 2022 and has featured for Glamorgan and Derbyshire in the T20 Blast, hit an unbeaten 69 to steer his side to 118-2 in 20.3 overs.
He put on 56 alongside fellow new recruit Billy Mead (13no) having earlier produced a smart stumping to remove opener Joe Byrnes in Chingford’s 117 all out.
Stortford visit Chelmsford in the next round on Sunday (May 11), with their opening league game at home to Potters Bar the previous day (May 10).
