Upminster Cricket Club captain Alan Ison thrilled with two Hadleigh & Thundersley wins
Captain Alan Ison in action for Upminster in the field (pic: Gavin Ellis/TGSPHOTO). - Credit: Gavin Ellis/TGSPHOTO
Two strong team displays have enabled Ison’s men to build some momentum in various competitions
Alan Ison has praised the recent contribution of everybody at Upminster after a successful weekend for the club.
They registered their first win in the Essex League Division One on Saturday after beating Hadleigh & Thundersley by six-wickets.
And the next day, Upminster picked up a 55-run T20 victory over the same opposition in the North East Group B. Both results were down to strong team displays, although Ison shone with bat and ball in the two matches.
He said: “It is pleasing to see everybody contributing at the moment and we are all being really positive as well. Hopefully this can carry on for the rest of the season.”
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Saturday’s opening win in the division occurred after an excellent performance in the field as Hadleigh were restricted to 171-9 from 50 overs.
Ison picked up 4-49 while Matt Tigg (5-58) impressed again as only four bowlers were needing throughout the innings.
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Opening duo John Curtis and Will Chuter failed to claim any scalps, but didn’t give much away which was key according to the skipper.
“I lost the toss and they decided to bat and I said John being back would be a big bonus because of his experience with the new ball,” said Ison.
“He opened up with Will and they were both excellent and it was a big difference compared to the week before. I think Hadleigh were only on 44 runs by the time 16 overs had been bowled.
“We restricted the flow of runs nicely. Matt did really well to get five and it was a really good bowling performance to get them to 121-9.
“The last pair put on 50 for the last wicket and it was a little bit frustrating, but I had bowled quite a lot and was tired. If somebody had offered me 172 to chase before the start, I definitely would have taken it.”
Upminster’s skipper led from the front in reply and smashed 90 off 83 balls to ensure they got home with six-wickets to spare.
It boosted confidence ahead of Sunday’s T20 fixture, this time away, but also against Division One rivals Hadleigh.
This time Ison’s men batted first and everyone played their part as they made 168-6 from their 20 overs.
Louis Pickering top scored with 40 while Ison (30), Connor Whetstone (22) and Frankie Hazle (18) made valuable contributions.
Similar to the batting display, it was a real team performance in the field as Hadleigh only managed 113-8 from their 20 overs.
Curtis (2-4), Tigg (2-23) and James Aggio-Brewe (2-9) were among the leading bowlers for Upminster.
“We played really well on Sunday and had a young side out. Louis and Julian Whetstone got us off to a good start and Louis went on to make 40,” said Ison.
“That allowed the rest of us to come in and hit out. All the batsman did well and me and my brother were there at the end and put on about 40 to get us up to 168.
“I thought it was a good batting performance and our score was probably about par, it wasn’t the easiest of pitches.
“Connor started really well with the ball and actually bowled a maiden before John backed it up brilliantly. He finished with figures of 2-4 I think from his three overs which was an excellent return.”
