Burnham Sports cricket club finished their respective league campaigns on a flat note, with both the 1st XI and 2nd XI signing off with disappointing defeats.
The club enjoyed a bit of cheer 24 hours later, though, when their annual Over 40s versus Under 40s fixture yielded plenty of runs, several individual landmarks and, eventually, victory for the older brigade.
Sports begun their T.Rippon Mid-Essex League first division season with promotion aspirations but, much like the summer weather, they were not so hot.
A feature of many of their defeats is how they had let the teams off the hook and it was the same story in their final game at home to Stock – the visiting team being in all sorts of trouble until Westwood, batting at nine, came in and smashed 79 off 41 balls, enabling them to reach a respectable 175.
Usually a top-order batsman, Westwood was eventually caught in the deep by Karl Barnes off the bowling of Jamie Hamilton (three for 47). He was given a couple of lives, including off Ali Allchin, who finished with figures of 9-4-38-5.
Allchin has, by some way, been Burnham’s outstanding player this year. The 19-year-old finished top of the bowling and batting averages, while few would argue that his all-round display in the reverse fixture – he scored 95 and then took six wickets - was the performance of the year.
However, the powerfully built youngster knows that cricket can be a great leveller. He was one of three batsmen dismissed first ball as Burnham, who had 57 overs to reach their target, were dismissed for 109 in less than 26.
It would not have been that many, either, had Hamilton not hit a fighting 57. Robin Whittaker 18) was the only other batsman to make more than six in a tame surrender. The pair’s sixth-wicket stand of 54 offered Sports some hope of retrieving things but once Whittaker was adjudged lbw, the finish came swiftly.
Burnham’s 2nd XI have enjoyed a tremendous second half in division eight, so their final offering, a seven-wicket defeat away to lowly Canvey was a surprise.
Batting first on a wicket damaged by vandals the previous evening, Burnham made 164, with the soon-to-be-married Steve Sims making 45.
Canvey passed that total for the loss of only three wickets with six overs to spare. Roger Perrin (two for 23) was the pick of the bowlers.
On Sunday, came the club’s clash of the generations. The Under 40s batted first in the 35 overs per side game and were on good terms with themselves after teenage brothers Tom (44) and Jack Silvester (26) put on 65 inside ten overs.
Sayeid Ahmed (32), Neil Wade (31) and Fuad Ahmed (20) helped the ‘youngsters’ finish with 200 for eight. They did not have it all their own way, though, with Dennis Silvester dismissing Robin Whittaker first ball, plus groundsmen Nigel Saunders and John Goody also claiming scalps.
The Over 40s, with a combined age in excess of 500, were undaunted, with Mike Forshaw, their youngest player after recently turning 40, making an unbeaten 51 before retiring. His entertaining stand of 77 with Neil Saunders (45) took 14 overs and including some expansive hits through the off-side.
Dennis Silvester (17) and Andy Stephens (a brisk 27) kept up the momentum before David May (21 not out) and Roger Perrin finished the job with three overs and wickets to spare.
Greg Campion was among the victorious side but had a long journey home to Colchester after being dismissed by his 18-year-old daughter, Kirsty.