Cook hoping for more wins in last three weeks

Ardleigh Green captain Chris Cook says his side is looking to finish the season on a high as they prepare to host West Essex in Essex League Division Three tomorrow (Saturday).

Green should be confident as they moved up to sixth in the table with an impressive win at third-placed Westcliff last Saturday.

The visitors were made to bowl first and had to wait until Lloyd Edwards (2-57) and Randel Thomas struck to dismiss the Westcliff openers and make it 115-3.

The next seven wickets were then shared between bowlers Muhammad Asif (4-27) and Jamal Chaudhry (3-25) as the home side slipped to 179 all out in the 46th over.

Green started slowly with the bat as Paul Hurworth, Tom Gentle and Adam Thain scored a combined total of 56 runs.

But captain Cook (36) then supported Choudhry Mahboob, who hit two sixes and six fours in his 63 from 67 balls, and Asif contributed an unbeaten 31 to clinch a four-wicket victory in the 39th over.

“It was a really good all-round win for us, I thought we bowled well and then we replied with the bat really well,” said Cook.

“We started by bowling well and then the spinners really came into their own. We had a 16-year-old debutant in Randell Thomas who bowled out their opener and played excellently.

“The last time we played Westcliff they managed to register 300 runs against us, so we were looking to ensure that we kept the score down to give us a chance in bat.

“When we came into bat it was all about the partnerships. There was a slight moment when we froze, but we managed to pull through and ended with a really strong performance.”

The win will give Green confidence as they head into the final three matches of the season, but Cook knows basement boys West Essex present a tricky test.

“I don’t believe the table represents any side. Anyone can beat anyone in this league, so it won’t be easy,” he added.

“We’re looking to finish the season on a high, to see how high up the table we can finish with the final fixtures.

“We’ve been disappointed that we haven’t been able to achieve any real consistency this year, but we’re hoping that on Saturday if we bowl and bat like we did against Westcliff then we can achieve that consistency and put in a performance to help us climb the league.”