Saturday XI also start with a win!

After the most difficult winter in Clacton Cricket Club history the sun shone on the first match of the season. Given all the issues that had surrounded the club it was a relief to get the season off and running, said Gary Kirk Clacton Cricket Manager.

Scott Facey, captain of the new look Clacton side won the toss and elected to bat first. Although the sun was shining it was very cold and this certainly affected the St Margaret’s opening attack with both Facey and Asghar making the most of it both hitting handsome boundaries, until Asghar was hit on the glove by a rising ball to be caught for 14.

The early season pitch was certainly not at its best and this was again seen when Chamberlain was bowled by a ball that shot along the ground, not a lot the young man could do. At 52-2 Clacton needed to progress carefully and this they did through a great partnership between Facey, who by this stage was dominating the bowling and Hugo Nel, the new Clacton coach. Both these batsmen batted excellently in posting a century stand and it was a surprise when Nel was out bowled for 53 and when Facey went for an excellent 76 Clacton seemed the lose their way.

A procession of wickets fell before Billy Occleshaw found the boundary with some lusty blows. Occleshaw and the lower order batters did manage to push Clacton to a really good total of 217, with Occleshaw finishing with a well-made 33 not out full of improvised and unorthodox shots.

In reply, St Margaret’s really found things tough against the new ball pairing of Chamberlain and Pitts, both Clacton youngsters bowled well without a lot of luck. The pitch was also deteriating which also did not help either batter or bowler. Each of the opposition batters managed to get themselves a start but could not capitalise and when Imran Sheikh produced an excellent spell of off spin bowling taking 5 wickets for 15 Clacton were well on course to register its first victory. This was duly completed when Dan Occleshaw knocked the number eleven batters middle stump out of the ground to complete the St Margaret’s innings for 143 giving Clacton 20 points.

Clacton are away to Gt Bromley sat.