High Roding bag second promotion to cap fantastic season
High Roding's first team after winning promotion. Back row: Stewart South (scorer), Ben Speakman, Jeff Clarke, Will Davis, Kit Morley-Jacob, Josh O’Connor. Front row: Ben Chillingworth, George Halls, Freddie Burns, Sam South, Chris Townsend, Archie Halls - Credit: HIGH RODING CC
The curtain came down on a full cricket season and while that in itself is cause for celebration, High Roding made sure there was plenty more to be happy about.
The Meadow-based club's second team had already lifted the Mid Essex Cricket League Seventh Division title one week earlier and the first team also secured promotion from the Second Division thanks to victory at home to Eastwood.
Roding were given a boost straight away with the visitors arriving at Dunmow Road a man short and batting first they could only muster 105 runs.
Josh O’Connor took three wickets and there were a couple for Sam South too before Jeff Clarke and Chris Townsend knocked off the runs with ease to give Roding the 10-wicket victory.
It wasn't enough to take them to the title, finishing eight points behind Terling, but promotion provided a more-than adequate second prize.
The seconds also finished their superb year with victory, beating Springfield away by 199 runs.
Batting first Roding scored 295 with Mark Gilfrin (106) and Alex Lodge (103) both retiring unbeaten.
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There was also a rapid-fire 69 from young Freddie Duke and Springfield ended up with just 96 in reply.
It consolidated their position at the top of the table, 98 points ahead of Epping Foresters in second.
To cap off the year, the club held a hugely successful family fun day with six teams playing in a six-a-side competition.
They were made up of mixed abilities, young and old, and unisex with plenty going on away from the square too.
Aythorpe Roding's season had promised much but ended in a whimper with a 51-run loss at home to Great Baddow.
They had been among the title challengers in the Mid Essex Cricket League Premier Division for the majority of the campaign but the final loss meant they finished with a run of six games without a win, four ending in defeat.
It left them in third place, six points behind Tillingham and 59 adrift of champions Rayleigh.
Their latest game against Great Baddow saw the visitors bat first and make 192 in 38 overs.
The openers gave them a decent start before Neil Culleton took the first three wickets to fall and reduce them to 88-5.
However, a late rally by the middle and lower order gave Great Baddow a better score than expected.
Cullerton finished with 3-39 while there was 3-42 from James Woodmore but the best figures belonged to Fred Dutton who claimed 4-47.
The Aythorpe Roding batsmen give it a good go with a number reaching double figures but they couldn't reach a decent score.
Culleton managed 28, Graham Milbank 27 with skipper Paul Gravatt top scoring on 38 but they were all out for 141 in 36 overs.
