Premier Division

Jonathan Das hit 84 to keep Wanstead and Snaresbrook in the title hunt, beating Harold Wood by five wickets on Saturday.

The win leaves Wanstead third in the Premier Division, just five points behind leaders Brentwood.

Victory looked unlikely for the visitors when Raihan Hussain opened with 114 before Colin Sher hit 91 at number three. The strong start could not be maintained by the lower order though, leaving Wood to declare on 244 for seven.

Zain Shahzad took two for 37 for Wanstead, who also benefited from two late run outs.

John Chambers opened with a knock of 47 but Das was the star of the show, putting on 84 runs to push the away side towards their target. Adnan Akram weighed in with 41 to help Wanstead to 248 for five.

Garry Neicho’s five-for helped South Woodford to a 55-run victory over Loughton.

Inserted into bat, South Woodford put a sluggish start behind them to reach 197 for nine before declaring, with Max Shirt (77) leading the way with four fours.

Nick Browne (28) and Joe Craddock (24) provided important contributions as Bilal Butt (four for 44) kept the score down.

Hamza Ahmed opened with 53 in reply and a further 51 from Hafiz Yawar Azfal pushed Loughton’s total to 142, but it was not enough.

Neicho took five for 30 and James Malin claimed three for 24 as the lower order collapsed.

Chingford were resolute with the bat, holding on to draw at home to Ilford despite Nigel Jacobs’ 145 for the visitors.

Opening with Hendro Puchert (47), Jacobs put on the bulk of the Ilford total, before Pronob Roy (39) weighed in late on.

Ben MacGregor took three for 62 as the visitors closed on 297 for seven.

Chris Baldock (64), batting at number seven, was the only Chingford batsman to pass 50, though only opener Daniel Lawrence (8) failed to reach double figures as time ran out with Chingford on 217 for five.

Division One

Buckhurst Hill made hard work of overcoming Harlow’s lowly total, but managed to win by three wickets.

Visitors Harlow set a target of just 123, with Ahmed Kawaja (38) recording the only score of note.

Shane Cassel starred with the ball, removing three batsmen for just 12 runs.

Contributions from Cassel (29 not out) and Jamie Allen (23) helped salvage the innings for Buckhurst, who just reached 125 for seven.

Woodford Wells remain in the bottom two after a 197-run thrashing at Wickford.

The hosts put up an intimidating total of 266, with Chirag Desai (60) and Andy Baker (54) making important scores.

Peter McDermott claimed four for 47 for Wells but could not prevent the hosts setting a good score.

Only Jonathan Gaffney at two offered any staying power before being removed on 33 as Wells crumbled to 87 all out.

Baker excelled with the ball as well as the bat, taking four for just 11.

Division Two

Terry Ballard hit a huge 153 as Fives and Heronians demolished Gidea Park and Romford by 277 runs.

Nineteen fours and eight sixes saw Ballard reach 153 from just 95 balls, providing the platform from which his side made 351 for five.

Jamal Francis took three for 55 but the wickets proved in vain as his side collapsed for just 74 all out.

West Essex failed to put any distance between themselves and the drop zone following an 89-run loss at Orsett.

Having won the toss, the hosts batted first and were able to score consistently, Jason Plom (66) and Lewis Lockyer (40) performed well.

Zohair Jan took two for 27 as the some side were removed for 249.

The visitors never threatened their hosts’ total and 52 from Irfan Riaz was the highlight of an innings which closed on 160.

Shahid Khan was the biggest threat with the ball, taking four for 21.

Division Three

Epping are still propping up the table after a six-wicket defeat at home to Old Brentwoods.

Put into bat, Epping struggled for consistency with the bat and 52 from Salim Mithani helped drag their score up to 153 all out, with Shahid Iqbal taking three for 32.

Brentwoods were able to reach a winning total of 157 having lost just four wickets, with Gurpal Lall and Naeem Ullah Amin both making 31.

Second XI Premier Division

Chingford Seconds’ promotion push received a shot in the arm with a three-wicket win at Ilford Seconds.

Invited to bat first, Ilford scored slowly and declared on 153 for seven after 52 overs.

Salman Rana (41) and Vikrant Vekatesan (36) provided the most telling knocks as Richard MacGregor claimed four for 54.

Chingford struggled with the bat until Malik Kashif Jamal (38 not out) and Mitan Patel (36) carried the visitors to 154 for seven.

South Woodford Seconds were lucky to escape with a draw at Colchester and East Essex after a poor batting display.

The hosts opened the batting and set about putting on a competitive total of 240 for eight before declaring; Kieran Dale (58) and Caspar Everett (43) providing important scores.

Trishan Sivathasan finished with three four 41 for South Woodford.

In reply, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals, with only Louis Cant (38) displaying any real staying power at the crease en route to just 91 for seven.

Oakfield Parkonians remain second-bottom after a 100-run trouncing at Old Southendian and Southchurch.

Rob Johnston provided a knock of 74 to the Southendian total of 257 for five, with Michael Hill (34) chipping in at three.

Sixty-two from Jibran Azam and at number three was quickly forgotten when a batting collapse ensued, leaving Parks on 157 for nine.

Wanstead and Snaresbrook Seconds maintained their push for top spot with a seven-wicket win over Buckhurst Hill Seconds.

Visitors Buckhurst made 149 before being removed, but Wanstead were in ruthless form and raced to 153 for three in 28.1 overs.

Second XI Division One

Woodford Wells Seconds remain on course for promotion after a six-wicket success at home to Wickford Seconds.

The visitors’ innings was built on 70 from Lee Stace, with the tail end carrying the away side to 170 for nine before declaring.

Louis Poynter had success with the ball, taking three for 36.

Nicholas Sims’ knock of 66 not out did much of the work for Wells in reply and Christopher Briggs added 38 for the hosts as they dreached their target four wickets down.

Loughton Seconds were able to snatch a draw against Hornchurch Seconds, despite Kevin Shallow’s 124.

A big century from Shallow was added to by 92 from Ed Warren, batting at number eight, to give the visitors a sizeable total of 283 all out.

In reply, Loughton saw openers Ashfa Parvez (42) and Fahad Anwar (75) make a bright start with the bat.

Asim Aslam hit 63 before the runs began to dry up; the hosts finishing on 269 with two wickets intact.

Neil Braithwaite and Michael Batt both passed 70 for Fives and Heronians Seconds, who were beaten by ten runs at Southend on Sea EMT Seconds.

Tom Kenton (67) and Stephen Hunt (71) provided the key knocks as Southend reached 239 for eight before declaring.

Braithwaite (77) and Batt (78) at one and three had Fives off to a flier before the flow of runs halted ten short of the hosts’ total.

Chris Maher played an important role in preventing the visitors from winning, taking six for 53.

Second XI Division Two

Murad Ali claimed four for 51 as West Essex Seconds beat Harold Wood Seconds by 87 runs.

Opting to open the batting, hosts West Essex built steadily, with Miftha Islam (52) and Zaheer Ahmed (41) playing key roles.

Billy Mortimer took three for 47 as West Essex declared on 248 for seven.

Wood never got going in reply and by the time Christopher Bennett (36) and George Bryant (32) were removed, the writing was on the wall.

Riz Akbar took two for 15, helping dismiss the visitors for 161.

Second XI Division Three

Forty-eight from Gurjinder Singh was not enough to prevent Epping Seconds from slipping to a one-run loss at Old Brentwoods Seconds.

The hosts were restricted well by the bowling of Epping duo Singh (four for 33) and Mohammed Zubair (four for 20).

Alistair Johnson top-scored with 35 – enough to see the home side finish on 128 for nine.

Singh’s 48 provided brief hope for the visitors, whose side succumbed on 127 – one run short of a tie.

Jonathan Miller took four for 24 for the hosts.

Oakfield Parkonians Seconds were well-beaten by Old Southendian and Southchurch Seconds, going down by 109 runs.

James Lock (83) and Gary Threadgold (89) made invaluable scores as visitors Southendian reached 243 for three.

Parks never convinced in reply and were removed for 134, with Harry Markatis (34) offering the most with the bat.

Threadgold took three for 20 for the away side.