Wanstead & Snaresbrook moved onto level terms with league leaders Ilford in the Essex League Premier Division at the weekend, thanks to a convincing win over rock bottom Southend-on-Sea.

An upset looked like it might be on the cards when Southend’s Lewis Wright (63), Carl Lees (33) and Thomas Phillippe got the home side off to a bright start, leaving them at 153-3.

But the trio’s dismissals sparked a batting collapse, as Southend’s remaining batsmen could only score a disappointing 48 between them, as they were bowled out for 201, with Mohammed Fayyaz Khan being the pick of the Wanstead bowlers (6-31).

Despite a rocky start for Wanstead, which saw them lose Muhammad Manack at 1-1 for a duck, opener Aron Nijjar helped to get last year’s National Cup champions back on track with a score of 43.

Nijjar’s score was then built upon by late contributions from Adnan Akram (70) and skipper Joe Ellis-Grewal (45) as Wanstead beat the target set with four wickets to spare, handing them the victory.

That result allowed Wanstead to move onto level terms with league leaders Ilford, who were held away to Brentwood.

Syed Ashar Ahmed Zaidi played an integral role in Ilford’s innings, notching 85 from 103 balls, as they were dismissed for 235 inside 62 overs, with fellow batsman Mohammad Ahktar also performing well with a score of 45.

However, Zaidi’s score was to be beaten by Brentwood’s Tom Oakley who notched an unrivalled 88, as the home side posted 213-6 inside 58 overs to ensure the match was drawn.

Elsewhere in the Premier Division, Chingford also had to settle for a draw as they were held by Hornchurch at home despite Peter McDermott’s score of 82 not out.

Having won the toss, Chingford elected to field first and Hornchurch would post a score of 259-9 inside 64 overs largely thanks to Michael Bones (65), Jamie Sorrell (61) and captain Billy Gordon’s half century.

With a tough target to chase, Chingford’s innings got off to a bright start thanks to Ben MacGregor and Alex Agedah’s opening partnership of 93.

After Alexander Maskell was then dismissed for four, McDermott entered the crease and notched an unbeaten 82, which was swiftly built upon by captain Andrew MacGregor’s quick-fire 44 from 45 balls, as Chingford reached 258-7, meaning the match was drawn.

In Division One, Woodford Wells extended their unbeaten run to three games as they thrashed Orsett & Thurrock by five wickets.

Woodford’s Nigel Holmes took 3-46 as Orsett set a target of 215-8, thanks to significant contributions from Daniel Laird, who notched a half-century, and William Gibbon who posted an unbeaten score of 81.

But what Orsett lacked was consistency, something which was seized upon by Woodford, as all of their batsmen reached double figures, with opener Joe Johnson impressing with his score of 61.

Gareth James (38) and Hywel Jones (34) also performed well as Woodford claimed a commanding five wicket victory inside 41.3 overs.

Buckhurst Hill were unable to build on last week’s morale boosting win over Harold Wood as they were narrowly beaten by Hutton, after their last two batsmen were dismissed for ducks.

Hutton looked to be in a commanding position in the first innings when they stood at 223-4 thanks to Adam Holdgate’s 69 and Julian Whetstone’s 72.

Cameron Tredgett (35) and Vivan Paver (42) also performed well, but the latter’s dismissal would spark a batting collapse, as Hutton lost their commanding position when they were bowled all out for 240.

Buoyed by that collapse, Buckhurst Hill’s innings got off to the perfect start when opener Hendro Puchert hit 66, while Prashant Chand-Bajpai notched 39.

It seemed like Buckhurst Hill were on course to beat the target following a consistent innings from their batsmen, but they were to fall at the last hurdle as both Rohan Bhome and Usman Sahar were dismissed for ducks, condemning them to a 10 run defeat.

In Division Two, it proved to be a mixed weekend for Fives and Heronians as they picked up their second league win of the season on Saturday, only to be dumped out of the Duke Essex League Cup a day later.

It proved to be a convincing win for Fives in the league as they thrashed Harlow Town away from home, after unbeaten half centuries from both Shawn Tuitt (58) and Usman Jan (59).

With a score of 241 to beat, Harlow were unable to deal with the pressure as they lost five early wickets to leave them on the brink at 30-5.

Ashley Anderson and Neil Gladwin both broke the 40 run mark, but in the end, it wasn’t enough for Harlow, as they were dismissed for 133, with Jan taking an impressive 3-22.

But after enjoying such a convincing win on Saturday, they were unable to repeat their performance a day later in the League Cup, as they crashed out of the competition at the hands of Hainault & Clayhall who secured an eight wicket victory.

Elsewhere, the honours were shared between Loughton and South Woodford in a closely fought match at the Pavilion.

Loughton batted first and posted a score of 201, thanks to Vibhor Yadav’s unbeaten 68 which was then backed up with a score of 36 from Niketh Shetty.

South Woodford’s innings got off to a good start thanks to opener Henry Blackwell (42) before Joe Craddock then notched 32 from 60 balls, as the visitors reached 180-7, ensuring the match ended in a draw.

Meanwhile in Division Three, Walthamstow extended their lead at the top of the table as Ben Smith’s century helped them secure a convincing 79 run win over Ardleigh Green.

After Richard Baughen and Christian Moffat’s opening 18 run partnership, Smith entered the crease and notched 106, which played a significant role as Walthamstow posted 195.

Walthamstow’s Rory Knox was in good form with the ball as he took 5-36, helping them to secure a comprehensive victory after Ardleigh Green were dismissed for just 116.

Woodford Green were also in the driving seat in their match as well, as they thrashed West Essex away from home by 120 runs.

Anthony Palmer was the pick of the Woodford Green batsmen as he notched a half-century to help them reach a score of 241.

In reply, West Essex could manage just 121 after only four of their batsmen reached double figures, with Amrit Ryatt taking 5-20.

Epping managed to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Ardleigh Green as they dug in to secure a draw against second place Old Brentwoods.

Having chosen to bat, MinHaz Bhad (57) and Ayaz Qureshi (49) were in good form as Old Brentwoods were bowled out for 227.

Epping got off to a perfect start in their innings when opener Ramiz Miah notched a half-century which was supplemented by Ahsan Akbar’s unbeaten 63 as they posted 165-5 inside 49 overs, ensuring the match was drawn.