Premier Division

League leaders Wanstead and Snaresbrook fell to their first league defeat of the season on Saturday as they were crushed by nine wickets at home to third-placed Chelmsford.

Having won the toss, Wanstead elected to make first use of the batting track but immediately faltered.

First, John Chambers was removed for a duck with just the second ball and partner Arfan Akram (18) soon followed to leave the hosts on 28 for two.

However, Saurav Prabhakar (72) and Hassan Chowdhury (42) came to the rescue and the pair combined effectively to help guide Wanstead to 217 all out.

That total always looked a little short and Chelmsford re-enforced that fact by reaching a winning total of 221 for the loss of just one wicket.

Dan Hagen (88 not out) and Nick Prowting (102 not out) laid on the runs, with Adam Lord clinching the only wicket for the hosts.

Willem Scholtz hit a century as Buckhurst Hill battered Harold Wood by 100 runs in a comprehensive home victory.

It had been a poor start from Hill with the bat with openers Ian Russell (4) and Ricky Reynolds (0) soon heading back to the pavilion.

But the mood changed when Scholtz thrashed his way to 108 from 121 deliveries, hitting 12 fours and two sixes in the process.

Raymond Parkinson (35) and Jamie Allen (29) made important contributions too as Buckhurst Hill closed on a strong total of 274 for eight.

Mohib Shah never allowed Harold Wood a moment’s peace as they got their reply underway, taking six for 26.

Darren Ironside chipped in with two late wickets and the visitors were removed after 36.1 overs, having put on just 174 in reply.

Mubasher Hassan starred with bat and ball as Chingford clinched a five-wicket win over South Woodford.

Put into bat, South Woodford made a sluggish start from which they never recovered.

Lenny Daniels removed opener Dane Watson for one and Ashley Leat (18), James Swash (12), Max Shirt (0) and Harry Neicho (0) soon followed as Hassan (four for 39) got to work.

Kishan Vadher (58 not out) eventually supplied some runs from the tail and Harry Shirt (31) also provided some brief resistance in an underwhelming total of 194 all out.

Chingford’s Alfie Taylor was removed for a duck in reply but backed up by Jack Potticary (69) and Hassan (83), the hosts made the necessary 196 with five wickets down.

Rishi Patel’s 88 proved in vain as Loughton were beaten by seven wickets at home to Colchester and East Essex.

Inserted, Loughton lost opener Matthew Schubert (6) cheaply and although Ubaid Ur Rehman Kiani (37) made a better fist of things, it was an inauspicious opening.

Patel, batting at four, lifted the mood by hitting 88 from 104 deliveries and Ben Sly made a quick-fire 56 from 39 balls at the tail end to boost Loughton’s total of 263 for eight.

Andrew Bridges snared two Colchester wickets – at a price of 64 runs – as Loughton looked to get stuck into their visitors’ line-up but ultimately the away side had too much with the bat.

The pairing of Harry Bush (78) and Joe Austin (72 not out) took Colchester to victory, reaching 266 with just three wickets down.

Division Two

Gary Edwards made an unbeaten 60 to carry Fives and Heronians to a seven-wicket defeat of Ardleigh Green.

Hosts Ardleigh Green chose to bat first and had put on 46 for the first wicket before Selvam Ramasamy (three for 25) snared the first of his three victims.

The wickets continued to tumble from that point, with Ramasamy clinching two more to leave Ardleigh Green struggling on 53 for three.

Gamindu Kanishka (two for 20) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (two for 33) both got in on the act later on as Green were removed for 175.

Fives completed the win by reaching 179 for three after 42.4 overs.

Edwards top-scored with 60 not out and Kanishka added 49 to the total, falling agonisingly short of his half-century.

Division Three

A pair of half-centuries were not enough to steer West Essex to a win as they lost by 120 runs at home to Westcliff-on-Sea.

Anything their hosts could do, the away side did better; Sam Weller (113) and Adam Pickering (122) laying on centuries to give Westcliff a mammoth total of 364 for nine.

Zohair Jan (four for 59) returned the best bowling figures for West Essex, who set about facing a sizeable task to chase down Westcliff.

The hosts quickly lost Zia Anwar (4), finding themselves at ten for one and that paved the way for an ultimately fruitless run chase.

Despite the best efforts of Julian Joy (53) and Jan (54), they were all out for 244.

Epping were off the pace as they slipped to a seven-wicket defeat at Benfleet, leaving them two points clear of the drop zone.

Skittled out for 209, the visitors were always up against it as they sought to defend that total but Benfleet got home with ease, posting 212 for three in reply.

Anthony Palmer hit a half-century to help Woodford Green pick up a dramatic win at Old Brentwoods.

The hosts won the toss and looked set for an imposing total as Sumit Sharma (72) and Surjeet Ubhi (21) got going.

Yet their example was not followed and although Rajnish Dohal (46) and Osman Chaudhry (26) were able to supply some runs, the home side could only muster 223 for six, with Zain Ul-Abiddin claiming three for 52.

Woodford Green’s reply was spread through the order, with Palmer (53), Hamza Hussain (39) and Jack Cossey (27) the pick of the visitors’ batsmen.

It fell to Zubair Bhatti (10 not out) and Ul-Abiddin (1 not out) to complete the job, Woodford reaching 227 for nine.

Leaders Oakfield Parkonians fell to their first defeat of the season as they lost by three wickets at home to Basildon & Pitsea.

Parks had appeared on course for a big total after an encouraging showing from the middle order which saw Haris Khan (42), Rana Muhammed Arslan (38) and Paran Kalley (56) all score well.

But a lack of runs from the tail put paid to that idea and instead they were dismissed for 227.

In response, Abdul Rehman Razzaq (two for 21) and Faisal Bhatti (two for 47) could not prevent the away side reaching 239 for seven to seal a three-wicket success.