WICKFORD vice-captain Dale Kinsey admits he was pleased his side stepped up to get the better of Leigh in the Shepherd Neame Essex League.

The home team were emphatic 129 run winners against their Division Two rivals at the weekend.

Three half centuries helped Wickford compile a total of 317 in their innings.

And, despite the best efforts of the explosive Dean Waller, Leigh were unable to reply.

And Kinsey – who is set to lead Wickford for the remainder of the season after captain Andy Baker was ruled out following knee surgery – said his side were deserving winners.

“I was really pleased,” said Kinsey. “They won the toss and fielded first which was fine with us as we were going to bat anyway.

“I said last week we needed two or three batsmen to step up and that happened which was pleasing. We had a great first innings where we didn’t do much wrong.

“We started well. The openers (Chirag Desai 75 and Chris Westwood 53) did well and in the middle we were steady before Dean Etchells (72) stepped up.

“To get the first wicket in the first over was a great start. It was a gamble to start with a spinner but it worked which is what you want.

“We had still lost a match earlier in the season having sored almost 300 so we didn’t take it for granted but once Dean Waller went we knew we were in a good position to win.”

Waller clubbed 57 off just 20 deliveries (including five fours and five sixes) before he was caught and bowled by Andrew Metcalfe.

He finished with two wickets with David Cole closing on 3-56. Desai also took two wickets.

For Leigh, Sean Elliott, Paul Humphries and Prashanth Natarajan all took a brace of wickets each as they remain in the relegation places.

Old Southendian & Southchurch were two wicket winners against bottom club Harlow in what proved to be a close contest.

Harlow accrued just 185 having won the toss – Ali Raza taking 3-48 and Andrew McGarry 2-19 – but were well placed before the efforts of Dan Baines (40) and McGarry (29 not out) helped them over the line with the end of the match looming.