Maldon - County Game 2

The second County Game for the tour was against Essex at Maldon.

The game was played at Maldon Cricket Club, Drapers Farm, Heybridge.

The clubrooms were formerly an old barn which has plenty of character.

Drapers Farm dates back to the 1500s.

The interior of the barn was quite impressive.

The Australian players had their warm up session before the game.

The players then posed for the team photo.

Australia batted first and at the end of the innings were 5 for 226. Ian A Gibson 51 retired, John Terrell 50 retired, Harry Solomons 33, Roger Edmunds 16, Ian Petherick 15, John Costello 15 (retired hurt), Ron Kasputtis 15 not out, Alan Reid 13 and Robin Court 10 not out.

In their 45 overs Essex managed a score of 9 for 120 - Robin Court 2 for 7 off 4; Ron Kasputtis 2 for 10 off 5; Bruce Pooley 2 for 19 off 5; John Terrell 1 for 13 off 4; Phil Smith 1 for 22 off 9; Alan Reid 1 for 28 off 8. Colin Cooke took two catches while Phil Smith and Ian Petherick each took one.

It was a comfortable win for the Australian team however two of our players were injured - John with a hamstring injury and Harry with a shoulder injury.

A member of the Maldon Cricket Club arranged for the ladies to be taken into Maldon to have a look around.

We were left at Promenade Park on the Blackwater Estuary. A number of Thames barges are moored at Hythe Quay.

These barges are a reminder of the past when they were a regular sight on the Thames in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

These were just some of the variety of boats to be seen on the mud flats.

I then wandered into the town.

The church of St Mary the Virgin at the Hythe. A Saxon church was originally on this site to be replaced by a Norman church in 1130. It served as an important church for seafarers.

There were many interesting buildings and streetscapes.

The Moot Hall dates back to1420 when it was built as a tower attached to a timber manor house.

We found taxis to return us to the cricket ground and arrived back to watch the second half of the game.

After the match there was a spread of salads and cold meats to enjoy.