Braintree's under 15's signed off for the season with a narrow defeat away at Coggeshall in the searing heat on Sunday.

Having restricted Coggeshall to just 114 Braintree went into the chase with a great opportunity to avenge defeat in the early season but it would be the shortage of experience in the side that told as the chase fizzled out.

Coggeshall won the toss and chose to bat on a track used in county 2nd XI game the previous week but didn't make the start they had hoped. Some tentative running gave stand in 'keeper Adam Westall an opportunity and didn't let it slip as he ripped off his glove and executed the direct hit required to make the breakthrough. 19-1 became 21-2 just 2 balls later as Joey Blackwell looked to take Thomas Mellon back over his head. 10 year old U15 debutant Tor Hornett had other ideas though as he took a smart catch much to delight of his team mates and the travelling support. Coggeshall then settled in with Toby Fairs (27*) Freddie Finch (14) and Callum Stott (16) punishing anything short on a very flat track. It was Theo Sherry that made the breakthrough at 74 as he pushed one into the blockhole of Stott and disturbed his leg stump and just two overs later Adam Westall got into the act when he trapped the dangerous looking Finch leg before. It was Scott Vine who would take centre stage however as he took the next 4 wickets for just 5 runs in his final 2 overs to put the Dolphins firmly in the driving seat.

Firstly he forced Oliver Edwards to chip to Callum Lazarus at mid wicket for 4 and then two balls later he sent Lewis Turner on his way for 0. Thomas Mellon then took a comfortable catch at mid off to see the back of Evers for 10 and, with the last ball of his spell, clean bowled Golbourn for a duck. An excellent spell from Vine and well deserved reward for working as hard as he has all season.

It was Mellon who would take the final wicket as he enticed Balian Rutherford to play across the line and as the ball came off the back of his bat Abdul Kamran was on hand to take a fine catch

114 was very much within the reach of the Braintree batters but the work would have to be done by the top order. Adam Westall and Thomas Mellon got them off to a great start, combatting the pace of Turner by waiting for the loose ball and putting it away and they had put on 38 before Westall was foxed by a yorker from Henry Golbourn. Callum Lazarus joined Mellon and the pair kept the scoreboard ticking with the required rate always hovering around 6 an over, Lazarus was particularly brutal with anything short whilst Mellon bided his time knowing how important keeping wickets intact was to the chase.

At 63 however he became the first of 4 victims for the impressive Toby Fairs who played the captains role in changing the game for his side. It was his accuracy that piled pressure on the Braintree middle order and with that came wickets as the shots came. Having struck Fairs to the boundary twice Abdul Kamran lost his off stump before Theo Sherry and Scott Vine departed in consecutive balls, again both losing their bails to Fairs.

At the other end Lazarus could only watch the wickets tumble as he struggled to get on strike and the final over arrived with 12 required. After a dot and 2 byes Joe Chaplin was bowled without scoring and the next ball Lazarus was run out trying to get the strike for a fine 29 leaving Will Sherry and Lucas Hale an Impossible task in the final 2 balls

Disappointing to lose the final game but the season was full of highlights for the young guns and they should all be proud of the progress they have made