East Molesey win the Championship
It was the penultimate week of the AJ Fordham Surrey Championship as the battle at the top of the Premier Division comes to the boil. Richard Spiller reports.
East Molesey v Banstead
A wait of 39 years was finally ended for East Molesey, victory by eight wickets ensuring they claimed the title with a match to spare.
Going into their clash with Banstead 21 points ahead of Reigate Priory, they knew victory would ensure finishing top of the league for the first time since 1980, when there was only one division of the Surrey Championship, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, Ian Botham was England captain and only one member of the current Surrey playing staff had been born.
The introduction of promotion and relegation in 1987 saw East Molesey one of the first sides to drop and their wilderness years included time in Division Three.
When they finally returned to the top tier in 2013 it was for a single season and at the second time of asking survival had been tough, finishing eighth out of 10 for the last three seasons.
But to the immense credit of the players and dedicated workers behind the scenes, who have transformed their riverside ground into one of the most scenic in the competition, East Molesey have built a side which this year can claim the proud record of winning 15 out of 17 matches so far.
Pushing to finish third, Banstead were in no mood to make things easy for them, recovering from 18-2 through Neil Baker (69) and Tom Lancefield (42) adding 95 for the third wicket. East Molesey's varied attack have had an answer for most situations, Frank Knight (4-47) taking the lead while Dominic Reed finished with 2-29 as they restricted the visitors to 203-9 in 50 overs.
An increasingly large and expectant crowd, anticipating the moment to come, saw Nick Stevens bowled for three but stalwarts Simon Barrett and Sam Burge steadily developed an alliance worth 132 for the second wicket. They were well ahead of the DLS rate when rain briefly interruped at 92-1 in the 26th over but the Moles had no desire for their big moment to arrive courtesy of a slide-rule and the sun was out again speedily enough for no overs to be lost.
Although the aggressive Burge - captain when Moles climbed back to the Premier - was bowled for 89, a second victim for left-arm spinner Tyler Meyer, Barrett (67no) was joined by Sri Lankan left-hander Sahan Arachchige (33no). They knocked off the runs required, Arachchige cracking Liam Head for a boundary to secure victory by eight wickets in the 43rd over and launch the celebrations.
That the title should be decided in a match between those two clubs seemed fitting. Just three days earlier, East Molesey had hosted the wake of Brian Morton, the former captain and chairman of Banstead - and the Surrey Championship for a period - who died on July 31. He had been a regular visitor to Graburn Way, given he lived nearby, in latter years despite his failing health. The man known as 'Noddy' always loved a party and he would have relished this one.
Esher v Ashtead
Survival assured a week earlier, Esher moved up to seventh place, nipping in by two wickets with a ball to spare.
They had found it hard going early on, Ashtead making 231-3 after choosing to bat first as skipper David White (84no) and Harri Aravinthan (83no) picked them up from 82-3 in the 24th over. Opener Tom Burnap (61) took charge of the reply before departing at 120-2 in the 27th over and it was highly promising seamer Aravinthan who cut a swathe through the visitors by claiming 6-25 - which included three wickets in five balls at one stage - in his 10 overs. He could not dislodge Alex Martin (53no), who teamed up with Ben Collins (13no) to add 64 and take the points.
Reigate Priory v Sutton
Jamie Smith returned to action but could not stop Reigate Priory cantering to victory.
Hoping East Molesey would trip up and save their title hopes, Priory found the Surrey youngster - who has missed much of the past two months through injury - in aggressive mood, hammering 53 out of the first 59 and taking a particular liking to seamer Will Hodson as he cracked a dozen boundaries.
Eventually the veteran bowled him and Sutton subsided to 148 all out, Smith's Surrey colleague Conor McKerr making 23, as former Somerset leg spinner Michael Munday ran through them with 6-21 from 8.2 overs.
Skipper Richie Oliver's 83no spearheaded his side's dive to victory by eight wickets, adding 71 for the second wicket with Brad Scriven (43no) and victory being wrapped up with 22 overs to spare - but it was to prove an empty success for Reigate, who won the first 10 games of the season yet saw the prize slip from their grasp for a second year running.
Guildford v Weybridge
Batting horror stories have become all too familiar for Guildford this year but their worst yet came as they were rushed out for 55 at Woodbridge Road.
Seamers Ralph Day (5-19) and Brent Kay (3-15) made the most of a helpful pitch to finish the job in just 24.5 overs the pick of some excellent catching being a reflex one-handed snatch at first dlip by Surrey's Will Jacks as he appeared against his old club. No batsman got into double figures.
Guildford's long-suffering bowlers did their best to gain some honour, the ever-excellent Duncan Selmes (2-25) producing a peach of a delivery to have Jacks caught behind for six by outgoing champions Weybridge wrapped up a win by six wickets inside 12 overs.
Sunbury v Wimbledon
An undefeated 80 from Nick Welch steered Wimbledon back into third place, cruising to victory by eight wickets at Sunbury.
Safe from relegation but looking likely to finish eighth, the home side owed much of their 193 all out to South African all-rounder Matt McGillivray's 85 from 93 balls, putting on 87 for the fifth wicket with Alex Hughes (32). Surrey's Amar Virdi chipped in with 22 before being castled by county colleague Ryan Patel (3-27).
Bad light and then rain intervened when the reply had reached 67-1 after 18 overs, chopping 11 off the match.
Left needing 162 from 39, Welch was aided by Patel (23) and Kiwi Cole McConchie (28no), McGillivray claiming both wickets but could not prevent his side being beaten with seven balls to spare.
Best of the Rest
Cranleigh will take a five-point advantage into the final week of the Division One campaign thanks to a successful chase at Malden Wanderers.
Dan Moore (113) and Pete Young (62) pushed the hosts up to 256-8, seamer Tom Lawes following up his contribution to Surrey U17's County Championship success last week by claiming 4-53 from 10 overs.
Skipper Jack Scriven got Cranes off to a rollicking start by hammering nine fours and four sixes in his 64 from 46 balls but the starring role fell to George Ealham - Surrey's batting hero at Arundel - as he cracked 100no. He struck 11 fours and four sixes, adding an unbroken 120 for the fifth wicket with Lewis Bedford (60no).
Should Cranes slip up then Normandy will hope to take advantage. They soared to 291-4 against relegated Walton, Freddy Austin making 92, dismissing the visitors for 204.