Richard Spiller looks back at the action from Week 11.
BY RICHARD SPILLER
Are Reigate Priory unstoppable at the top of the Travelbag Surrey Championship Premier Division? There are seven weeks left of the county’s leading club competition but Sunbury gave a pointer that maybe it’s not all over yet.
Richard Spiller looks back at Saturday’s action.
SUNBURY V REIGATE PRIORY
Leaders Reigate had their run of four victories ended as they were left hanging on for a draw at Sunbury.
The hosts took advantage of batting first after winning the toss thanks to Middlesex’s Martin Andersson hitting 114 in 139 balls, enabling skipper John Maunders to call them in at 300-7dec from 61 overs. Leg-spinner Michael Munday finished with 4-94.
Priory had openers Richie Oliver (36) and Andy Delmont to thank for a start of 56 and at 120-1 they were still well placed but ran into trouble against Ajit Singh Sambhi (3-28), needing Delmont’s untypically stodgy 66no to see them to the safety of a losing draw at 175-6 from 60 overs. Reigate continue to have a lead of 23 points at the top of the table though.
ASHTEAD V WEYBRIDGE
Batting is rarely a hardship at Woodfield Lane and the prolonged hot spell has made boundaries even easier to achieve thanks to the lightning outfields.
Andrew Curtis’s 124 led Weybridge to 300-8dec from 61.5 overs – hitting eight fours and five sixes - but Kiwi Tom Bruce was perhaps feeling the effects of playing for Sussex against Surrey at Hove the previous night as he was bowled first ball by Raleh Jafri. Odge Davey’s 67 provided late substance, left-arm spinner Tom Homes wheeling away for 22.4 overs to finish with 4-110.
David White (61) got the reply moving but it was Guy Harper’s unbeaten 101 which prevented an attack based around off-spinner Phil Mann (3-82 in 18 overs) making further progress, his stand of 98 for the fifth wicket with Conor Young (64) seeing Ashtead take the winning draw by finishing just short at 293-5 from 58.
BANSTEAD V SUTTON
As you might expect from two sides promoted together last season – and with a rivalry going back many years – the encounters between Sutton and Banstead have been close.
Banstead won a last-ball thriller by one run in the opening game of the season at Cheam Road and completed the double, for which they had the all-round skills of Tom Lancefield to thank.
First his left-arm floaters earned him 6-105 from a marathon 32.3 overs – bowling throughout the innings from one end – as the visitors were dismissed for 241. For that they had Harry Allen (82), who put on 91 for the third wicket with Gary Outram (48), Luke Smith’s 38 and Aman Shinwari’s 37 the only other innings in double-figures.
When their reply slid to 81-4, Banstead were looking outsiders but Lancefield’s 92 took the hosts within 20 of victory, last pair Arsalan Abbas (7no) and Luke Fisher (13no) finishing the job in exciting fashion.
CRANLEIGH V WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon’s batsmen rarely hang around and they weren’t messing about at Cranleigh.
Despite opener Lewis Bedford’s 52, Cranes looked sunk at 120-9, tailender Will Rollings hammering 45no so that they finally raised 167 against an attack featuring Jonathan Dewes (3-46).
And although Nick Welch (16) departed early, Surrey’s Ryan Patel cracked an unbeaten 72, adding 116 with Oliver Swann (65) to complete the chase in 29.3 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Wimbledon are third, 53 points off the pace, while Cranleigh continue to glance downwards nervously, sitting eighth with a cushion of only 14 points between them and the relegation zone.
EAST MOLESEY V NORMANDY
Basement boys East Molesey won’t give up their Premier Division spot without a fight – and they gave ailing champions Normandy another bad day into the bargain.
Centuries from Simon Barrett and Andy Westphal, who hit 108 apiece, were almost entirely responsible for the hosts making 318 all out in 64.5 overs, only two other players reaching double-figures. Left-arm spinner Viggy Venkateswaran (4-85) did much of the heavy lifting, Russell Withey (3) and Neal Prowse (2) the other wicket-takers.
Normandy’s reply was given a solid start by openers Tim Ward (57) and Freddy Austin (55), Oscar Kolk also making 55, but they collapsed against Jonathan Fawcett (5-62) and had to bat out their 63 overs back at 221-7 to finish with a losing draw (decided on run-rate).
East Molesey still find themselves bottom by 24 points but Normandy are also 14 points off safety.
BEST OF THE REST
New leaders in Division One – albeit level on points with Esher – are Leatherhead, despite failing to extend their run of wins past four.
They won an important toss at Fetcham Grove and reached 254 all out against Guildford, opener James Crowson’s 47 the highest score. Jonny Charles followed his five-wicket haul a week earlier at Beddington with 5-59, fellow off-spinner and Surrey U16 skipper Freddie Geffen impressing with 2-76 in 20 overs.
While Nathan Tilley – whose 101 was his third Championship century, on the back of leading Surrey U18s to victory over Sussex last week – was adding 95 for the third wicket with Joe Pipkin (42), Guildford still had a chance of winning but they faded to 209-6 in the closing overs to finish with a losing draw, left-arm spinner Adam Dyson the main reason as he finished with 5-71 from 24 overs on a pitch taking increasing turn as the day went on.
Esher were squeezed into second spot by a defeat at home to improving Chessington, Khurram Irshad (5-62) ensuring the visitors were bowled out for 228 – owing much to Jack Dixon’s 115 – but seeing his own side bowled out for 182 to lose by 46 runs.
Camberley took over in third – level with Guildford, both 21 points off the pace – with a 129-run hammering of Valley End. Max Shoveller’s typically aggressive 131 pushed them to 337-5dec in 60.3 overs, Tade Carmichael (4-32) heading the bowlers in finishing off the visitors for 208.