Richard Spiller reviews the last of the timed matches in the Travelbag Surrey Championship.
BY RICHARD SPILLER
It was the final week of the timed matches in the Travelbag Surrey Championship, which sees Reigate Priory heading the Premier Division title chase with 229 points, 10 in front of Weybridge and a distant 54 ahead of third-placed Sunbury. But it’s getting very tight in the basement too as the teams prepare for final five weeks of 50-over contests
WIMBLEDON V EAST MOLESEY
We’re not dead yet – that’s the warning from East Molesey after they sprang a surprise by winning at Wimbledon.
Stuck to the bottom all season, they closed the gap on ailing champions Normandy to just four points and are only 13 behind Cranleigh.
The Moles had won a single game in 12 outings but against a Wimbledon side whose seven-match unbeaten run was ended by Reigate Priory a week earlier, they triumphed by 36 runs.
Yet another early-order slide to 34-5 was arrested by Simon Barrett’s 110, gaining invaluable support from tailender Nick Stevens (26no) to push East Molesey up to 202 before they were bowled out in the 60th over. Ryan Patel and Sanjaya Arachchige both finished with three wickets.
While Surrey all-rounder Patel (53) and David Scott (39) were adding 57 for the third wicket, the hosts looked good bets but when the former became Jonathan Fawcett’s first victim at 86, the balance suddenly changed. James Brown (37no) was the only other batsman to resist for long but he could only watch as left-arm spinner Fawcett ran through his colleagues, finishing with 7-51 in 13 overs.
NORMANDY V BANSTEAD
They were steaming towards a first Premier Division title this time last year but now all Normandy can do is fight for survival.
A sixth reverse of the season leaves them in a precarious position, Banstead inflicting a sixth defeat of the season.
They batted solidly enough, reaching 249-8 from the maximum 66 overs, led by Chris Jones (55) and Neal Prowse, whose 61 maintained a fine all-round summer for the captain despite the difficulties of his team.
Banstead were rewarded again for bowling their overs quickly and got an ideal launchpad of 113 from openers George Willis (59) and Dan Newton (77).
The restrictions of Normandy’s depleted attack were underlinedby former Surrey batsman Tom Lancefield overseeing the chase to victory by five wickets by making a well-timed 57no from 52 balls, which included six fours and two sixes.
REIGATE PRIORY V ASHTEAD
Leaders from the off, Reigate may rue their failure to beat Ashtead should they fail to claim the title.
Needing four from the final over and with three wickets left, they lost two men along the way and could only finish with scores level, thus taking the winning draw for higher run rate.
The visitors had amassed 304-7dec in 64 overs, much of it due to Australian opener David White’s 152. Having taken over the captaincy from Tom Deighton earlier this month, he was one of the few to tame spinners Luke Beaven and Michael Munday this season, Sam Homes making 42 while seamer Will Hodson claimed 4-58 in 18 overs.
Richie Oliver (36) and Andrew Delmont (72) got the response off to a swift start in a partnership of 70, Brad Scriven’s 56 keeping Priory on the right track. Ashtead’s bowlers plugged away too, Harshil Patel plus Tom and Sam Homes taking two wickets each.
With 23 to win from four overs and five wickets left, Reigate looked favourites thanks to Angus Dahl (36). But that final over saw Sam Homes remove him with the first delivery and then Hodson two balls later for a duck. In the end it came down to Priory wanting two to win from the final ball but last man Michael Munday could only inside edge a single to leave the scores level.
Amazingly, it was the second time this season that Ashtead have finished with scores level and the 10 points they took means they can be increasingly confident of another season in the elite.
WEYBRIDGE V CRANLEIGH
Weybridge took advantage of Priory slipping up to close in on them – although they not have it all their way against Cranleigh.
It looked as though the match might not get much beyond lunch when the visitors crashed to 43-7 against the seam and movement of Brent Kay (4-56), needing 49 each from Callum Kent and Marcus Atallah as they added 78 for the eighth wicket, before Tom Bruce (3-34) finished off the innings at 166 in the 42nd over.
Opener Ben Curran cracked 46 out of the first 57 of the reply, Kiwi Bruce hitting three fours and two sixes in his rapid 37 and former Surrey staffman Jack Winslade’s unbeaten 38 completing the chase in 31 overs to win by four wickets.
It was Cranleigh’s fourth defeat in a row and they are only nine points outside the relegation zone, with the final five weeks looking a nervy time for them too.
SUTTON V SUNBURY
Sliding Sutton were pushed further into trouble by Martin Andersson and Chris Green .
Without a win in seven games, they were unable to prevent Middlesex-contracted all-rounder Andersson making an unbeaten 104 at the top of the Sunbury order, Green (45) and Alex Hughes (38) supporting well down the order to declare at 297-9 from 57.5 overs. Aman Shinwari and Harry Allen took three wickets apiece.
Sutton’s chase for victory quickly turned into a struggle for survival at 40-5 and although Surrey’s Jamie Smith marked his return to fitness with 36 in adding 73 for the sixth wicket with captain Dan Edwards (43), once the pair separated the hosts were bowled out for 166. Big Bash all-rounder Green was the chief beneficiary with 5-75 from 14.
BEST OF THE REST
Leatherhead are back on top of Division One, where the lead has been changing almost weekly.
They inched home by two wickets at Chessington, James Crowson’s 7-78 and Adam Dyson’s 3-47 responsible for dismissing the home side for 171, Mike Nicol securing the points with 78no.
That took advantage of Esher sliding to their fourth defeat of the season, captain Ben Kingsnorth (65) and predecessor Tom Nevin (53) seeing them to 256-9 in 66 overs. Spinners Rob Carrick (4-35) and Aardash Shah then bowled out Esher for 173.
Guildford remain a point behind, crushing strugglers Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians by eight wickets who were bowled out for 161 by spin trio Jonny Charles (3), Joe Pipkin (3) and Freddie Geffen (2). Nathan Tilley followed centuries in the previous two matches by making 78, Alex Sweet’s 69no finishing the job in the 27th of 65 overs available.
Camberley’s hopes were damaged by being dispatched for 71 at Spencer – off-spinner Gus Grant’s 6-32 taking him to 40 wickets for the season, the best in the league, after his own team had been bowled out for 135.