Surrey Cricket Foundation

It’s the halfway point in this year’s Travelbag Surrey Championship and the competition has heated up with the weather. Richard Spiller reviews this week’s action.

CRANLEIGH V NORMANDY
Stuart Meaker’s return to action could not save champions Normandy sliding into the Premier Division relegation zone.

They were beaten by six wickets at Cranleigh and now stand ninth, having failed to win a match since mid-May and on a run of four defeats in six games.

Normandy were dismissed for 87 in 53 overs, top-scorer Olly Batchelor who making 22 in his first appearance of the season, having been playing for York and Leeds-Bradford MCCU in the early stages of the campaign and then suffering a broken finger.

Meaker, who has been out of action with a rib injury, was dismissed for a sixth-ball duck, one of three victims for Cranes skipper Jack Scriven. Ed Tristem and Marcus Atallah claimed two apiece while Seren Waters finished off the visitors with 2-2.

The former Kenya international then made an unbeaten 43 in piloting Cranleigh to victory, although it took 33 overs to get the runs, speedster Meaker having bowled six overs for just five runs at the start of the innings.

Normandy finished without a point but should take encouragement from their opponents, who were in trouble last month until two wins blasted them into fourth position. Neal Prowse’s men will be determined to avoid becoming the first league champions to be relegated the following season.

WEYBRIDGE V REIGATE PRIORY
A formidable 25 points separates leaders Reigate from the rest after they hammered second-placed Weybridge.

The sides started just six points apart but Priory made the most of batting first on winning the toss thanks to Australian Andy Delmont’s 100, a spirited 62no from Ben Shoare extending their innings to 284-9 from the maximum 66 overs allowed. Left-arm spinner Franckie Vainker did his best to keep things in control, wheeling away for 27 overs to finish with 5-79.

Although hard-hitting Kiwi Tom Bruce cracked 79 in reply – his 521 runs have come at an average of 104 – it was all too much for the hosts, who were sunk for 175. Leg-spinner Michael Munday’s 4-71 took him to 32 wickets so far this summer, Luke Beaven and Will Hodson finishing with three apiece.

EAST MOLESEY V SUTTON
It’s taken until the halfway point but basement boys East Molesey finally had something to smile about as they recorded their first victory.

That came at the expense of Sutton, by a margin of four wickets, after seamer Andy Westphal’s 5-56 ensured the visitors were dismissed for 151 in the 40th over. Dan Edwards (40) resisted longest, Jonathan Fawcett claiming 3-48.

Opener Dominic Reed’s 66 spearheaded the chase, Cole Campbell making 39 as a side who had lost seven out of their first eight games finally got over the line by four wickets despite Sam Seadon’s 3-36.

ASHTEAD V BANSTEAD
It finished with scores level in an exciting clash between two sides in the bottom half of the table.

Skipper Dan Newton carried his bat for 102 after deciding Banstead would bat first, putting on 74 with former Surrey opener Tom Lancefield (50) in first wicket alliance but gaining little more support as the hosts were dismissed for 219 from 59.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Tom Homes was rewarded for his marathon spell of 26.5 overs by finishing with 7-107.

Given 60 overs back, Ashtead’s chase was founded on a second-wicket alliance worth 120 between Lalit Bose and Damian Shirazi (46) but Bose was forced to retire on 62 with a knee injury.

The hosts were still favourites to win going into the final over, needing just three to win with two wickets left, but slow left-armer Lancefield bowled Seb Stewart-Taylor with the first ball and – finishing with 5-49 from 16 overs – ensured Ashtead could not take the single they needed for victory off the last ball so that they finished on 219-8 which left them with a losing draw (based on scoring rate) by the thinnest of margins.

Newton’s prolific weekend continued when he cracked 104 against Sutton on Sunday in the ECB National Cup, a total of 267-6 from 40 overs sufficient to win by 48 runs.

WIMBLEDON V SUNBURY
Martin Andersson took the honours for Sunbury but they failed to finish off Wimbledon.

The Middlesex staffman , in his second game of the season, hit 16 fours and two sixes in his 120 out of 269-9 from 66 overs. He appeared to be waging a lone fight when the hosts were in trouble at 37-5 after choosing to bat first, paceman Kieran Bunting (4-61) slicing through the top-order.

Andersson found an ally in Alex Hughes (60) as the pair added 141 for the seventh wicket.

Surrey’s performance director Matthew Spriegel made 72no in response and defeat was averted through an eighth wicket partnership of 62 with Jonathan Dewes (38), which was enough to gain the winning draw at 221-8 from 54 overs back.

BEST OF THE REST
Deposing the leaders has become a speciality for Guildford in Division One. A week after knocking Esher off the summit, they did the same to Camberley, winning by 29 runs at Woodbridge Road.

That looked unlikely when the hosts sank from 97-1 to 167 all out, leg-spinner Elliott Green (4-31) doing much of the damage, but Duncan Selmes had Camberley rocking at 4-3 and returned later to finish with 6-27 as the visitors went from 99-4 to 138 all out.

It enabled Esher to regain the lead, courtesy of a low-scoring win by two wickets over Beddington, and they are three points in front of Guildford with Leatherhead – on a run of three wins, the latest by one wicket over Farnham – now into third spot.

SURREY CHAMPIONSHIP DAY
Another stage of the celebrations for the league’s 50th anniversary come at the Kia Oval next Sunday – July 8 – when it stages Surrey Championship Day.

It starts at 11.30am when the Surrey Senior Cricket Association take on the Surrey Masters in a T20 match from 11.30am and is followed by another T20 clash which sees the Founding Clubs XI – a team selected by Banstead’s Neil Baker from players in the original 17 clubs back in 1968 – take on The Rest, managed by Reigate’s John Bramhall.

Admission is free, with the pavilion, Long Room Bar and tea rooms open.

Seven days later, on Sunday July 15, comes the Surrey Championship T20 Finals Day, with the semi-finals Guildford v Reigate Priory and East Molesey v Sunbury.

Sunbury will be hosting, the games starting at 10.30am and 1.30pm before the final at 7pm.