It was week four of the M Zaidi & Co Surrey Cricket Championship campaign. Richard Spiller surveys the Premier Division news and much else around the county over the weekend
East Molesey v Banstead
It’s full steam ahead for East Molesey, whose 87-run victory left them top by 14 points and condemned Banstead to a fourth defeat in succession.
Sam Burge’s typically speedy 52 from 38 set Moles on their way to 387-7, Jack Scriven (49) and skipper Tom Cullen (78) adding ballast. But it was Clyde Fortuin – who has played two Tests for South Africa – who wrecked the visitors’ hopes of containment by blazing his way to 106 from 51, eight fours and eight sixes making the Graburn Way boundaries look even shorter than usual. Krish Anand finished with 4-90 from a blink-and-you-miss-it 10 overs.
Third last year, Banstead weren’t giving up easily, Australian Patrick Rowe weighing in with 93 and Alfie Haxton 51. Battling their way to 300 all out at least meant they went home with seven points, which could prove handy later on. Just to complete his day, Fortuin took 3-63 and ran out Ben Butterfield with a fine underarm throw. The basement boys will hope a change to time cricket suits them better.
Reigate Priory v Guildford
The clash of the Premier Division’s leading scorers turned out to be as one-sided as Priory’s 93-run victory.
Reigate’s Richie Oliver went into it with two centuries – one a double – and added a third as his unbeaten 111 led the hosts to 294-2 from their 50 after opting to bat first. The former Worcestershire left-hander dominated an opening stand of 65 with Joe Kelly (20), then Tommy Bates made another impressive contribution of 77 in a second-wicket alliance worth 139.
Just when Guildford felt they might be frustrating the hosts, Priory skipper George Ealham ripped back control with a scintillating 57no from 29 balls, which included four sixes. Oliver, meanwhile, reached his third century of the season with a straight six with narrowly missed rearranging a conservatory, which might have been expensive even by Reigate standards.
With former Sussex seamer Jamie Atkins able to bowl just five overs because of a knee problem, it proved a testing day for captain Olly Birts and might have been more so but for James McMillan’s excellent 1-29 from nine.
Hoping to cancel out the 71 he had conceded from 10 was Finn Gordon, having made two centuries and a 90 already. But he had only reached 13 when bowled by a beauty from Surrey off-spinner Tommy Ealham, who went on to finish with 4-47. Although Ben Garrett (65) and Jason Soames (28) briefly threatened a fightback, Priory always looked in charge, finishing off the visitors for 201 in the 42nd over.
It was a satisfying day for the hosts, bouncing back from defeat at Wimbledon, for a third win which puts them in third place. For promoted Guildford, two wins and a brace of defeats show how much work they must to do to compete with the best sides.
Normandy v Ashtead
Promoted Normandy claimed their first win of the campaign, rising from the bottom of the table in the process after inching home against Ashtead by four wickets.
They made short work of Surrey’s Adam Thomas – pouched first ball by wicketkeeper Harry Bowen off Dylan Hurst – while former England opener Mark Stoneman lasted just three balls, bowled by a beauty from off-spinner Sreenivasa Sarma for a duck.
Kiwi Lachie Stackpole (51) and Daniel Geddes (56) ensured the decision to bat first wasn’t a total disaster, Ben Sidwell’s late 35no pumping up the Stags to 228 all out from 47.4 overs. Sarma claimed 3-42 from 10.
An opening stand worth 89 between Akshat Rai (87) and skipper Chris Jones (39) put Normandy in charge until left-arm spinner Tom Homes (3-24) began to chip away, Thomas and Stoneman claiming a wicket each, but the hosts were indebted to Ollie Gibson’s 44no for steering them to success with three balls to spare. It may have only lifted Jones’s side a place to ninth but they will be feeling a lot better now. Ashtead are two places above, two defeats adding to a win and last week’s tie against Sutton.
Spencer v Wimbledon
A 48-run victory at neighbours Spencer ensured Wimbledon have put three wins together after defeat in the opening round.
Just 14 points behind leaders East Molesey, the champions may not be looking quite the force of last year but have made a better start than 12 months ago and lie second.
They were indebted to prolific Kiwi Jack Boyle’s 56 for lifting them away from the dangers of 38-3 after choosing to bat first, Kaif Ramzan’s 41 adding useful ballast on the way to making 238 all out from 49.1 overs. Harshil Patel’s 2-19 from eight overs led the home attack.
Ollie Pike, one of Wimbledon’s outstanding bowlers last year, underlined his danger by removing four of the top five, three of them early on before returning to have Roan Kennedy (49) edging a drive to wicketkeeper Dane Vilas. That ended a fifth-wicket partnership worth 87 with William De Cani (57) which had lifted the reply from 45-4 but after that Spencer slid to 190 all out, Pike’s 4-36 from nine enabling off-spinner James Cronie (3-29) to polish off the tail. Spencer have won two and lost two to lie sixth.
Sutton v Esher
A top-order collapse all but condemned Sutton to defeat by 107 runs.
Esher’s 290-6 after taking first use was largely owed to Travis Norris (75) putting on 79 with opening partner Ollie Hunt (39) and then 87 for the second wicket with Surrey’s Nikhil Gorantla (57). David Brent’s 51no from 39 in the closing stages left the tvisitors comfortable if not fireproof.
But they could feel more secure when Sutton slid to 14-3, suffering another serious blow when Surrey’s Josh Blake was bowled for 20 by Alex Chambers at 57-4. It took Rehan Ratnasabapathy (90) and Dan Peall (25) to delay the end, the hosts bowled out for 183 in the 42nd over with seamer Ben Townsend claiming 3-35.
With two wins and a brace of defeats, Esher lie fourth in a congested mid-table. Sutton, who frequently occupied the summit but lost their final four matches to finish sixth, are now eighth and head to leaders East Molesey on Saturday.
Best of the rest
A surprise defeat for joint-leaders Camberley leaves Sunbury the undisputed occupants of the summit in Division One.
Travelling to Old Rutlishians – who had lost all three outings hitherto – might not have filled Camberley with dread but they went down by 28 runs, the Merton side’s 262-7 owed to Harry Foyle (73) and Nomaan Ali’s 72no from just 42. Left-arm spinner Mohsin Bashir, brother of England’s Shoaib, claimed 4-49 from 10.
That proved too many for the visitors, wicketkeeper Michael Bates making 40 early on but three wickets apiece from Trishan Patel and Faizan Riaz finishing them off for 234.
No such issues for Sunbury, who made the short trip across the Thames to Walton and ran up 352-6 as former captain Rajan Soni’s 61 paved the way for Ollie Pascall’s 85 and new captain Sam Burgess, who cracked a typically rumbustious 94 from 76. Sam Gorvin (75) and Josh Pistorious – whose 133 included 17 fours and five sixes – put on 106 for the third wicket but the hosts faded to 291 all out, Kevin Smith collecting 4-38 from 10.
Weybridge got off the mark with a 60-run success at Old Hamptonians, which together with Rutlishians’ victory dumped Beddington into bottom place.
The top two divisions change format for the next nine weeks, with the longer time matches in which the team batting first can bat a maximum of 66 overs while the reply is a minimum of 54 overs. Games start at 11am.
Sunday extra
Billy Sewell’s unbeaten century earned Wimbledon victory in a high-scoring ECB National Club Championship tie at Esher.
Competing for a place in the group 16 final, the visitors were in considerable strife at 15-3 as they chased 272 from 40 overs, which included the loss of Kiwi Jack Boyle for a duck. James Cronie counter-attacked fiercely for 56 from 27, adding 97 with Sewell who went on to make 110no, guiding Wimbledon home by three wickets with 11 balls in hand.
That earned them a place in the group final against another Surrey side in Banstead, who enjoyed a crushing 158-run victory at Lordswood. Opener Rafey Ahmed’s 77 inspired them to reach 284-7, their Kent hosts dismissed for 126 thanks to Tom Pitchley (4-32) and Noah Snowden (3-15).
It will be another all-Surrey final in group 15, Sutton doing it the hard way to win by 38 runs at Nonington. They suffered a second early collapse of the weekend to be 24-4, having to rely on Ansh Bansal (43) and Dan Peall’s 54 to rescue them in reaching 205-9. But it proved more than enough, dismissing the Kent side for 167.
Tommy Bates maintained a fine season so far by cracking 93 for Reigate Priory in winning by 42 runs at Preston Nomads, putting on 131 for the third wicket with George Ealham (60) to post 226 all out. Sussex’s Danial Ibrahim (67) was the biggest obstacle for Reigate to overcome, seamer George McLoughlin (4-27) and Surrey’s Tommy Ealham (3-27) conspiring to finish off Nomads for 184.
Sunbury’s interest in the competition was terminated by a three-wicket defeat at Teddington in group 12 but East Molesey completed an excellent weekend with a five-wicket victory at Harefield in group 11.
Group finals are on June 21 – group 11: Shepherds Bush v East Molesey. Group 15: Sutton v Reigate Priory. Group 16: Wimbledon v Banstead.
There’s plenty of action this Sunday too with the second round (last 32) of the Conference Cup, teams competing for the right to lift the Bertie Joel Trophy.
Matches involving Championship clubs are: Rutlishians v Walton; Sunbury v Bromley; Hamptonians v Valley End; Maori Oxshott v Teddington; Minster (Sheppey) v East Molesey; Roffey v Normandy; Banstead v Spencer. Games start at 1pm, 45 overs each.
You can find live scores, results, fixtures and tables at surreycricketchampionship.play-cricket.com.
