Two of Surrey’s leading fast bowlers appeared in the Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division on Saturday – but neither finished on the winning side. Richard Spiller highlights the action
Sutton v Reigate Priory
Harry Gardner’s 6-37 wrecked Reigate as Sutton completed the double over them and opened up an 11-point lead at the top of the table.
Priory, who started the day eight points off the leaders, now find themselves 32 behind and failed to register at Cheam Road, being bowled out for 139 and suffering a nine-wicket trouncing.
They made a frenetic start after choosing to bat first, Richie Oliver spanking 26 out of the first 30 before departing to George Compton in the third over.
Seamer Compton’s effectiveness was underlined when he bowled Seth McDowall (8) and then skipper George Ealham for nine but after that off-spinner Gardner – a key bowler for the leaders – took over to run through the visitors.
Among his victims was Surrey’s Tommy Ealham, returning after almost a year on the sidelines because of hamstring and back issues. He made 11 before being caught behind by county colleague Josh Blake and later bowled eight economical overs.
Gardner’s haul came off 21 overs, testament to his control.
With Reigate finished off in the 49th over, Sutton had plenty of time to chase their target, losing only Cameron Tanner for 50 – hitting six fours and a six – at 102 before acting captain Ryan Hackney (65no) and Blake (24no) completed the job in the 37th over.
Banstead v Wimbledon
Dan Worrall’s debut could not steer Wimbledon back on to the winning path as they attempted to bounce back from defeat at Spencer.
Surrey’s spearhead was in need of some overs before the restart of the Rothesay County Championship next week and set to work after the visitors had been bowled out for 263 in the 66th and final over.
Worrall struck twice straightaway, removing Neil Baker (9) and Harri Aravinthan (1), but Ayush Patel kept Banstead in the match by making 91 until Worrall’s return. That was the extent of his success, though, finishing with 3-40 from 14 overs, Banstead hanging on for a losing draw worth seven points at 186-8 from 54. Steven Reeves claimed 3-43.
Wimbledon claimed 13, owing Jack Boyle (58), David Rushmere (54) and Billy Sewell’s 71no for much of their total, Paul Byrne and Arsalan Abbas and Paul Byrne taking three wickets each. That left Banstead in seventh place, Wimbledon dropping to third.
Sunbury v Spencer
Gus Atkinson’s return to action could not stop Sunbury claiming their first league victory since May 31.
England speedster Atkinson had been missing even longer than that – the Test against Zimbabwe a week earlier – because of a hamstring strain and chose to make his comeback at club level as he seeks to be fit in time to play in the current Test series against India.
His eight overs yielded no wickets and cost 36 runs but it was another Gus – off-spinner Grant – who proved Spencer’s main threat as he claimed 7-70 from 19.2 overs.
That pulled the Wandsworth side back into the match after Australian Hugh Weibgen had cracked 112 from 121 balls. First he put on 118 with skipper Rajan Soni (61) and then 72 with Stuart Van Der Merwe (41), Grant’s haul ensuring the hosts slid from the comfort of 190-1 to 266 all out in the 59th over.
Toby Pratt’s 95 led the reply, adding 67 for the second wicket with Atkinson, who made 32 before being caught off left-arm spinner Vishal Manro. Once Pratt was sixth out at 178, Spencer went into decline to be bowled out for 200, Manro’s 4-56 aided by Van Der Merwe’s 3-13. Sunbury remain in the relegation zone but have closed the gap on Esher to just two points, Spencer happier in fifth place.
Ashtead v East Molesey
A fourth win in five weeks ensured that East Molesey are emerging as Sutton’s most consistent challengers.
They won by seven wickets at Ashtead, who failed to collect a point from the encounter having been bowled out for 147 after choosing to bat first.
Paceman Toby Porter claimed the key early wicket of skipper Mark Stoneman (25) but it was Michael Shean (3-38), Matt Tigg (2-40) and Jamie Southgate (3-11) who did much of the damage in Molesey’s well-balanced attack. Conor Young’s 47 from 123 balls proved their major obstacle, adding 70 for the sixth wicket with Nathaniel Atkins (37) but once they were separated the rest fell quickly.
Ashtead needed early breakthroughs to have a chance of winning but instead saw Shean (60) and James Cake (60) put on 79, Clyde Fortuin’s rapid 42no finishing the game in the 26th over.
It left East Molesey 11 points off the lead while Ashtead’s inconsistent campaign sees them sixth and needing the kind of run which saw them sprint up to fourth in the final weeks last year.
Dulwich v Esher
It’s looking grim for Dulwich, whose fifth straight defeat sees them trailing the rest by 33 points.
They lost to Esher by seven wickets and a first season back at Premier level since 2008 is looking increasingly likely to end in relegation.
Leg-spinner Freddie Harrison’s 6-35 from 16.2 overs polished off the hosts for 138 after they chose to bat but it had been looking grim from early on, slipping to 16-3 with Indian Test player KS Bharat (5) first to depart at the hands of paceman Ben Townsend.
That the innings stretched into the 62nd over was owed primarily to Tim Raglan (37) and skipper Ollie Steele (25). Veteran left-arm spinner Dan Taylor proved the perfect foil for Harrison, returning 1-25 from 19 overs and doubtless chuntering that someone had been nicking his wickets again.
Esher knocked off the runs in just 24.1 overs, founded on an opening partnership of 88 between Oliver Hunt (52) and captain Teague Wyllie (34), Nicholas Smit (41no) completing the job. It was the ideal response after their defeat at Sutton seven days earlier but they remain only two points above the drop zone.
Best of the rest
Weybridge lost their lead at the top of Division One in controversial fashion as they were beaten by 16 runs at Walton.
Having bowled out their neighbours for 213 in the 66th over, Weybridge saw Haydir Ali and Ajmal Allahdad (22) launch the response with a stand of 82 before losing their way as Rhythm Bedi (4-14), Josh Pistorius (2-42) and Richard Cook (3-55) made regular breakthroughs.
When Ali fell for 92 at 168-7, survival seemed Weybridge’s best bet and that seemed likely with three balls remaining of their 54 overs at 197-9. But Ben Choy was run out backing up – Mankaded in cricket jargon – by Pistorius removing the bails to give Walton victory. Although a legitimate form of dismissal, it sticks in the craw for many in the game.
Victory took Walton out of the relegation zone while at the other end Weybridge are now level on points with Guildford, who beat Camberley by 77 runs. Newcomer Sathya Chandrasekharan’s 65 – adding 77 for the second wicket with Tom Geffen (48) – was built upon by Fred McMillan’s typically enterprising 81 from 70 balls, Guildford’s 264 all out coming from 62.4 overs. Elliot Green’s persistence was rewarded by 7-67 from 20 overs.
McMillan took a superb reflex catch at slip off skipper Olly Birts to remove Keddy Lesporis (26), his younger brother James breaking open the reply with 3-34. Birts varied his attack intelligently, opener Will Hale’s 31 the best as Camberley were bowled out for 187 with plenty of time to spare.
Normandy stay third, 14 points off the leading pair, after bowling out Oxted & Limpsfield for 70 and knocking off the runs in 10.1 overs to win by nine wickets. O&L are now 37 points adrift at the bottom.
