It’s the halfway point of the inaugural Surrey Cricket Championship and with the top six teams separated by just 17 points – less than one win – it’s boiling up for a ferocious sprint to the line in the Premier Division. Richard Spiller surveys the runners and riders
Sutton v Esher
Cruising in by nine wickets saw Sutton take over at the front again.
Esher made a flying start out of the stalls after being sent in, Teague Wyllie (38) ensuring they had 50 up inside the ninth over. But George Compton had him caught behind – a superb diving effort from Surrey’s Josh Blake – and bowled Don Bouchart two balls later. Two overs on, Blake swooped again to catch Oliver Hunt down the legside off Compton.
From thereon, Sutton rarely looked like losing control, the match losing 14 overs to a prolonged shower before lunch. But for Alex Chambers making an accomplished 70no, Esher’s 227 – all out from the penultimate ball of their revised 59 overs – would have been rather less, Compton’s 4-66 supported by two wickets apiece from Aneesh Jhalla and Jayden Broodryk.
The visitors hoped spin would turn the match but off-spinner Bouchart instead saw himself deposited for two enormous sixes over midwicket from Cameron Tanner, easily clearing a boundary of more than 80 yards. Even Jamie Smith, who played his first cricket at Cheam Road, might have struggled to emulate them.
When Bouchart swapped ends, Tanner hit him for two more, relative nine-irons, on his way to 65 out of the first 108.
By the time he departed, Sutton still had almost 20 of their 47 overs back to achieve victory, acting captain Ryan Hackney busily finding the gaps and running well with his flatmate Blake (59no), the Australian finishing unbeaten on 94 as victory was achieved with 15 balls in hand.
Esher, in eighth, will need to land some victories soon to avoid a twitchy final month while Sutton have no such worries as they prepare to host Reigate.
Sunbury v Reigate Priory
Two superb individual performances were the key to Reigate Priory’s victory by 129 runs, condemning Sunbury to a fourth straight loss in the process.
First came skipper George Ealham’s 150 from 148 balls, arriving at 23-2 after the early loss of Surrey’s Ollie Sykes and Richie Oliver for nine apiece and dominating the rest of an innings, which took up 59 of the revised 61 overs available to reach 290-9dec.
Ealham cracked 18 fours and six sixes, gaining assistance from Luke Haughton (39) and Tommy Bates (46). Kevin Smith and Tony Gilbey finished with three wickets each.
A possible 49 overs back were always likely to stretch the struggling hosts, who had chosen to bat second, losing captain Rajan Soni for a duck. Although opening partner Hugh Weibgen made 57 before becoming an all-Surrey victim – caught by Sykes off seamer James Taylor – the Australian negligible little support.
They had little answer to Kiwi Fraser Sheat, whose 7-29 from 13 overs despatched them for 161 with 12 balls to spare, leaving Priory in good spirits for their trip to Sutton on Saturday which director of cricket Gary Butcher labelled “huge”.
Champions two years ago, Sunbury are now engaged in a major fight against relegation.
Dulwich v East Molesey
They finished racing at Hurst Park in 1962 but East Molesey turned their trip to Dulwich into a seven-furlong sprint.
Much of that was down to Andy Westphal’s 7-34 from 16 overs, ensuring the hosts were dismissed for 116 in 35.4 overs after deciding to bat first, his victims including Surrey’s Cameron Steel for four. That left Dulwich 37-4, having already lost kingpin KS Bharat for 26, removed by paceman Toby Porter. But for Sam Seecharan (34) and Ahmad Khan’s 14no, their total would have been even more modest.
Michael Shean’s 58 from 43 balls got the Moles victory march off to a speedy start and although he departed to a return catch for leg-spinner Steel, Sam Burge (17no) ensured success achieved by five wickets in just 20 overs.
Only 11 points off the pace in fourth, last year’s champions are still among the prime contenders to take top spot in September but Dulwich’s return to the elite is in danger of lasting just one season.
Ashtead v Banstead
Sam Homes’s 5-25 took the honours as Ashtead coasted to victory by 122 runs.
They still had to work hard for their win, having been 22-2 soon after taking first use of the pitch. The watchfulness of Mark Stoneman (62) and Adam Thomas (38) proved crucial, adding 64 for the third wicket, Homes (25) and Simon Keene’s typically forthright 58no taking them to 230-9 from their revived maximum of 59 overs following a rain delay in the morning. Paul Byrne claimed 4-58 from 14.
Ragu Aravinthan’s eight-ball duck against his old club and the early departure of Arjun Gill (7) left Banstead with much to do, a collapse from 75-3 to 108 all out coming as Keene relished the spin-friendly surface. Seamer Keene’s 3-21 completed another excellent all-round display.
That lifted Ashtead into sixth place while Banstead linger on the edge of the relegation battle one place below them.
Spencer v Wimbledon
Neighbours Spencer terminated Wimbledon’s run to the top and knocked them off the summit with an emphatic 105-run victory.
That looked unlikely when the hosts were reduced to 10-2 after choosing to bat but a third wicket stand of 114 between opener Hugo Darby (55) and Troy Johnson (64) set the stage for Henry Allinson – once of the Yorkshire Academy – to crack his maiden Championship century, hitting 11 fours and two sixes on the way to an unbeaten 102.
Archie Macpherson’s 44 added further substance as Spencer – following a rain delay before lunch – used their revised 63 overs to reach 290-9, Matthew Benning (3-45) the most successful bowler.
Wimbledon suffered an early blow in their reply when Surrey’s Ryan Patel was stumped by Macpherson for four, taking a heave at Johnson, although a second wicket partnership of 67 between Tim Lloyd (53) and Jack Boyle (38) offered them hope. After that was split, only James Cronie (38) offered prolonged resistance, off-spinner Gus Grant’s 6-95 in the vanguard. Max Hunt (3-18) helped to clear up Wimbledon for 185, a result which sent the visitors down into second place and saw promoted Spencer nip into fifth spot.
Best of the rest
Weybridge take a 19-point lead into the second half of the promotion battle in Division One.
They had the best of a draw with third-placed Normandy on Saturday, reaching 257-7dec from 61 overs after being sent in thanks to Aidan Golding (53) and James Field (75), despite the best efforts of left-arm spinner Viggy Venkateswaran (7-82).
At 9-3, Normandy’s chase was holed before the waterline but opener Trystan Kennedy (80) and skipper Chris Jones (58) stood firm, taking five points for a losing draw by finishing at 172-6, while the hosts collected 12.
Guildford were also unable to defeat determined resistance from Malden Wandereres at Woodbridge Road. They made 299-8dec from 65 overs, Tom Geffen and Alex Sweet seeing their 48 apiece emulated by captain Olly Birts, who then delivered 27 overs – claiming 4-52 – as Wanderers finished 162-7 from their 55 back.
Camberley took over from Beddington in fourth place after beating them by five wickets.
League placings at halfway point
Premier Division :
1) Sutton 140
2) Wimbledon 133
3) Reigate Priory 132
4) East Molesey 129
5) Spencer 124
6) Ashtead 123
7) Banstead 106
8) Esher 77
9) Sunbury 75
10) Dulwich 66.
Division 1
promotion zone:
1) Weybridge
2) Guildford.
Relegation zone:
9) Walton
10) Oxted & Limpsfield
Division 2
Promotion zone:
1) Rutlishians
2) SinjunGrammarians
Relegation zone:
8) Cheam
9) Stoke d’Abernon; 10 Wimbledonians.
Sunday supplement
If you’re not heading to the Kia Oval for Sunday’s final Vitality Blast home match then there’s an agreeable alternative in the ECB National Club Championship, Ashtead hosting Kent side Bexley from 1pm.
Holders East Molesey will have home advantage when they entertain Bromley in the Conference Cup quarter-finals on Sunday August 10. They entertain Kent side Bromley while an all-Championship clash sees Banstead visiting Sunbury on July 20.
In the other matches, Action host Harefield on August 10 while Hornchurch will be at home to Crouch End on July 27.l
