The lead changed hands once again in the Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division. Richard Spiller reports…
Wimbledon v Ashtead
Wimbledon’s devastating form saw them sprint to the top of the table as Ashtead became their third victims in as many weeks.
Dulwich (124 runs) and Reigate Priory (103 runs) were swept away before Saturday’s 104-run success. Skipper Steve Reeves chose to bat first, watching on as openers Tim Lloyd (51) and David Rushmere (55) constructed an 88-run launchpad, Jack Boyle’s 67 driving on the hosts to reach 280 all out from 65 overs. But for three wickets each from Sam Hunt and Tom Homes, it could have been a few more.
Pranav Khera (22) and Jevan Kher (40) put on 62 at the top of the reply but after Reeves struck for the first time in removing Kher, Oliver Pike made vital incisions by taking out Khera and Surrey’s Adam Thomas in successive deliveries as three wickets fell for one run.
It became 113-4 when Mark Stoneman went for 22 and after that only Simon Keene (29) delayed the hosts for long, the reply wrapped up for 176 as Reeves finished with 6-18 from 12.2 overs, Pike’s 3-33 playing a vital role.
Wimbledon have an eight-point advantage at the top, Ashtead being pushed into seventh.
East Molesey v Sutton
Harry Gardner’s 6-25 routed East Molesey as defeat by four wickets saw them knocked off the summit.
The young off-spinner – fresh from helping Surrey’s second team beat Derbyshire last week – has impressed with his control this season but often seen his colleagues collect the wickets.
But this time Gardner finished with a rich haul from his 9.4 overs as Moles, having chosen to bat first on an arid pitch, were dismissed for 138 from 46.4 overs. Skipper Sam Seadon’s medium-pace earned him 3-33 from 12. South African Test bat Clyde Fortuin’s 26 was the highest score.
Moles struck back immediately when Australian opener Ryan Hackney was caught behind off Toby Porter for a duck. Surrey’s Josh Blake (40) supervised the chase but when he and Dan Peall (2) followed within four runs of each other, it was 95-5. Rehan Ratnasabapthy made an unbeaten 35, though, which saw Sutton to a tense victory – all six of their teams won – alongside Gardner (6no), taking them back up to second place and pushing Moles down to fourth.
Esher v Sunbury
A high-speed victory lifted Esher off the foot off the table – and completed a miserable month for Sunbury.
Having been sent in, the visitors were despatched for 115, only Hugh Weibgen and Caleb Falconer lasting long with 29 each and Kevin Smith’s 30no responsible for prolonging the innings into the 32nd over. Ben Townsend, Joe Lavender and David Brent took three wickets apiece.
But that seemed an eternity when Teague Wyllie – having lost opening partner Townsend for a duck – cracked 62no in 47 balls. And with Nicholas Smit almost matching him in making 48no from 46, Esher were back in the cool of the pavilion within 16.2 overs.
That enabled Esher to leap out of the relegation zone into eighth but Sunbury – who took no points from the match, having already lost to Banstead and East Molesey in June – sink to ninth spot.
Banstead v Dulwich
Arjun Gill’s unbeaten 123 made it two out of three wins for Banstead as they sent Dulwich to the bottom of the table.
The visitors failed to take advantage of batting first, struggling to 219 all out from the last ball of the maximum 66 overs. Ahmed Khan’s 66 from 74 balls effected a partial recovery from 96-6 but Arsalan Abbas’s 5-51 from 16 kept things under control. Tyler Meyer’s 2-80 from 24 included the vital wickets of Indian Test wicketkeeper KS Bharat, caught behind for 21.
Although Banstead lost Ragu Aravinthan for two, Gill helped opener Ayush Patel (53) add 120, Patrick Rowe’s 33no at the end accompanying Gill in knocking off the runs in the 48th over.
Banstead enjoy a spot in the top half of the table, albeit 25 points off the pace, Dulwich six points adrift in the basement.
Reigate Priory v Spencer
Troy Johnson’s unbeaten 64 saw Spencer to the winning draw, delivering another blow to Reigate Priory’s title hopes.
A week after they had been beaten by Wimbledon, Priory chose to bat first and ran up 276-7dec from 65 – one over short of the maximum – which was built around former skipper Richie Oliver’s 84. Surrey’s Ollie Sykes had earlier made 12.
George Ealham (32), Fraser Sheat’s 64 and Tommy Bates (33) all contributed, Harshil Patel and Gus Grant both finishing with two wickets.
Hugo Darby made 39 early in the reply but it was a fourth wicket alliance worth 79 between Johnson and Henry Allinson which frustrated the hosts. Although former Somerset leg-spinner Michael Munday struck three times and youngster Bates twice, Patel’s 27 helped Johnson see Spencer – receiving 55 overs back – pass the winning draw target of 234 to finish at 239-8.
That earned the Wandsworth side 12 points in all, occupying sixth place, Reigate’s nine meaning they are now 20 points off the pace in third.
Best of the rest
Leading pair Weybridge and Guildford both had to fight their way to draws in Division One but Normandy are closing in.
Valley End, in the bottom half of the table, had much the best of the match at Weybridge after Jamie Stephens (93) and Tom Nevin (63) led them to 285-9. But they must have regretted batting their full 66 overs when the home side, having slumped to 7-4 with their top three all recording ducks, survived 54 overs to take a losing draw at 176-9. The seven points they accrued from that ensured a lead of 20 points.
It was a similar story up the road at Walton, courtesy of a fine all-round display from Josh Pistorius. First he hammered 109 from 124 balls out of 283-8 from 66, Olly Birts collecting 4-95 from 25 overs.
Then the South African’s off-spin made regular breakthroughs, Guildford indebted to opener Will Hamilton (77) for leading their response. Pistorius collected 5-46 from 16, well supported by veteran left-arm spinner Mark Bainbridge and Rhythm Bedi snatching 2-0 at the end but the visitors just hung on at 180-9 from their 54, taking six points to Walton’s 14.
Normandy made short work of Cranleigh, bowling them out for 95 led by Viggy Venkateswaran’s 4-14, Oskar Kolk (30) and Trystan Kennedy’s 49no setting up victory by seven wickets inside 16 overs.
Sunday extra
East Molesey remain on course to retain the Conference Cup but it took a nervy one-run defeat of Waltham to get them through the third round.
Clyde Fortuin’s 70 led the hosts to 221-8 in 45 overs, Bobby Dawson’s 3-33 proving crucial in the reply and Jake Kings conceding just one run in the last over before bowling Faisal Ali from the final delivery as Waltham lost their last four wickets for four runs.
It was almost as tight at Spencer, where Banstead won the all-Championship clash by four runs, despite Troy Johnson’s 5-35 and 62.
Sunbury had some welcome good news, crushing Bexley by nine wickets, but there were defeats for Walton and Maori Oxshott.
Ashtead entertain Kent side Bexley on Sunday in the last 16 of the ECB National Club Championship, the match starting at 1pm.
