Getting in as much cricket as possible between the showers was the priority for AJ Sports Surrey Championship teams. Richard Spiller reviews the Premier Division action and the climax of the league’s T20 competition
Cranleigh v East Molesey
Mac Wright’s 110 assured East Molesey of victory, pushing Cranleigh another step towards relegation.
The hosts had been indebted to Lewis Bedford’s 98 to prevent a complete disaster early on, lurching to 12-3 and then 39-5 after being sent in. Young paceman Toby Porter did the damage and – Bedford apart – continued to saw his way through the Cranes to finish with a career-best 7-48 from 15 overs. New ball partner Andy Westphal’s 2-83 from 23 supported admirably, Tommy Ealham’s 36 and Callum Kent’s 29 keeping Moles in the field for 60.3 overs as Cranes finally totalled 207.
Tasmanian Wright’s second season at Graburn Way has proved less fruitful than the first, which saw him return 898 runs at 56 including six centuries. His second ton of the current campaign led an opening stand of 143 with skipper Nick Stevens (41), Sam Burge’s breezy 25no seeing East Molesey ease home by seven wickets in the 36th over.
Although they trail Sunbury by 15 points, Moles are level with both Wimbledon and Guildford and entertain the latter this weekend.
Weybridge v Sunbury
Digging out a draw could not save Weybridge from slipping into the drop zone.
If leaders Sunbury did not have time to finish off one of their fiercest rivals, then 11 points was compensation for dominating the match after being sent in.
Nico Reifer was the main reason they reached 235-8 in a rain-interrupted 46 overs, his 80 from 125 balls including seven fours and a six.
He added 95 for the third wicket with Middlesex all-rounder Martin Andersson (53), both victims of the persistent Steven Reeves, who finished with 4-47 from 12 overs.
Weybridge found themselves in trouble against George O’Connor, whose victims including talented young left-hander Stuart Van Der Merwe and Australia opener Will Pucovski, who was trapped first ball for a duck. In desperate trouble at 52-5, the hosts had no alternative but to block it out and owed their survival to Jack Cunningham’s obstinate 18no, finishing at 89-6 from their 28 overs back. That earned them four points – level with Ashtead – while O’Connor’s 5-21 were his best league figures.
Normandy v Wimbledon
Someone was going to pay for Nick Welch’s quiet campaign and it turned out to be Normandy.
The Leicestershire-contracted opener had made just 118 runs in five appearances before Saturday but his first half-century of the campaign flowered into 96no, assuring the champions of victory by nine wickets in a match interrupted several times by showers.
Having been sent in, strugglers Normandy – who have only won once since May – were reduced to 37-3 and then 86-5. Australian wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen has been a reliable source of runs, though, moving past 500 so far this year by making 86 and putting on 86 for the sixth wicket with skipper Chris Jones (27). But Normandy could still only muster 167 with two wickets each for Oliver Pike, Ben Twine, Jack Boyle and David Scott.
Normandy struck immediately at the start of the reply, Russell Withey bowling captain Jonathan Webb and Welch was joined by Kiwi Boyle (68no) in an alliance which guided Wimbledon home in 32.2 overs, hitting seven sixes and three sixes along the way.
It left Wimbledon one of three teams level in second place, 15 points off the summit, but Normandy have dropped to seventh place and are just eight points above the drop zone.
Reigate Priory v Esher
Honours were shared in a mid-table clash which was reduced to 99 overs overall by the weather but failed to prevent Justin Broad shining again.
Having chosen to bat first, Priory lost Sam Hall (4) and Andy Delmont (6) to Broad, who scored a half-century for Northamptonshire in their County Championship clash with Middlesex last week.
But they were rescued from 15-2 by Luke Haughton (57) and Alex Ross (77) adding 134 for the third wicket, both falling to seamer Ben Townsend within a run of each other. Ed Fluck (54no) and James Crosthwaite (29no) pushed Reigate up to 242-4 from the 53 overs allowable.
Broad’s influence was underlined by his display with the bat, cracking 109 – raising his tally to 513 at 85 in seven appearances – which dominated the reply, putting on 69 for the fourth wicket with David Brent (43). There were two wickets each for brothers George and Jacob McLoughlin but Esher had secured the winning draw by the time Broad departed, run out for 109, his side finishing at 213-7 from their 39 overs.
Priory’s eight points see them in sixth place but Esher, one rung above, were deducted two for bowling their overs slowly.
Guildford v Ashtead
Ashtead’s fight against relegation received a bonus as they claimed 13 points for a winning draw at Guildford.
It enabled them to climb out of the bottom two – although they remain level on points with Weybridge – after battling against the weather at Woodbridge Road.
Rain delayed the start for more than two hours, Guildford – who started the day in second place – batting with enterprise to make 264-5dec. Don Bouchart’s 85 was the centrepiece, adding 61 with Adam Thomas (36) before the promising youngster was run out for 36 by a long range throw from Sanura Jayasinghe. Jason Soames’s buccaneering 48 enabled Olly Birts to declare after 45 overs, three short of the adjusted maximum.
Missing Surrey trio Dominic Sibley, Ben Geddes and Nick Kimber, Ashtead made rapid progress through Ragu Aravinthan (40) and brother Harri (69), the latter adding 96 with Conor Young (65) for the third wicket. But for another rain break taking of four overs, they might have claimed victory but instead lost momentum, needing the assistance of Tom Homes (24no) to pass the winning draw mark of 229 to finish on 236-5 from 39.
Guildford slipped to third place, level on points with second-placed Wimbledon, but missed the presence of Australian all-rounder Jono Merlo, who is returning to Australia early following visa problems.
Best of the rest
Results proved easier to come by in Division One, Banstead taking advantage in stretching their lead at the top by 27 points.
They won by six wickets at Spencer, Paul Byrne (4-67) and Tyler Meyer (3-48) containing the Wandsworth side to 191-9 from the maximum 66 overs before Patrick Rowe’s unbeaten 79 led the chase.
Valley End made short work of Camberley, dismissing them for 100 – Josh Dodd taking 4-33 and Charlie Dunnett 3-10 – before Dodd’s quickfire 62 saw the chase completed in 14.2 overs, winning by eight wickets.
Saul Anstey’s remarkable 6-6 from eight overs was responsible for basement boys Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians being routed for 69 at Malden Wanderers, who knocked off the runs in 14.1 overs to grab third place.
Sutton no doubt wished they had won the toss at Walton but were inserted, owing Sam Seadon (39) and Surrey’s Conor McKerr (30) for reaching 159 all out in 38 overs. Evan Beck claimed 4-43.
Victory was still possible for the visitors when Walton collapsed to 25-5 against George Jackson (3-29) and Seadon (2-10) until Rhythm Bedi (33no) and James Madoc-Jones (34no) pulled things round at 95-4 by the end. Sutton’s eight points saw them slip two places to fourth.
Edwards Cup T20
Ryan Patel led the way as Wimbledon retained the Edwards Cup, the Surrey Championship’s T20 competition, by beating Weybridge in the final.
A finals day staged superbly well by East Molesey saw the holders overcome Cranleigh in the first semi-final, openers Nick Welch (57) and Jonathan Webb (40) launching the Wimbledon innings with a stand of 76, totalling 174-7 in the end. Cranleigh owed their response to skipper Jack Scriven hitting 76 up front, George Ealham (30) and Callum Kent (28) offering hope of victory but three wickets each from Scott Conway and Oliver Pike ensuring a margin of 14 runs.
Reigate Priory – led by Alex Ross (47) and James Crosthwaite (44) – were in a strong position in the second semi-final when making 192-7 and fancied their chances even more after dismissing Craig Meschede for 44. Steve Reeves, having claimed 2-34 earlier, proved their undoing by hammering 71 from 38 balls including five sixes.
With Leicestershire’s Welch having headed to the airport, Surrey’s Patel was a very handy replacement for the final and looked in fine form, his 86 from 41 deliveries including eight fours and four sixes. That led Wimbledon to 200-8 – Webb making 38 – to leave Weybridge battling against the odds. Meschede (26), Odge Davey (31), Will Pucovski (33) and Nathan Tilley (31) put them in with a chance but found themselves up against an attack expertly manipulated by Webb, who received the Edwards Cup from league president Roland Walton.
