It was another scorching Saturday in the M Zaidi Surrey Cricket Championship and the women’s league. Richard Spiller and Reet Bhari survey the men’s and women’s Premier Divisions…
Runs for Surrey’s Josh Blake (82) and an all-round performance from Tommy Ealham (41 runs and three wickets) in Week 10.
East Molesey v Guildford
Mauling strugglers Guildford by 113 runs has put East Molesey a remarkable 55 points clear at the top.
Acting captain Clyde Fortuin made 110 out of his side’s 235 all out, on a pitch where batting was seldom straightforward, before brothers Toby and Harry Porter shared eight wickets in dismissing the ailing visitors for 122.
With second-placed Esher being beaten and others losing ground, it left Moles so far in front that they can probably book their holidays for mid-August barring a slip-up of Devon Loch proportions.
Missing four first-choice players – including skipper Tom Cullen – would have seriously hampered many teams but East Molesey have got the depth and momentum to shake off such handicaps.
In a feisty encounter, Guildford – who are finding their return to the Premier every bit as testing on their last visit, not least with key injuries – needed to bowl out the hosts for not more than 150 for a chance of success. Sam Burge (25) and Luka Woods, who made 18 having flown back between matches for Serbia in Copenhagen, blocked early progress and the visitors felt Fortuin had been bowled by Duncan Selmes early on, the umpires deeming that the ball had rebounded off the wicketkeeper’s pads.
On a surface of indifferent bounce, Fortuin – who has played two Tests for South Africa – needed some luck to survive and was badly dropped just after he had passed his half-century, going on to make 110 which put the hosts well out of reach. Selmes and skipper Olly Birts both took four wickets.
Guildford attempted to protect the prolific Finn Gordon in the hope that the hardness would have gone out of the ball by the time he entered but instead the left-hander – leading scorer in the Premier – arrived at the crease with his side in deep crisis at 26-4, all falling to seamer Toby Porter.
Still battling away was opener Will Hamilton, the pair putting on 67 for the fifth wicket. Harry Porter proved the key to splitting them, producing a delivery which spat at Gordon (48) to have him caught down the legside by Nick Stevens, then castling Birts (11) and James McMillan second ball. The younger of the two brothers finished with 3-26 and is relishing bowling again after being beset by back trouble over the past few seasons.
Left-arm spinner Anuj Malik removed Hamilton after a hard-fought 45 but Porter snr – having to cope with a nagging achilles – had the final word to finish with 5-39.
That condemned Guildford to a fourth defeat in five matches, leaving them bottom now by 20 points. You could forgive them if they cast envious glances at the team gliding along at the top while feeling they are battling through the Straits of Hormuz in a rowing boat.
Esher v Ashtead
Lachie Stackpole’s unbeaten 70 hammered Ashtead to a victory which lifted them three places up the table.
Lurking one place off the bottom at the start of play, they won by five wickets at New Road, denting Esher’s hopes of challenging East Molesey for the leadership.
Left-arm spinner Tom Homes had been Ashtead’s hero with the ball, claiming 5-28 from 12 overs to follow up early incisions from Sam Hunt (3-43). Esher found themselves in considerable trouble at 33-5 after being sent in and needed David Brent’s 70no to lift them to 158 all out.
The hosts sniffed victory when the reply slipped to 97-5, which included Surrey’s Adam Thomas falling for 23. But Kiwi Stackpole, who had returned a week earlier from a broken finger, took charge in a 54-ball innings which included seven fours and four sixes. He was accompanied by Nathaniel Atkins (26no) in knocking off the runs in just 34.5 overs.
That pushed Ashtead up to sixth place, Esher staying second.
Normandy v Spencer
Chris Jones cracked his second century of the season as Normandy made it two wins in eight days.
The skipper’s unbeaten 44 had seen off Reigate Priory and this time he made 101no, ensuring the hosts won by six wickets as they show signs of becoming acclimatised to the Premier Division following a difficult start to the campaign.
Spencer had bowled them out for 123 to win by seven wickets when the teams met in May but this time the Wandsworth side were in trouble at 138-6 after being sent in, needing Archie Macpherson’s 83no to deliver them to 250 all out from 65 overs, aided by a last wicket stand of 45 with Jackson Saggers (4).
Jones (3-48) took the honours with the ball and found himself back in the middle with Normandy 53-2. His main ally was Ollie Gibson, fresh from three sweltering days playing for Surrey U18s at Woodbridge Road, who cracked an aggressive 66. Jones went on to make 101no, including 11 fours and two sixes, Tom Haynes (26no) an essential ally in reaching their target. That took Normandy up into seventh place while Spencer have slipped to eighth.
Reigate Priory v Banstead
Failure to win the battle of the M25 saw Reigate Priory slide into the relegation zone.
They took 13 points from getting the better of a draw but batting the maximum of 66 overs after being sent in proved counterproductive when Banstead finished 185-7 from their 54 overs back.
Priory had needed a maiden Championship century from Tommy Bates to achieve their 274-9 earlier, two fruitful alliances with the Ealham brothers dominating the innings. Bates joined skipper George (61) at 52-3 to add 91 before Surrey’s Tommy (41) helped put on another 83. Once they were split, a Banstead attack led by captain Arsalan Abbas (3-54) made regular breakthroughs.
With veteran Richard Stevens taking the new ball, Reigate used seven bowlers in their attempt to bowl out Banstead. They were held up for longest by Alfie Haxton, who had hit 263 for Surrey U18s against Yorkshire three days earlier. This time he made 47 before being one of three victims for Tommy Ealham and his side took seven points for the stalemate, keeping them in fifth place.
Sutton v Wimbledon
Harry Gardner’s 8-89 could not guarantee Sutton victory in the Thameslink Derby as both sides lost ground on the runaway leaders.
The off-spinner – who missed the opening weeks of the season because of a stress fracture in his back, sustained while playing in Sydney last winter – was mainly responsible for dismissing Wimbledon for 238 in the 58th over after they had been sent in at Cheam Road. His 22 overs, which brought a career-best, kept the visitors in check after opener Tim Lloyd’s aggressive 46. There was a rare failure for Kiwi Jack Boyle, who suffered a second-ball duck as Surrey’s Josh Blake pouched a catch off Gardner. Billy Sewell’s 44 and Kit Derrick’s 74 ensured their side posted a competitive total despite losing their last three wickets for two runs.
It looked all the better for them when Stephen Reeves chose to take the new ball himself, the left-arm spinner reducing Sutton to 33-3 with Fabian Cowdrey his third victim for a fifth-ball duck. Blake (83) and Jayden Broodryk (95) set about repairing the damage in sharing a stand of 161 over 38 overs. The home side’s hopes of completing a double – they won by six runs in May – stalled when both fell to fit-again seamer Oliver Pike (4-35) and, despite having 62 overs back, Sutton could only stumble to a losing draw at 233-7.
They took nine points, Wimbledon netting 12 to remain fourth and and third respectively.
Best of the rest
Crushing the challenge from second-placed Valley End means Sunbury now enjoy a 55-point advantage at the top of Division One.
It promised to be a lot closer when the leaders were reduced to 14-3 after taking first use, Ollie Pascall (59) and 41 each from Sam Burgess and Colby Dyer mainly responsible for lifting them an eventual 215 all out. Ed Young took 5-69 from 15.5 overs.
That proved more than enough, George O’Connor striking with the first ball of the reply to have Adam Forbes LBW in an early slide to 19-3. Former Gloucestershire all-rounder Young’s 29 led a mini-revival to 49-5 but Valley End then collapsed to 86 all out, leg-spinner Dyer’s 4-7 finishing the job.
Sunday extra
There’s plenty happening next Sunday.
Much attention will be focused on Banstead, which hosts Edwards Cup final day, the T20 competition for senior teams in the league.
The first semi-final, at 10am, sees unfancied SinjunGrammarians – who beat Malden Wanderers in the quarter-final – take on Sutton while the second at 1pm brings together Ashtead and Valley End. The final follows at around 4pm.
With the nets lowered and headbands put away, Wimbledon can host their delayed National Club Championship last 16 clash with East Anglian Premier side Sawston & Barbraham, over 40 overs from 1pm.
Already through are Sutton after edging past Peterborough Town by three wickets thanks to Jayden Broodryk.
The hosts had slipped to 4-2 after choosing to bat first, a third wicket stand of 113 between Nick Green (67) and David Clarke (66) only being terminated by Josh Blake stumping the former but Zeeshan Mansoor’s 41 seeing them to 214-5 from 40.
Sutton looked good for the chase at 94-1 as Ryan Hackney (34) and Blake (42) took charge, fading to 173-6 but Broodryk’s unbeaten 70 saw them through to the last eight with 2.2 overs in hand.
For those happy to travel further afield, the quarter-finals of the Conference Cup see East Molesey heading to Sussex side Roffey while Walton make the trip to Essex when they take on Waltham. Banstead’s home tie against Crouch End will now be played on Auigust 9.
Women’s Championship
Sutton CC v Reigate Priory CC
Reigate Priory extended their unbeaten start to the season with a convincing 90-run victory over Sutton, producing another disciplined all-round performance to stay top of the table.
After being reduced to 26-3 early on, Reigate rebuilt through Florence Bannister, who anchored the innings with an unbeaten 44 from 50 balls. Meggie McLoughlin added a quickfire 21, while Sophie Bellew contributed 17 late in the innings as Reigate recovered to post 157-9. Sutton’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Aarthi Karunakaran and Dhruthi Dhulappanavar both taking two wickets.
In reply, Sutton struggled from the outset as Lucy Harris removed both openers before Flo Johnson tore through the middle order with 3-17. Amelia Leonard then wrapped up the innings in style, claiming superb figures of 4-11 from four overs as Sutton were bowled out for just 67. The comprehensive victory keeps Reigate’s perfect record intact heading into the next round of fixtures.
Richmond CC v Weybridge CC
Weybridge made light work of their chase to secure a comfortable six-wicket victory over Richmond, powered by a match-winning innings from Daisy Feast.
Richmond posted 145-8 from their 35 overs, with Neharika Shenai top-scoring with 37 and Aadya Agarwal adding 30. However, Weybridge’s bowlers consistently kept the scoring in check, with Elize Brown producing an outstanding spell of 2-11 from five overs, while Elsie Duncan, Ella Townsend, Lily Francis and Arti Sahu all picked up a wicket.
Richmond struck twice inside the opening 10 runs thanks to Zunaria Ahmad, but Feast completely changed the game with a superb unbeaten 89 from just 73 deliveries, hitting 13 boundaries. She found support from Scout Westen (12) before Georgia Van Hoffen finished unbeaten alongside her as Weybridge raced to 148-4 in just 22.1 overs, completing the chase with almost 13 overs remaining.
Streatham & Marlborough CC v Shepperton CC
Shepperton produced the standout batting performance of the weekend, defeating Streatham & Marlborough by 63 runs after piling on an imposing total of 260-5.
Ella Clinton led the way with a magnificent unbeaten 114 from 108 balls, striking 13 fours in a superb century. Laura Cardoso provided the perfect support, blasting 60 from just 47 deliveries, while the pair shared a crucial partnership that put Shepperton firmly in control. Crystal Hanslal was the pick of Streatham’s bowlers with 2-28, but 51 extras helped Shepperton post an imposing target.
Streatham responded well through Crystal Hanslal, who completed an excellent all-round performance with 74 from 73 balls, while Kathryn Ennor remained unbeaten on 66. Despite their efforts, Shepperton’s bowlers maintained control throughout the chase. Tilly Loveridge struck twice with the new ball, while Ciara Durovi and Ella Clinton each claimed a wicket as Streatham finished on 197-4, handing Shepperton a deserved 63-run victory.
Best of the Rest
Across the rest of the Women’s Championship, several sides continued to strengthen their positions as the promotion races begin to take shape.
In Division One, Wimbledon recorded the biggest win of the weekend, beating Chertsey by 124 runs after posting 200-5. Dulwich chased down Spencer 2nd XI’s 120 in just 18.4 overs to win by seven wickets, while Ashtead defeated Woodmansterne by 89 runs to tighten the battle at the top.
In Division Two East, Purley defended 144 to beat Oxted & Limpsfield by 27 runs, while Banstead overcame Streatham & Marlborough 2nd XI by 25 runs. Elsewhere, Reigate Priory 2nd XI and Horley were involved in a high-scoring match that remained unfinished.
In Division Two West, Guildford strengthened their place at the summit with a dominant 10-wicket win over Godalming, while Esher edged Malden Wanderers by just four runs. Valley End also picked up maximum points after Sunbury conceded.
In Division Three Central, leaders Epsom cruised to a 10-wicket victory over Sanderstead, while Southwark Park kept the pressure on with a seven-wicket win against Dulwich 2nd XI.
Over in Division Three North, East Molesey maintained their perfect record with a seven-wicket win over Chiswick, while Walton on Thames defeated Egham by 65 runs after posting 207-4.
Finally, in Division Three South, Dorking claimed their seventh win of the season, chasing down 162 to beat Cranleigh by four wickets and remain clear at the top of the table.
You can find live scores, results, fixtures and tables at surreycricketchampionship.play-cricket.com.
