It was week 15 of the M Zaidi Surrey Cricket Championship, with the tension tightening at both ends of the Premier Division. Richard Spiller reviews the action
East Molesey v Normandy
Bouncing back to beat Normandy by 79 runs kept East Molesey 22 points ahead of the pack.
Bruised by defeat at Sutton – their second reverse in three weeks – they were led to 279-6 by a second wicket alliance worth 121 between opener Michael Shean (52) and Serbian international Luka Woods, whose 124 was his maiden Premier Division century. Fresh from his involvement in the Hundred, Nathan Sowter made a typically busy contribution in running out Shean and dismissing Woods, although his two wickets cost 61. Former captain Nick Stevens contributed a typically handy 38no at the end.
Skipper Chris Jones made 44 early in the reply but it needed a stand worth 52 for the fifth wicket to give Normandy an outside chance. But the run out of Sowter (37) by Clyde Fortuin at 172 was a key moment and although Neal Prowse (38) and Dylan Hurst (23) kept battling, they were finished off for 218 in the 46th over.
Left-arm spinner Matt Tigg claimed 3-35 from 10.
With bottom half sides Reigate Priory and Spencer to play before the final match – against champions Wimbledon – East Molesey remain strong favourites for the title. Normandy slipped out of the top half of the table.
Esher v Reigate Priory
Nikhil Gorantla cracked 71 as Esher kept the pressure on East Molesey.
They also ensured Reigate Priory are still waiting to confirm their place in the Premier Division next season, standing just 11 points off the relegation zone.
Priory never really got motoring after being sent in, fit again England U19 paceman Alex French removing Surrey’s Ollie Sykes for 28 on his way to claiming 3-32 from seven overs. Tommy Bates (57) was chiefly responsible for Priory finally reaching 223 all out in the 49th over, well contained by David Brent (4-27) and Don Bouchart (3-46).
Gorantla entered with Esher 22-1 in the fourth over, stroking 10 fours and a six as he put on 121 with opener Travis Norris (69). Laurie Evans (8) could only make a brief intervention, Brent’s rapid 45 assuring the hosts victory by five wickets was wrapped up in the 34th over.
Still 22 points off the leaders, Esher must almost certainly win all of their final three matches, starting with Saturday’s trip to Spencer before champions Wimbledon visit and finishing with a trip to Guildford, who are highly likely to have been relegated by then.
Sutton v Banstead
Max Wallis polished off Banstead to give Sutton five wins on the bounce.
They won by a hefty 112 runs to stay 27 points behind leaders East Molesey – who they beat a week earlier – and five adrift of Esher.
It was Banstead’s fifth successive defeat and – most concerning of all – they have lost all six 50-over matches this season. Misfortune often follows struggling teams and they could have done without Surrey all-rounder Ralphie Albert being called into the warm-up match for Pakistan at Beckenham plus batsman Alfie Haxton – who scored a double-century for Surrey U18s three days earlier – joining Alex Dodson in the ECB Super 4s tournament.
Even less welcome was Cameron Tanner giving Sutton the ideal start, putting on 73 with opening partner Ansh Bansal (32) and 74 for the third wicket with Fabian Cowdrey (28). Although inconsistent, Tanner can make boundaries look very small, hitting eight fours and three sixes. His century came with a four which burst through an unconvincing attempt to catch it at mid-off, holing out to deep square-leg for 100 two balls later.
Rehan Ratnasabapathy’s 34 ensured Sutton did not waste their position as they were bowled out from the final ball of the 50 overs for 268, spinners Arsalan Abbas (3-56) and Alex Butterfield (4-47) being rewarded for their labours.
Banstead lost veteran Neil Baker (5), bowled by seamer Jay Evemy, opener Ayush Patel (27) seeing George Compton swoop for a low return catch. Their best chance of getting close to the target disappeared when Australian Patrick Rowe was snapped up by wicketkeeper Tanner off Wallis, the young left-arm spinner returning later to have Abbas (47) stumped by Tanner after sweeping through the tail to finish with 5-24 as they visitors were dismissed for 156.
Third last year, they face a vital home date against Guildford on Saturday.
Guildford v Wimbledon
A desperate late charge by Guildford just failed as they lost by five runs, pushing them another step towards relegation.
Seeking to overtake Wimbledon’s 289-8 earlier, the hosts looked certain to lose heavily at 215-9 only for final pair Ben Way and George Valentine (13no) to transform the final eight overs into a thrilling climax.
Defeat still looked likely as they entered the final over at 259-9 but Way took 20 off the first four balls delivered by off-spinner James Cronie, including three sixes. Attempting another from the penultimate delivery, though, he was caught at long-on by Tim Lloyd for a heroic 58.
That left Guildford 29 points clear at the bottom and 30 off safety, with a trip to ninth-placed Banstead coming on Saturday.
They could ill afford to concede so many runs after the visitors had chosen to bat, Kiwi Jack Boyle and Cronie jointly top-scoring with 51 while Joe Baldwin (41no) and Sam Freestone (27no) took 51 off the final 5.1 overs.
But with Wimbledon’s first team seam attack having all departed on holiday – not together, apparently – and skipper Steve Reeves injured, Guildford were given a rapid start to their reply by in-form opener Fred Macmillan (47), who had scored a century in their win at Spencer a week earlier.
With Blake Macdonald having returned to Australia, they welcomed wicketkeeper Tom Geffen back from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for two months. He made 18 while older brother Freddie, making his first appearance of the season, hit 21. It was skipper Olly Birts (34) and James Macmillan (32) who gave them an outside hope before Way’s blast but it was not to be. Lloyd claimed 4-48, Wimbledon seemingly nailed on to finish in the top four now.
Ashtead v Spencer
Victory by 65 runs took Ashtead in the top half of the table, condemning Spencer to their third successive defeat as they sit just a point above the drop zone.
Losing Joe Willis (0) and Dylan Church (8) early on, having chosen to bat first, made it a tricky start for the hosts but Surrey’s Adam Thomas (34) and skipper Mark Stoneman (78) repaired the damage in a third wicket stand of 53. Conor Young’s 29 was the next best contribution, Spencer dismissing them for 235 from the final ball of the 50 overs as Jackson Saggers (3-51) led the attack.
Hugo Darby (31) and Jamal Todd (27) launched the response with 49, Ashtead hitting back through Kiwi Lachie Stackpole (3-27) and Thomas (2-41) in reducing their opponents to 138-7. Skipper Gus Grant’s 21 led a brief revival but he was one of three victims for left-arm spinner Tom Homes in finishing off Spencer for 170 in the 43rd over.
Best of the rest
A lead of 38 points means Sunbury head into the final three weeks of the campaign with their task of an immediate return to the Premier Division almost completed.
They hammered Old Hamptonians by eight wickets, pushing their near-neighbours closer to the trapdoor at the other end of the table, after James Kinder’s 107 dominated the home side’s 243 all out. Alfie Granger claimed 3-50.
Sunbury had Northants-contracted Stuart Van Der Merwe – who hit 12 fours and five sixes in his 130no – and Ollie Pascall (75no) to thank for an unbroken third wicket stand of 197 which wrapped up victory in the 42nd over.
Dulwich, the other relegated side last year, have taken over second spot following their 80-run win over Camberley. They took advantage of Malden Wanderers losing to Old Rutlishians by 20 runs – Surrey’s Ryan Patel taking three wickets – while Weybridge also lost ground as they were beaten by Valley End.
Horsley & Send’s thin hopes of avoiding the drop from Division Two – having been deducted 100 points over registration issues – came to nothing as they were hammered by 182 runs at Sinjun Grammarians, the leaders now needing just five points to be certain of promotion.
Tables – Premier Division (15/18)
1 East Molesey 266; 2 Esher 244; 3 Sutton 239; 4 Wimbledon 224; 5 Ashtead 171; 6 Normandy 162; 7 Reigate Priory 146; 8 Spencer 136; 9 Banstead 135; 10 Guildford 106.
Division 1
1 Sunbury 261; 2 Dulwich 223; 3 Malden Wdrs 216; 4 Weybridge 205; 5 Rutlishians 204; 6 Valley End 196; 7 Camberley 165; 8 Walton 150; 9 Hamptonians 133;10 Beddington 112.
Sunday extra
Better news for Banstead in the second half of the weekend as they convincingly beat Crouch End to reach the semi-finals of the Conference Cup.
They won by 148 runs, cashing in after choosing to bat when openers Ayush Patel (119) and Rafay Ahmed (77) put on 172. Patrick Rowe’s 74 from 42 built on that so that the hosts amassed 357-8 from their 45 overs. Moinool Sheikh finished with 4-98 in nine decidedly busy overs.
Crouch End opener Sachin Patel’s 115 headed the reply but his only tangible support came from Chamath Jayasooryia (44) as they were bowled out for 209 with Tom PItchley, Alex Butterfield and Ahmed Khan all claimed three wickets.
That earned Banstead a home tie against Hornchurch this Sunday while East Molesey’s lengthy wait to find who would be heading to Graburn Way was ended by Waltham overcoming Ickenham by 120 runs. Both matches start at 12pm.
The winners of the two semi-finals will compete for possession of the Bertie Joel Trophy at Stanmore on Sunday September 13 (11am), with the potential for a repeat of the 2024 final, when East Molesey beat Banstead to regain a trophy they had previously won in 2021. Last year their hopes of keeping it were dashed by losing to Hornchurch in the final.
