It was the fourth round of the Premier Division – and last of the early 50-over matches before moving to the time format. Richard Spiller reviews the action.
Sutton v Wimbledon
Victory by five wickets in the Thameslink Derby sent Sutton to the top of the table.
It was their third win in four matches and they might have achieved a clean sweep of the early stages but for a controversial last-ball defeat by Spencer.
Wimbledon had arrived on the back of two wins in three but were bowled out for 189 in the final over, losing Ryan Patel – who had only arrived home at 2 am from the long trip to Taunton after being a non-playing member of Surrey’s T20 squad – for 14. He was one of three wickets for the impressive Ben Rutherford (3-27), who, alongside fellow off-spinner Harry Gardner (2-27), played a leading role in containing the visitors.
Top-scorer was opener James Crosthwaite (30), another Rutherford victim with the help of wicketkeeper Josh Blake, who in all claimed four catches plus a stumping in a high-class performance. Blake’s excellence behind the stumps is a major factor in Sutton’s spin attack proving so effective, making use of Saturday’s tinder-dry pitch, which had persuaded Stephen Reeves to bar first.
David Rushmere (27) prevented Wimbledon’s middle order – missing injured Tim Lloyd and Billy Sewell – from folding before Matthew Benning’s 29 from 33 dragged his side up to a defendable total.
Chasing totals at Cheam Road often requires a cool head, Sutton losing Cameron Tanner for a duck when his attempt to hit Benning over the top was intercepted by a flying catch by Oliver Pike at mid-on.
But Ryan Hackney was in fine form, the Australian left-hander making 82 and adding 85 for the second wicket with Blake (38). Jayden Broodryk’s 34 added to the two wickets he had claimed earlier, underlining his all-round prowess, as the hosts looking set for an easy win. Hackney and Broodryk were both run out, though, to offer Wimbledon a glimmer of hope, Rehan Ratnasabapathy (23no) slamming the door on them to engineer victory in the 46th over.
It puts Sutton three points clear, Wimbledon sitting eighth, but just one win away from the summit.
Dulwich v Sunbury
New boys Dulwich suffered a terrible pounding as Sunbury thrashed them by 342 runs.
Having made an encouraging start to their first Premier campaign since 2008 with two wins out of three, they saw the visitors amass 423-7 and were then bowled out for a paltry 81.
Architect of the hammering was 20-year-old Australian Hugh Weigben, who plays for Sydney Thunder in the Men’s Big Bash League and transferred his skills to the 50-over game in dramatic fashion by smashing 180 from just 117 balls. He perforated the small Dulwich boundaries with 20 fours and eight sixes.
Weigben was overshadowed initially by skipper Rajan Soni, who made 88 from 55 in an opening partnership worth 157 in the first 16.3 overs. After that, the supporting cast was led by Stuart Van Der Merwe (30) and Colby Dyer (35), Dulwich’s bowling figures so painful that they could not be read out until after the watershed.
The batting didn’t go much better either. Kevin Smith’s 3-9 from four overs included the prized wicket of Indian Test player KS Bharat for nine as the hosts sank to 22-4 and then 41-7. Josh Allan’s 26 was the highest score, Ben Ladd-Gibbon’s 13 the only other score in double-figures and perhaps modest compensation for his three overs earlier disappearing for 40.
Ashtead v Spencer
Adam Thomas’s century led Ashtead to victory by 102 runs as they knocked Spencer off the top of the table.
The 18-year-old, whose first professional contract was announced by Surrey last week, made 129, the centrepiece of Ashtead’s 311-5. Showing impressive stamina given he had been with the squad at Taunton the previous night, Thomas hit 10 fours and four sixes, sharing profitable partnerships with Daniel Geddes (43) and Simon Keene (54) while the hosts made the most of their decision to bat. Skipper Mark Stoneman made 28 in his first appearance of the season after spending the early weeks opening for Hampshire in the Rothesay County Championship.
Spencer’s chase was built around Hugh Darby (75) at the top of the order but after he departed only wicketkeeper Archie Macpherson – who cracked 71 in 58 balls – posed a serious threat, three wickets each for Ben Sidwell and Tom Homes ensuring the visitors were bowled out for 209 in the 40th over.
It was the ideal way for Ashtead to bounce back from two defeats, having started with a heartening victory over champions East Molesey, to put them fifth. Spencer lie third.
Banstead v Reigate Priory
George Ealham proved Reigate’s ace as they squeezed home by two wickets in the final over.
The Priory skipper made an unbeaten 106 to pilot his side through a tense finale.
Opener Ayush Patel had held together Banstead, making 96 before becoming one of four victims for Surrey seamer James Taylor but support was sparse. Ralphie Albert (35) and Surrey’s Nathan Barnwell (39) were next best – Taylor removing both to finish with 4-52 in 9.4 – as the home side were dismissed for 240 in the final over.
Reigate’s chase was in danger of failing at 73-4 but Ealham added 114 with all-rounder Fraser Sheat (60). A late Priory slide saw them lose three wickets for four runs with Barnwell’s 3-66, including county colleague Taylor for a duck. They went into the final over needing 10, Ealham hitting four off the first ball from Arsalan Abbas to reach his century, losing Richard Stevens to a run out off the second but clearing the boundary off the third.
It gave his side their third win in four – taking second place – and leaving Banstead one place off the bottom.
East Molesey v Esher
Andrew Westphal’s 5-12 condemned Esher to a 56-run defeat, sending them to the foot of the table.
The seamer missed the whole of last season because of a knee injury and was one of several players absent a week earlier when Moles went down to Wimbledon.
Back at full strength, the defending champions showed why they remain a force. They had 60 from South African Clyde Fortuin plus skipper Nick Stevens’s 47 from 61 to thank for reaching 203-7, off-spinner Don Bouchart claiming 3-27 from 10.
Westphal struck two vital early blows in the reply by bowling Will Tavare and Teague Wyllie before adding Nicholas Smit after Toby Porter had trapped Craig Meschede for a second-ball duck, making it 34-4. David Brent (40) and Freddie Harrison – whose 39 included four sixes – resisted as best they could but Westphal returned to finish the innings by removing last man Ben Townsend to leave Esher 147 all out and looking upwards at the rest after just one win in four. Moles are sixth but only 18 points off the summit.
Best of the rest
Aiming for an immediate return to the Premier Division, Guildford and Weybridge made it four out of four to open up a 30-point gap on the rest.
Promoted Oxted & Limpsfield – still looking for their first win – were Guildford’s latest victims after being sent in and then bowled out for 180 in the 47th over. Skipper Joe Bracher’s 32 was their highest score as off-spinner Will Arney finished with 3-15 in nine. Aqeel Iqbal (76no) and Fred McMillan (65no) fashioned a victory for the hosts inside 25 overs.
Weybridge were grateful to opener Aidan Golding (53) and Shafqat Ullah (41) for reaching 213 all out after being inserted at Beddington, the hosts rarely threatening to overtake on their way to 151 all out as they went down by 62 runs, Ben Choy taking 4-27. Beddington remain third in a group of six clubs divided by just nine points.
Sunday extra
A number of Surrey Championship clubs will be in action on Sunday in the Conference Cup second round.
Last year’s winners East Molesey travel to Camberley while other games are: Maori Oxshott v Roffey; Finchley v Sunbury; Bromley Common v Banstead; Gravesend v Spencer; Walton v Teddington; Horsley & Send v Harefield. Matches start at 1 pm.
Hats off to Evans
A century in any cricket is worth celebrating – but Chris Evans now has 100 of them.
The left-hander’s hunger for runs has scarcely abated since he made his debut for Ashford in 1966 and he played throughout the life of the old Surrey Championship (1966-2024), grossing a remarkable 19,431 league runs for his club in the league. His longevity is such that Ashford have had three home grounds during that time and Britain has had 13 different Prime Ministers.
Evans has proved prolific in seniors’ cricket as well, achieving his landmark last Thursday for the Surrey over-70s against Buckinghamshire at Winchmore Hill. Evans cruised to an unbeaten 164 from 141 balls, including 20 fours and a six, which guided his side to 289-3 from 45 overs. The hosts finished 125-5, leaving a margin of 164 runs, even greater cause for celebration.
