The sun was out again for round six of the Surrey Cricket Championship’s Premier Division programme. Richard Spiller reviews the action
Esher v Reigate Priory
George Ealham saw his Reigate Priory side to a nervy three-wicket victory which put them top of the table.
They had to chase 304 after Teague Wyllie’s 116 – his second century of the season – had dominated Esher’s innings.
His 116 – which included 13 fours and a six – was joined by David Brent’s 90 which picked up the hosts from 45-3 in an alliance 199 in 34 overs. But when Wyllie was bowled by former Somerset leg-spinner Michael Munday, it sparked a slide of three wickets for four runs and Priory could be happy to finish off the innings for 303 in the 59th over, Munday’s 3-66 from 13 their best return.
The visitors were launched towards victory by an opening stand of 109 between Surrey’s Ollie Sykes (77) and Seth McDowall (47) before Ealham took over. But the chase hit trouble when Fraser Sheat (34) was unluckily run out at the non-striker’s end, David Brent diverting a fierce Ealham drive on to the stumps to make it 256-4 in the 54th. Three balls later Jacob McLoughlin’s attempt to take a single off his first delivery saw him run out as well and it was becoming a meltdown when Brent yorked Tendekai Mataranyika with the following ball.
When Fraser McGuinness became the third run out, two overs later as he attempted to get off the mark, Priory had sunk to 261-7 but Richard Stevens (23no) restored order and helped Ealham, whose 105no was his second ton in six games, take Reigate to victory in the 61st over. It earned them a slender four-point advantage over Sutton. Esher, though, have lost four games so far and sit bottom, 11 points behind the rest.
Ashtead v Sutton
A late collapse cost Sutton victory – and the chance to stay top of the table – in a thrilling finale at Ashtead.
A match which showcased time cricket at its best saw Mark Stoneman’s 139 lead the hosts to 325-7dec, adding 142 with opener Jevan Kher (56) for the second wicket.
Having opened for Durham, Surrey, Middlesex and then Hampshire in the early stages of this season – plus 11 Tests for England – the left-hander is highly valued at Ashtead for his quiet guidance of a young side. He hit 17 fours and two sixes, Simon Keene’s 50 from 24 balls, clearing the boundary four times, enabling Stoneman to declare at 63 overs. Sutton were grateful to George Compton (4-31) and Harry Gardner (2-92) for keeping the score within bounds.
Getting 57 overs back, Sutton lost openers Ryan Hackney (4) and Cameron Tanner (2) to Keene’s early blast but the picture was transformed by Surrey’s Josh Blake (77) and Jayden Broodryk adding 162 for the third wicket.
Then Broodryk – whose 126 was his second century of the campaign, finding the short boundaries agreeable in hitting 12 fours and three sixes – was joined by Dan Peall for a fifth wicket stand of 92 which left Sutton within sight of a fourth win of the season as they reached the 50th over.
Brookryk fell to Ben Sidwell at 281 but it was Peall’s return catch to Tom Homes at 307, having made 77 from 54, which tranformed the match. It was the first of four wickets for one run which included Sidwell bowling Sam Seadon, Gardner and Compton inside four deliveries.
Now Ashtead were on the brink of victory but George Jackson (6no) and last man Aneesh Jhalla (0no) held on for the remaining two overs, earning their side the winning draw – worth six points – at 313-9, collecting 13 overall. The home side’s efforts gleaned 10 to leave them fifth.
East Molesey v Spencer
Andy Westphal’s second five-wicket haul of the campaign sank Spencer as East Molesey cruised to a massive 161-run victory.
The champions dominated from the moment they were inserted, Marcus Campopiano being joined in an opening partnership worth 154 by Michael Sheen (69) before going on to crack 107. Oli Soames made an unbeaten 30 before Moles cut the line at 265-5 from 60 overs.
That left them with plenty of time to dismiss Spencer and they had to wait until the 13th over before Westphal bowled left-hander Will Harris (13) at 44.
But in his next over he removed Hugo Darby (26) and after that resistance was thin, the visitors being bowled out for just 102 in 37 overs. Westphal, who missed last season following knee surgery, finished with 5-46 from 165, Toby Porter’s 3-39 and Matt Tigg’s 2-5 supporting perfectly.
East Molesey’s third win of the season leaves them in third place, 11 points off the pace, but Spencer’s campaign back in the Premier Division – which started so well with two early victories – is a fading memory after sinking to eighth.
Banstead v Sunbury
Patrick Rowe’s first century of the weekend was the backbone for Banstead to win by 65 runs.
The 24-year-old Australian – now in his fifth season with the club – made 103 as the hosts reached 268 all out after being sent in, Ragu Aravinthan’s 42 their next best score in an innings which was in crisis at 138-8.
But Rowe found a suitable partner in Tyler Meyer, whose 30 contributed to a ninth wicket stand worth 68 while last man Krish Anand (8no) joined in another crucial alliance yielding 62.
Rowe was finally out in the 66th and final over for 103, which included 11 fours and two sixes, a fourth victim for Stuart Van Der Merwe (4-77), while Colby Dyer claimed 3-85.
Sunbury – who had also been penalised five penalty runs for two level one disciplinary offences – were given a solid launchpad of 55 by openers Rajan Soni (43) and Hugh Weibgen (58) but after that Van Der Merwe’s 24 was their best as Paul Byrne, Meyer and Arsalan Abbas claimed three wickets apiece in rounding up the hosts for 203 in the 46th over.
It was Banstead’s second win of the season, pushing them up to sixth place, level on points with Sunbury.
Wimbledon v Dulwich
Ryan Patel spearheaded Wimbledon’s demolition of Dulwich, winning by 124 runs.
It lifted the home side to fourth place, 15 points off the top, Patel making his first impression on the game by dominating an opening stand of 107 with Brandon Tattom (25) by making 78 which included eight fours and four sixes.
Patel has been in fine form recently but cannot find a place in Surrey’s T20 line-up. Taking off his pads, he watched fit-again Billy Sewell (35) and skipper Stephen Reeves (44no) guide Wimbledon to 262 all out in the 64th over. Harvey Booth and Dale Shaw finished with three wickets each.
Harrison Perry (40) led Dulwich’s reply but they suffered a crucial blow when Indian Test wicketkeeper KS Bharat was acrobatically caught by Tattam off Patel for just four to leave them 76-4. The innings never recovered and were bowled out for 138 in the 41st over, Patel’s 3-29 joined by two wickets each from Oliver Pike and Jack Boyle.
It leaves Dulwich ninth, the optimism of their two early wins fast fading away.
Premier standings (6/18): 1 Reigate Priory 99; 2 Sutton 91; 3 East Molesey 84; 4 Wimbledon 80; 5 Ashtead 70; 6 Banstead 68; 7 Sunbury 68; 8 Spencer 64; 9 Dulwich 61; 10 Esher 50.
Best of the rest
Weybridge inched past Guildford by just four runs in the clash of Division One’s top two teams.
Both relegated last season and each having started with four victories before last week’s abandonments through rain, it promised to be a close match and duly lived up to that billing.
Weybridge owed their 179 all out from 57.4 overs to stern resistance from Luke Griffiths (43), Brent Kay’s late 18 proving invaluable in an innings which had been undermined early on by Zac Donohue’s 5-39 from 15, Olly Birts claiming three wickets.
Griffiths – a Surrrey Academy graduate who has played for the county second team this year – and Kiwi Joey Field also made the most of a grassy pitch, Field bowling Freddie Geffen with the second ball of the reply and adding Will Hamilton (5) soon after.
Guildford were grateful to Jason Soames (54) and resistance from the lower order led by Birts (32) after they sank to 120-7. But despite Donohue (13no) slowly pushing them towards their target, Griffiths had the final word when he had Ed Marsh caught behind, finishing with three wickets alongside Field’s trio.
That gave Weybridge a lead at the top of 19 points, Guildford still second but a chasing pack led by Beddington – victors over Valley End – closing in.
Division 1 standings: 1 Weybridge 116; 2 Guildford 97; 3 Beddington 86; 4 Camberley 82; 5 Normandy 73; 6 Valley End 64; 7 Malden Wdrs 62; 8 Cranleigh 60; 9 Walton 50; 10 Oxted & Lmpsfld 35.
Sunday supplement
Mark Stoneman and Patrick Rowe each scored a second century of the weekend but it was the former England batsman who came out on top in the group 16 final of the ECB National Club Championship.
The left-hander’s 129 conspired with 87 from Daniel Geddes in a third wicket alliance worth 147 which drove Ashtead to 292-6 in their 40 overs, having been 20-2 early on.
Banstead had a similarly wonky start, Rowe and Ben Butterfield coming together for a fourth wicket partnership of 138 which threatened to take the visitors through. When Butterfield departed for 72 from 44 balls, which included six fours and four sixes, it proved the beginning of the end despite Rowe going on to 101, the visitors being bowled out for 255 to lose by 37 runs. Sam Hunt was chief beneficiary of their late slide, claiming 5-74 in 7.1 action-filled overs, his side going through to the national stages.
Sunbury’s interest in the competition was terminated by an 11-run defeat at Middleton.
The Sussex side were dismissed for 227 in the group 11 final – Subhan Ramzan collecting 4-49 – but there was negligible support for Hugh Weigben (81) and Ollie Pascall (88), who put on 165 for the third wicket but then saw their side slide to 216 all out.
Ian Turner and Chic Stedman
The weather has been (on the whole) great and another summer of cricket is well on the way through its programme. But spare a thought for two old soldiers of the Surrey Championship, Ian Turner – a doyen of Addiscombe before becoming a long-serving umpire – and Chic Stedman, who turned Farnham into a force in the 1980s and 1990s, collecting a huge haul of wickets along the way. Both are currently fighting seriouis illness and need all the support they can get in their battles.
