No Stags fairytale as Priory take the semi

The glorious T20 run had to end sometime – and it was perennial opponents Reigate Priory that would prove the undoing of the Ashtead Stags, as they lost their Surrey T20 semi-final on a blisteringly hot day at East Molesey, on the banks of the Thames.

Reigate Priory won the toss and elected to bat first but were immediately in disarray as the Stags ran riot. It is unconfirmed, but widely believed, that Harri Aravinthan set a new record when he took a wicket with the very first ball of Finals Day, removing the captain’s bails and chance of making a score. Not to be outdone, Ben Sidwell struck in the next over, and Harri struck again in the over after that. At 2-3, the Llamas were in serious trouble.

The fightback began with the fast-charging combination of Danny Miller, formerly of the Stags, and Richard Stevens beginning to fin the boundary rope and beyond. Stevens provided the clout while Miller was surprisingly circumspect, and together the runs began to mount. It would take the spin of skipper Tom Deighton to make the next inroads, removing Miller for 10.

Spin looked the better option, and for a while it kept the runs down. 64-4 off 13 was still very slow, and a low target appeared almost inevitable. Yet a poor 14th over, when Stevens cleared the fence and former Surrey junior Angus Dahl also found the rope, marked the change in pace that would define the match.

Stevens would eventually depart in the 17th over, as Deighton somehow clung on to a veritable rocket fired back at him, having scored 58 from just 44. The score now read 96-5 with 23 balls to go. Wickets in the final overs are vital, and the Stags gathered two more – but the lower order, shepherded by Dahl, came to the party and boundaries continued to fly. The Llamas finished on 135-7, far more than you would have thought or predicted after the early overs.

The chase seemed to start well, with a boundary in the opening over and runs being found from all parts. Yet the dangerous overseas batter Manoj Sarathchandra would depart for 10 in the second over, and thereafter wickets would fall far too regularly. After 8 overs, with the score at 45-4, the game seemed to have slipped away.

The rest of the order fought hard to try and regain the impetus needed, but the spin duo of Dahl and Michael Munday tied up the scoring and ran rings around the Stags. The tail, in the end, showed the urgency of the hour and fell by the sword. Ashtead were bundled out for just 69 with 19 balls left on the table.

That concludes the T20 run for the year, and leaves only the league left to concentrate on. The next match sees Ashtead return to East Molesey for the next long format fixture. Join us then.