Stags' 2023 season begins with the Moles in front

The sun is shining (mostly), the outfield is trimmed, and the pitch prepared. It’s time for cricket again. And after a long winter of training, the Ashtead Stags began their pre-season match preparations with a trip to top-flight competitors East Molesey, getting in vital practice ahead of the 2023 season.

Ashtead, skippered again this year by the stalwart Tom Deighton, won the toss and elected to make first use of a typical April wicket – green, with plenty on offer for the bowlers, but well kept given the very wet spring thus far. And an attacking opening partnership of Ragu Aravinthan and Conor Young went hard in the early overs.

Wickets, however, were also quickly present and both openers departed within 6 balls of each other to reduce the visitors to 30-2. The innings became a routine of consolidation, attack, wickets falling and repeat. By the end of the 15th over, Ashtead were 62-5 and most of the firepower was back in the changing room.

The middle overs of the innings were taken forward by an Ashtead veteran, Harry Williams, and a Stags newcomer, Kav Naidoo. They nudged and accumulated slowly to begin with but brought out the more expansive shots as they gained confidence in the pitch. The team 100 came up in the 25th over and the rebuild appeared to be working.

Cue both players departing within 6 balls of each other. Naidoo fell victim to a run out for a hard-fought 17 and Williams went for one shot too many to be caught in the deep for 22. 109-7 and 23 overs to go. The tail wagged somewhat, with Jevan Kher and Tom Homes grinding out some runs, and a flashy cameo 13 from Deighton (including a mighty maximum) brought the Stags to 145. Under par but not indefensible.

The bowling effort started in the best possible way when Sam Hunt bowled danger man Sam Burge for a golden duck at the end of the first over. Hunt and Harri Aravinthan kept up the pressure in the opening salvos, but Kieran Burge (a pair of brothers opened up for the Moles) cam out swinging. 48-1 after 10 overs was a decent start for the hosts but Ashtead were still in the game.

Changing bowlers slowed the run rate to a crawl, but all too soon the hosts were on the charge again. Kieran reached his half-century, off 61 balls, with a big six and followed it up with a similar hit into the Thames before retiring on 56. At 81-1, the match was fast nearing its conclusion.

The insertion of Deighton to the attack brought a wicket, as skipper got out skipper and Nick Stevens departed for 16. 10 overs later, and it would all be done, as the blows came thick and fast, and the Moles finished off the chase with just 2 wickets down and over 20 overs remaining.

This result marks a good lesson for the Stags ahead of their new campaign. Next week sees a double-header for the Stags. Saturday sees Sutton travel to Woodfield Lane for a 50-over contest. Sutton were relegated from the Premier League in 2022, and Ashtead won convincingly twice against them last year.

Sunday sees Ashtead travel to Hayes for their first match in the National Knockout Cup. Hayes are the reigning Kent League champions and will provide a stiff test in the final week before the league begins in earnest.

A reminder that you can follow Ashtead CC’s 1st XI matches via our Twitter (@ashteadcc), live on our website (www.ashtead.play-cricket.com) or at our YouTube channel (Ashtead Cricket Club Live). We look forward to next week! Join us then.