Super Monday ends in defeat as Old Hamptonians continue on

Round 2 saw success, but Round 3 brought disappointment and shock. Ashtead had a day of contrasting fortunes as they visited Esher for Super Monday in the David Edwards Cup, the Surrey Championship T20 tournament.

Ashtead opened the day with a morning game against Walton-on-Thames, high flying in Division 1 and a tough side to meet this early in the competition.

The Stags elected to bat first on a used pitch that would offer much for the spinners later in the day. The early overs were a display of power hitting, as Kieron Powell and Ragu Aravinthan plundered the opening bowlers for 53 off the first 4 overs, including three substantial sixes. Momentum was entirely with Ashtead and a massive total seemed likely.

As expected, slow bowling proved more challenging, and a triple strike in the final 2 overs of the PowerPlay robbed the innings of all progression. A rebuilding exercise was undertaken by the Homes brothers, particularly Tom, who joined battle in the 6th over and carried his bat for an unbeaten 43. The other batters came and went around him, and with a final push, the Stags posted a total of 133 off their 20 overs. Difficult to know whether or not this was representative.

An early wicket for Sam Homes showed that slow bowling would also dominate the second innings, but it was Tom that really ripped up the Walton chase. 4 wickets in his first two overs, coupled with a sharp run out off Harri Aravinthan and a smart catch for Jevan Kher reduced the chasers to 44-7. The lower order and tail rallied hard, and at times it seemed that an unlikely comeback was possible, but the return of the Aravinthan brothers (including Ragu with the ball) saw off Walton for 102.

The second match of the day saw Premier league side Esher unexpectedly lose in a last-ball thriller to Division 2 side Old Hamptonians, setting up an enthralling last match of the day.

Ashtead elected to bat first again and adopted a different tactic, as Kieron Powell played a more judicious and careful innings, whilst others around him were freer with their strokeplay. A cluster of wickets wound fall at the end of the PowerPlay, as they did the first time around, but another solid innings from Tom Homes saw the Stags to 100-4 off 15 and a solid platform for a final blast.

That blast never really came, as Kieron would eventually fall in the 18th over for a well-made 70 off 55. Young charges Dan Geddes and Nat Atkins would do an excellent job in providing a late innings charge, and pushed the total to 137-6 off their 20 overs. Another close game in prospect.

Early wickets would be crucial, and Ashtead picked up two in the PowerPlay, a sharp return catch for Sam Hunt and a fantastic grab from Dan Geddes in the deep to remove the openers. The chasers would build their innings around Trent Park, with solid shots from him and hard running from his partners. Wickets for Sam Homes, Sam Hunt and Senura Jayasinghe continued to put pressure on the batters and with 5 overs to go, Old Hamptonians required 48 to win.

And they got them. Trent Park, by this time joined by overseas pro Jayden Park, smacked 28 off 16 balls before Trent was bowled for an invaluable 53 off 40 balls. This might have derailed the chase in its final moments, but Jayden and Max Bailey saw the chasers home with 4 balls to spare.

This result sees Ashtead return to league cricket for the rest of the 2023 campaign, out of both cups for another year. This Saturday sees Ashtead travel to Wimbledon for the first of the 9 red-ball matches. Wimbledon won a close match in 2022 by 4 wickets.

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.