A draw the end result as darkness descends

A late finish, with rain in the air, and a draw was the end result. This was the story in Round 7 of the 2022 Surrey Championship Premier League, as Ashtead took 12 points from a winning draw at home to Normandy.

A rare win at the toss for the opponents saw Ashtead bat first, on a surface that looked good for the batters but could provide turn for the spinners and a touch of variable bounce as the game progressed. And, despite a couple of early scares, the opening partnership of Surrey stars Ragu Aravinthan and Ben Geddes made good progress against the new ball bowlers. By the end of the 14th over, the score read 91-0 and the Stags were motoring.

It would, as ever, be the introduction of spin that stemmed the tide, and when Geddes holed out off Normandy skipper Chris Jones for 46, the momentum seemed to shift – and this was only confirmed when Aravinthan fell at the other end for 35. The rebuilding process was taken on by Ben’s brother Dan, on Saturday 1st team debut, and Conor Young. They shepherded the Stags to a solid lunchtime score of 143-2, with a lost ball in the hedge for good measure.

Losing Geddes for 31 straight after the break was unfortunate, but Young had a hard-charging Matthew Breetzke as his new partner, and together they made hay. The going was slow to start, but the boundaries began to fly as both batters cut loose. The first batting point went by, then 2, then 3, 4 and 5, and with 10 overs to go, the Stags had reached 252-3 and were set for a truly huge total.

The final overs brought 87 more runs, but three further wickets as well. Conor was the first to go, bowled attempting another huge shot for 80. Breetzke then swiftly followed, holing out for a phenomenal 67 off just 75 balls. The lower order were able to swing with abandon as the overs ran down, and the hosts finished on a truly remarkable 339-6 off their maximum 66 overs.

The Normandy innings started in exactly the way that Ashtead wanted, with Ben Sidwell taking two crucial early wickets – overseas pro Joel Foster and captain Chris Jones – in the first five overs. Thereafter, the going got a lot tougher. Ollie Batchelor, mercurial but massively talented, was swinging hard and finding boundaries all around the ground. Tea came and went, and as the score mounted, so fear remained for an unlikely victory for the visitors.

By the time Batchelor had made 131, the target was still 170 runs away, but decreasing at a rapid rate. However, his skill and luck could only last so long, and he eventually found a top edge off spinner Senura Jayasinghe that looped into the grateful hands of Breetzke at slip. That single wicket changed the whole complexion off the game.

Normandy’s plan from there became survival, so much so that the run rate decreased to a veritable crawl. Wickets would continue to fall, but just not quickly enough, and all too soon both the rain and the light closed in. Normandy would finish on 203-5, slow enough that Ashtead would claim the winning draw and 12 points from the fixture.

This result keeps Ashtead in 7th place in the league table, as results around them shift. The Stags are now deep in a four-way battle in the middle and lower order of the table, and face another of these teams next – away at Sunbury. Last year’s fixtures saw a win for Ashtead in the longer format, but a defeat in the shorter game. A good contest should follow.

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.