Weybridge find their winning form as the Stags toil in the drizzle.

The dark clouds and rain gathered for a time, but at least the cricket was played in full. Sadly, the result wasn’t what Ashtead were hoping for, as their visitors Weybridge ran out 6 wicket victors in Round 15 of the 2023 Surrey Championship Premier Division.

Ashtead won the toss and elected to make first use of a pitch that appeared excellent for batting, but with the potential for spin later in the game. And while the attacking intent was certainly present from the Stags, early wickets continued to be a troublesome part of the Ashtead way, with overseas pro Kieran Powell departing in the very first over.

Brothers Ragu and Harri Aravinthan made some headway against the opening quick bowlers (including former Stag Harshil Patel) until Harri edged behind to the Weybridge keeper (Australian batting star Will Pucovski) for 11. 48-2 off 10 and honours relatively even.

It would be the change bowlers that found the next edge, ripping the heart from the Ashtead innings with Ragu and skipper Paul Harrison departing in the same over to leave the Stags reeling at 68-4. A rebuild would be in order, and up stepped Ashtead’s leading run scorer for the season so far, Conor Young. Together with young charger Dan Geddes, and then by stalwart Sam Homes, the runs began to flow again and by the midway drinks interval, the recovery had reached 97-5.

More runs were gathered after drinks, setting a platform for an assault on the final stages of the innings and a total with enough challenge in it. Unfortunately, that platform couldn’t be capitalised upon, as Young departed for 43. The lower order and the tail wagged a little, but the momentum was all Weybridge and Ashtead were bundled out for 160 with more than 5 overs to spare.

Early wicket would be critical to providing any resistance to a Weybridge victory, and in Ben Sidwell, the Stags found them – removing Craig Meschede (formerly of Glamorgan and Somerset) and Ben Curran (formerly of Northamptonshire) for single figure scores to reduce the visitors to 11-2.

Unfortunately, that would be where the momentum stopped, as 18-year-old Surrey sensation Stuart van der Merwe, now joined by Pucovski, played cautious and careful innings to stem the tide. They then went on the offensive, particularly against the spinners, who failed to find any real gains off a surface that continued to play well. By drinks, Weybridge were 99-2 and cruising towards victory.

The cruise appeared to continue after the break, but when van der Merwe departed for a well-made 55, the door was opened just a fraction. That was slammed shut by Weybridge skipper Nathan Tilley, who took a much more positive mentality to his innings, and seemed to unlock Pucovski’s strokeplay as well. Together, they made 40 off 35 balls until Tilley holed out to the deep midwicket boundary with just 9 runs required. Pucovski and Steven Reeves saw the visitors home with more than 10 overs to spare, with the pro making his 50 off the final ball of the game.

This result sees Ashtead re-enter the relegation zone, now 9th in the league table, but with hope still alive for a Premiership place next year. The next match sees Ashtead travel to East Molesey for what promises to be a hard-fought fixture. Last year’s limited overs fixture saw the hosts emerge 5-wicket victors, and they also won the long-format fixture earlier in the season.

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