Ashtead toils in the heat but a draw the only result

League cricket in June – sun, heat and a close match. This was the story of the Ashtead Stags, as they were once again held to a draw in the 2023 Surrey Championship Premier League, this time against hosts Esher.

Ashtead won the toss and elected to make first use of a typical Esher surface- something in it for both teams throughout the day, a bit of turn for the spinners and some skid for the seamers, and runs for the batters if they were patient or explosive.

Explosive was the method preferred by Ashtead’s overseas pro Kieron Powell, who hit a pair of sixes in the first over and forced a ball change after almost clearing the Esher car park. After that the batting settled down, although losing Ben Geddes and Harri Aravinthan inside the first ten overs was not part of the plan.

Runs continued to flow, however, and with Powell joined in the middle by in-form Conor Young, the total began to climb. The introduction of the spin bowlers Nick Smit and Freddie Harrison did little to halt the advance, and as lunch loomed, the Stags were nearing their first points of the day. Powell, however, would be caught and bowled for a well-made 61 and at the break, the visitors were 143-3. Honours even.

The period after lunch was much more difficult for the batters, especially after Young departed for 46. A further three wickets would fall before the next drinks break, and with the Stags now sitting precariously at 181-7 with 19 overs remaining, it would take a strong rearguard action to post a representative total. That came from Harry Williams, Tom Homes and Ben Sidwell, who posted 77 runs between them in partnerships worth 88 to force the total to a much healthier 269.

As ever in the long format, early wickets are vital and Sam Hunt extracted a false shot from one of the Esher openers in the fourth over. That could have been the chink in the armour that Ashtead would exploit, but wickets proved exceptionally hard to come by and as the partnerships grew, so did the frustration. At tea, Esher were 74-1 and cruising.

A direct hit from Tom Homes just after the break seemed to revitalise the fielding team, but once again the match settled down and runs continued to flow at a steady, if not spectacular rate. The outfield was fast and full value could be gained from attacking strokeplay. The spinners, however, were extracting more and more turn from the pitch, and Tom Homes was the first to strike with it, Conor Young taking a superb diving catch at first slip.

But, as the evening wore on, so the chances of removing all ten Esher wickets seemed to be fading. So, however, did the host’s chances of getting the required runs. The winning draw target began the destination of choice. In getting there, wickets suddenly tumbled. Three wickets in consecutive overs for Tom Homes raised hopes of a late surprise, and Sam Homes finally removed the Esher opener Anosh Malik for 113 in the last over, but it was too little, too late. Esher finished on 230-8 off their 54 and claimed the winning draw points. Ashtead would leave with 9 points for their day’s work.

That result sees Ashtead continue to sit in 9th place in the standings, in a critical fight with Weybridge for 8th place and safety (although with over half the season remaining, much can still change). Next week sees Reigate Priory travel to Woodfield Lane. Matches between the two sides are often full of drama, and last year’s long format fixture was drawn with a fantastic century for Ashtead’s overseas star Matt Breetzke and a rearguard defence from Tom Deighton.

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.