So close but yet so far

So close but yet so far. Ashtead fell short by just 7 runs at home against Reigate Priory in Round 3 of the 2018 Surrey Championship Premier League.

For the first time this year, it was the opposition who won the toss, and promptly decided to have a bat on a surface that looked helpful early in the game. And the start was good, with Richard Oliver and Danny Miller exploiting some tentative opening bowling from Harshil Patel. Meanwhile, the cunning medium pace of John Vaughan-Davies was proving a more difficult prospect

And it would be John who would find the first breakthrough, snaring the ex-Ashtead player Miller, caught by the Stags wicketkeeper Seb Stewart for 12. In his next over, it would be Oliver who departed, with a sharp catch by Tom Homes removing him for 29. 44-2 the score.

After these twin successes, all went quiet for a period, as the visitors slowly accumulated, and the Stags searched for their next success. It would take 9 grinding overs, and 46 more runs, before the Priory overseas player Andrew Delmont was bowled by recent recruit Lalit Bose for 23. 90-3 in the 23rd over.

Spin would dominate the early running after the mid-innings drinks interval, but neither Tom Deighton nor Tom Homes could find a wicket and the visitors were getting away. It would be the introduction of Sam Homes in the 38th over that finally saw the fourth wicket fall, with Angus Dahl holing out in the deep for 32.

This precipitated a miniature collapse, as both Ben Shoare and Rory Haughton came and went without much of an impression. With the visitors 172-6 and only 7 overs to go, the hosts felt confident that a mediocre total would be the best that Reigate could achieve.

They hadn’t counted on the exploits of one Richard Stevens, who hit three mighty sixes on his way to a cameo 29. With Murtagh seeing out the innings with a skipper’s contribution of 71, the visitors eventually forced their way to a fighting score of 226-8. Ashtead would have to bat well to compete.

And the start was excellent, with Guy Harper and overseas star batsman David White making early runs off the visiting opening bowlers. The first 10 overs were passed without major incident. 52-0.

The next 15 overs to the mid-innings drinks has seemingly killed off the game, with 6 wickets falling in quick succession. The engine room, batsmen 3, 4 and 5 all failed to make an impression on the game, and when White fell for 36, the game seemed lost. With Seb Stewart taking a first ball duck, the Stags were reduced to 88-6.

The visitors thought they had it won. Yet that hadn’t bet on some of the younger guns in the side contributing with the bat as much as they had with the ball. Sam Homes was the first of them, making a fighting 25 before edging off. 112-7. Harshil Patel produced some beautiful strokeplay but tried the bruising tactics once too often and was caught for 25. 170-8. John Vaughan-Davies, so economical earlier in the game, had a couple of tricks but found himself stranded short of the line for 7. 187-9.

Ever-present through all of this was Tom Homes, who quietly went about making some runs. Before anyone knew it, he was celebrating a worthy half-century, found off just 64 balls. With 17 required off the last over, it was always going to be a challenge, and so it proved, despite a six off the penultimate ball. Homes finished unbeaten on 60, with Deighton on 12.

That defeat sees Ashtead continue to sit at the bottom of the table, with East Molesey and Sunbury also yet to find a win in 2018. Next week sees Ashtead head to Sutton for the last of the early-season limited fixtures. Sutton, promoted last year, recorded their first win in this round and will be tough to beat. Join us then.