Cranleigh take the points in the burning sun

The sun was shining, the battle hard-fought. But it was not a successful day for the Ashtead Stags, as bottom of the table side Cranleigh romped away with an 8-wicket victory in Round 11 of the 2021 Surrey Championship.

Ashtead won the toss and elected to make first use of a wicket that looked beautiful for batting, on a day where the weather would not help the bowlers. And yet, and yet, the Stags would be instantly on the defensive, as two wickets fell in just the third over. Michael Sanderson was strangled down the leg side, then Harri Aravinthan (top run scorer so far this season) was bowled off his very first ball.

A period of calmness followed, with stalwart Damian Shirazi and the more expansive strokes of Manoj Sarathchandra beginning to make progress. The going seemed tough, however, and all too soon the wickets began to tumble again. At drinks, the hosts were struggling at 34-4, and a low total was looming on the horizon.

That future seemed to be delayed after the pause, with Shirazi and Conor Young beginning to accumulate runs in a steady but solid fashion. Perhaps the Stags might be able to find a target that could be defended. Yet, as lunch neared, the Cranleigh bowlers were not to be denied, finding two more wickets and no real response. 66-6 at the first interval, and a huge performance from the tail required.

The tail found some purchase, including a strongly struck 28 from Jake Martin, and this boosted the Ashtead target into three figures, but it was always going to be a losing battle and with Martin snared on the boundary, the innings was over. 112 all out, 75 overs left. Early wickets would be crucial.

And, despite some chances, they never really materialised. The bowling throughout was tight and so the runs only arrived slowly, mostly off the bat of the Durham University batter Lewis Bedford, but the total crept inexorably towards their goal and the visitors looked untroubled at drinks – 63-0 after 19 overs.

With the target almost found, the Stags turned to a previously untapped resource in Ragu Aravinthan – in the side for his prodigious batting, rather than his bowling prowess. And yet, and yet, it would be he who found the breakthrough, Manoj completing a very sharp stumping. Two overs later, and the second wicket fell, Ragu’s brother Harri completing the catch to finally remove Bedford for 67. Unfortunately, the damage had been done and the visitors completed their chase with more than 40 overs to spare.

Next week sees Ashtead travel to East Molesey for the next long-format match. East Molesey are racing away at the top of the table, and with recent form favouring the hosts, the stags will want to turn the tables and pick up 24 much needed points.

Before then, however, we have the small matter of T20 Finals Day to contend with. Ashtead are returning to the competition’s final day for the first time since 2016 and will face perennial T20 opponents Reigate Priory in the first semi-final. The two teams have met several times before, normally with exciting action, and it should be a great game.

Should Ashtead win, they will face either Weybridge or East Molesey in the Surrey final. Neither side has yet won the Surrey T20 competition, the Edwards Cup, and both will be very strong contenders for the title. Let’s see if the Stags can continue their cup run. Join us then.