Sweet Victory for Stags

Hello readers. After last week’s six line report, normal service has resumed as the Stags registered a satisfying win against a young Guildford side. After last week’s disappointment at Epsom, we really needed a win at Boxhill on Saturday against a Guildford side we had already beaten earlier in the season to take one more step closer to safety in what is the only Surrey Championship league which has three relegation spots.

Although the level of availability across the club was insufficient to even think about a 5th eleven this week, it did not detract significantly from the quality we were able to put out in the 4s. With both James and Tom Booker making their debuts and with Chris Cooper being brought out of retirement yet again, we were ready to face the might of Guildford once again. Fortunately, we do not follow much of a warm up routine under my leadership. Rather we try to watch the opposition’s routines in order to glean as much information as we can prior to the start.

On my arrival at he ground, I observed the Guildford youth doing an extensive and athletic warm-up at the far side of the ground, an area no-one from our team ever goes near unless fetching the ball from a very well struck boundary. Guildford then moved onto extensive fielding drills whilst the Ashtead team collectively observed with clenched and puffed up chests in an almost Haka like formation outside the pavilion. However this macho response was rather diluted in the knowledge that because Guildford had arrived so early, we had been displaced from the boys changing room to the girls, (an area Sam Gale claimed to have only visited once or twice during his school career). We had clearly lost the first psychological battles of the afternoon. Would this trend continue once the cricket started?

With John, the Boxhill groundsman, having prepare another beautifully evenly straw coloured wicket, it was a question of whether we could do it justice having won the toss and played, what is to be henceforth known, as the ASROTB card (“Andy Storey’s Runs On The Board”). With Sam Gale, one of the club’s in form batsmen opening with James Booker, great things were expected from this new partnership. And oh, what a disappointment it was, lasting all of 7 balls before Sam carefully stroked a leg side full toss into the welcoming arms of midwicket.

With our batting having been fairly fragile all season and with a tendency to struggle to bat out our allotted overs, the skipper made the visionary decision to promote Patrick Murray to number three having impressed in previous innings. His instructions were to hold one end down and build a long innings and he responded superbly sharing a partnership of 72 before James guessed wrongly in a 12 ball over and was bowled for 26 in the 18th over by the one which wasn’t a no ball! Having had a relatively slow start (31-1 off 13) the Stags were beginning to accelerate and were 90-2 at drinks after 22, shortly before Patrick was out for a classy and very mature 46.

With the skipper timing the ball as well as he has done all season, he was providing Guildford’s cover fielder with plenty of fielding practice before totally losing his head trying to hit Cameron Green, Guildford’s off spinner back over long off. In fact, the only thing to go over the long off boundary at this time was the skipper trudging back to the pavilion muttering various profanities to himself.

Tom Booker had scored 5 before Will Culhane ran him out. Will Culhane then ran himself out for an aggressive 27 in some form of penance, and next man in, Chris Cooper also ended up running himself out later in the innings for a very valuable 25.

In between our curious inability to run with any safety, Will Bishop was bowled for 5 and Paul Williams, promoted up the order to number 9 this week soon confirmed why this was probably three or four places higher than his talent deserves was also bowled for 1.

James Hill contributed a useful 10 not out before Ollie Cooper lobbed one gently back to the bowler in the 45th and final over to close the Stags innings on 185 all out, a scored greatly helped by a total of 18 wides and no-balls! Would it be enough? I would have preferred something beginning with a two yet we didn’t really deserve it, and chasing is never easy especially with a young team.

Tea was taken with the game finely balanced. However, after a few too many almond slices, the balance wasn’t quite as balanced as before.

Given that the Guildford team was even more dominated by youth than we were, and following up on my theory that youngsters have not necessarily learnt how to construct a successful chase, I was pleased to see that Guildford had laden their top order with their older players. A few quick wickets and we would be in a good position. However, the game does not progress the way you either expect or want it to.

The opening pair of Russell and Vorley proved difficult to separate and we were not helped by failing to run out Russell when he had effectively joined Vorley at the batsman’s end and the ball was in James Booker’s hand less than 10 yards from the now vacant bowler’s end. What happened next, I still haven’t come to terms with and cannot work out what happened, but suffice to say, the batsman had enough time to make a cup of tea, write his memoirs and stroll back to the bowler’s end safely stopping off on the way at the Running Horses for a couple of pints.

At this stage I was beginning to doubt whether lady luck was on our side at all after own ability to run ourselves out seemingly without any effort at all. The one good thing was that although we hadn’t taken any wickets in the first 11 overs, they had only scored 25 and we exerting a bit of a squeeze. Both Ollie Cooper and James Hill had bowled very tightly by this stage before being replaced by Will Culhane and Will Bishop. Will C’s first ball struck the fear of the God into Vorley as it turned and lifted off a length so it was not a big surprise as he played on next ball giving Will his first wicket of the season.

As often happens, one wicket leads to another and an extraordinary piece of cricket took place on the last ball of the same over. John Burrows, the Guildford skipper, had come to the wicket, and turned one round the corner for a simple single. Somehow, due to some hesitation between the man at 45 and short midwicket, the single became a two or would have done if it wasn’t for Sam Gale swooping in from the deep square leg boundary and in one movement hurling the stumps down leaving the batsmen needing a no. 4 hot wash to remove the surface of the pitch from his now brown whites. A wicket from nowhere and Guildford were in a bit of trouble.

The youthful Benji Thomas had joined Russell at the wicket and they slowly rebuilt the innings so that Guildford were 60-2 at drinks. The Stags “press” was in operation and to be frank we were content to see the required run rate increase to close to 6 an over at this stage which would put intense pressure on the young Guildford tail.
Will Bishop had come and gone from the attack by this time this not being his finest day with the ball and Culhane had been replaced by Patrick Murray who followed up his success with the bat by getting the stubborn Russell to play on for 33 before trapping Currie LBW first ball for 0. At 66-4, the required rate was increasing but Thomas and the more mature Jenner then shared in a useful partnership of 52 ensued before Jenner was out for 27 LBW to Paul Williams hitting across the line as the Stags forced the batsmen to take ever greater risks.

Thomas followed soon after for a cultured 40 and at 125-6 Ashtead were well on top. With Ollie Cooper returning from the school end with to bowl an excellent second spell, the last pips were being squeezed out of Guildford’s hope of victory. With one ball to go, the last pair needed 32 to win and Brittany set off apparently intending to run all 32. Unfortunately he hadn’t briefed his partner and so they ultimately ended up at the same end in heated debate and yet another run out ended the game.

A good and deserved win for the Stags. An excellent innings from Patrick Murray supported by a good team performance from the bowling attack. A couple more wins and we will be safe! Roll on Spencer next week.