On a gorgeous early summer evening, the shortest format of the game was the order of the day. And Ashtead started their (hopefully long) T20 Cup run for 2026 with a 62-run victory in Round 2 of the Edwards Cup at home to Dorking.

The Stags won the toss, and elected to bat first, and both Nat Atkins and Dylan Church got off to flying starts. The PowerPlay meant that only two fielders could be riding the boundary in the first 6 overs – and both batters made that count as they scythed and cut and pulled.

Dorking needed wickets – and they found them, with a tricky passage of play seeing the total tumble from 30-0 to 51-3 in the space of just 17 balls – a combination of missing balls and hitting them straight to waiting fielders. A rebuild for the hosts would be required – and in Lachie Stackpole (the promising New Zealander) and Sam Homes (the Ashtead stalwart), two batters were at the crease that could do the job.

Balls started to fly, as Stackpole punished anything in his arc with some brutal hitting. Replacement balls came out to the middle, and were dispatched out of the ground just as quickly. By the time Stackpole was castled, he’d made 41 from just 22 balls, but a couple of quick wickets left the hosts teetering on 107-5 with 6 overs to go.

It would be Homes and Luke Patterson that drove the stags towards an imposing total – quick running at first, but then some more power hitting (including some spectacular sixes) pushed the score beyond 150. Jake Martin came to the middle for the final 3 overs and swung the bat hard as well. 172-6 was the final score. A tough chase for any team.

And the task was made even more difficult by the tight bowling of Sam Hunt and skipper Tom Homes in the PowerPlay. 16-1 off 5 overs left a mountain for the visitors to climb. But, little by little, Barney Davies and Dom Venn started to lay a platform for a second half charge. The change bowlers took slightly more attack from the batters, and by halfway, Dorking had reached 55-1. The equation was now 118 runs required off just 60 balls. It would take a huge effort to even get close.

And that’s when the Stags turned the screw. Wickets for both Homes brothers, and the aforementioned Stackpole, dented the charge and, as the required rate climbed from nearly 12 to beyond 15 with 5 overs to go, the situation looked desperate. The final overs would see more wickets for Sam Homes, Jake Martin, and a run out. The innings crumbled and Dorking would finish on 110-7, some 62 runs shy of victory.

That victory moves Ashtead through to the last 16 of the Surrey competition, where they face an away trip to either Division 1 side Weybridge or Division 5 side Thames Ditton (who play on May 22). The next match for the Stags is the league clash at Woodfield Lane on Saturday, where they face similarly mid-table Sutton.

You can follow the Stags on X (@ashteadcc), our website (www.ashtead.play-cricket.com) or on our YouTube channel (Ashtead Cricket Club Live). We look forward to next week! Join us then.