Dodging the showers and sealing the deal. This was the story at Woodfield Lane, as Ashtead secured a six-wicket victory against struggling Weybridge in Round 9 of the 2024 Surrey Championship Premier League.

Having had several downpours overnight, the players and officials reached the ground… and were able to start on time, thanks in no small part of the tireless efforts of the Ashtead groundstaff. With rain in the forecast, and dark skies overhead, Ashtead elected to field first on winning the toss.

Weybridge, on paper, looked to have an extremely strong side, and this bore out when current and former Test internationals Sarel Erwee and Nick Compton strode to the crease. The Stags’ opening bowlers, Simon Keene and Sussex seamer Sean Hunt, would need to be on their game to make an early impression – and Sean certainly was. Erwee, gone for 7, bails flying and stumps slayed via an inside edge.

Surrey junior Stuart van der Merwe joined Compton in the middle, and together the runs began to flow rather more easily (despite Compton surviving a huge shout for caught behind on 7, and an egregious dropped catch shortly after drinks). The Ashtead spinners and change bowlers could do little to halt the advance until Compton fell for 41, off a sharp catch at short midwicket. Momentum continued for the visitors via Craig Meschede, who accelerated sharply through battering boundaries.

The momentum shift would come on the stroke of lunch, as Meschede was cleaned up by the final ball of the session. 115-3 at lunch, at which point the heavens opened. Nearly two hours of play were lost, and when play resumed, Weybridge would have a maximum of 20 overs left to bat. They didn’t last 13. The return of Keene and Hunt blew the middle order, lower order and tail away for just 34 runs. Better catching and bails flying did the rest. 149 all out, just one shy of the first bonus point.

The Ashtead chase began in an ideal manner, with Ragu Aravinthan showing his technique and talent as balls flew to all parts of the ground. His partner, Jevan Kher, was more circumspect in the opening exchanges but also provided some entertainment for the crowd with some attacking strokeplay.

When Jevan eventually edged behind for 19, the Stags were nearly halfway to their target – and closed in rapidly on the end of the game through the explosive hitting of Marcus Caprano-Wint. A sensible, solid, 9-wicket win seemed all but inevitable.

But Ashtead are nothing if not entertainers, and a 9-wicket win became 6 when both set batters and skipper Mark Stoneman all fell in the closing overs, trying to finish the game with style. It would be Keene who delivered the winning shot, arriving at the crease and needing just one ball to complete the task.

This result sees move up to 5th in the Championship table, deep in the midfield battle. Next week sees the Stags travel to Banstead for the first repeat fixture of the campaign. Banstead lie 8th in the table, 15 points behind the Stags. Ashtead won their first encounter by 5 wickets at the Lane, and hopes will be high for another winning display.

A reminder that you can follow Ashtead CC’s matches via our Twitter feed (@ashteadcc), on our website (www.ashtead.play-cricket.com) or our YouTube channel (Ashtead Cricket Club Live). We look forward to next week! Join us then.