The clouds gathered and, despite some fight, the Llamas did the double. This was the story as the Ashtead Stags suffered their third defeat in the long format for 2025, with 73 runs the margin to Reigate Priory in Round 12 of the 2025 Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division.

Ashtead won the toss, and elected to bowl first, with useful overhead conditions, and with an attack combining youth and experience. And the early going was even – Ben Sidwell, ever the Stags’ magician with a red ball, grabbed an early wicket, but long-serving Llama Richie Oliver punished any wayward deliveries. Introducing spin added a threat, but it would be Adam Thomas and Sam Hunt that brought the next successes (including Oliver for 46). 58-3 off 16. Advantage Ashtead.

The rebuilding process for the visitors came from George Ealham, who swung hard in his early overs. The seamers could not find any answer, so skipper Stoneman called for Sidwell to return – and immediately found another strike. 93-4 looked good, but the Stags knew their opponents had more batting talent to come. The visitors guided the innings safely to lunch, at 119-4. Game on.

Wickets would be vital after the break, and once again, it would be Sidwell who found the opening, bowling Ealham for 39. Could this be the moment for the Ashtead attack to run through the remainder of the lineup? Well… no. Not for the lack of trying, however, as Stoneman continued to ring the bowling changes, but the partnership between Tom Massey and overseas pro Fraser Sheat continued to grow. That would all end with the two youngsters, Max Woolf and Nathaniel Atkins, combining (with an excellent Atkins catch) to remove Massey for 15. 161-6 with 19 overs to go.

A strike at this stage would have been crucial, but the Llamas held firm. Sheat had been joined by Harry McInley, and over the next 10 overs, the pair added 40 runs before Tom Homes added his name to the wickets column, removing Sheat for a hard-fought 57. Despite this, McInley kicked on, and when he departed in the final over for 54, the damage had been done. Ashtead claimed the final bowling bonus point with the 9th wicket off the final ball, but Reigate had reached 262 off their 66.

A strong start to the 54-over chase would be necessary, and it was Atkins who took the fight to the early bowling. As the changes rang through, however, the bowling got much tighter, and the runs simply dried up. Scoring became a real challenge, but the openers survived to tea at 34-0.

The rate needed to increase, but instead Atkins departed just the break. Jevan Kher and Sam Homes started to move the scoreboard along, and the runs began to flow. As the partnership neared 50, it appeared that a platform was being set for the engine room to really put their foot down.

And yet, that didn’t come to pass. 3 quick wickets saw the score slip to 96-4, and with the situation looking ever more precarious, overseas pro Simon Keene strode to the middle to join rookie pro Adam Thomas. Together the pair began to give the Stags hope – maybe not to reach the lofty heights of 263, but the winning draw target of 215 was definitely coming into range. With 13 overs to go, the scoreboard read 151-4 and runs were coming thick and fast.

Enter Tommy Bates. In three short overs, he claimed both Keene and Thomas, and all too soon, the tail were batting for the draw. Spin from both ends was doing the trick, but the return of a spin-pace combination proved too much of a challenge. Ashtead were holed out for 189 with 8 balls to spare.

That loss, with other results, drops Ashtead to 7th in the league table at two-thirds distance – with the top four beginning to move away, and the bottom six tightening up. Next week sees Ashtead on the road again, as they travel to Spencer for the final long format fixture. Esher lie 5th in the table, just 9 points ahead of the Stags, and suffered a 102 run defeat to Ashtead in late May.

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.