Yet another tight game for the Stags. And, sadly, another day wondering what might have been as Ashtead travelled to South London and suffered a 31-run defeat to Spencer in Round 6 of the 2026 Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division.

Tom Homes called correctly again and, as is often the case for long-format cricket, elected to bowl first on a warm day that should see conditions improve throughout, but on a surface that would offer opportunities to both teams in all 3 sessions.

And the hosts made a brisk start, despite the opening bowlers proving a stiff test to score runs off. Two wickets would fall in the first hour, as Ben Sidwell and Sam Hunt both found the stumps – and that method of dismissal would prove extremely popular across both innings. 68-2 at drinks, suggesting a good platform, but with honours fairly even.

The hosts started to get away after the mini-break, with overseas pro Jamal Todd swinging hard and finding the boundary on a regular basis. But, just as Spencer were starting to look dangerous, the game changed again, with a double strike from Hunt and Sam Homes removing both set batters. Adam Thomas would join the wickets column shortly before lunch and, at 102-5, the Stags had the best of the first session.

The period after lunch could have been a moment to capitalise, but chances dried up and the Spencer pairing of Rishan Herath and Freddie Horler ground out a vital 91 run partnership. With a maximum 20 overs remaining, the scoreboard read 166-5, and looked ominous. Back roared Sidwell, dispatching the last 5 Spencer wickets for just 13 runs, as the tail sank without trace. 197 all out.

The Stags had 66 overs (so a required run rate of exactly 3 an over) to chase the target, but got into difficulty almost immediately, with a double strike removing both Ashtead openers very cheaply. The rebuild would come from new Stag Will Christophers and stalwart Dan Geddes. Both took their time, growing the partnership whilst not taking huge risks (although the hosts would be ruing dropping Will before he had scored a run). 72-2 at tea looked promising.

Getting restarted after tea proved a challenge, and perhaps upped the pressure, as the return of former Stag Harshil Patel to the hosts’ attack would remove Geddes for a well-made 52 and senior batter Conor Young the very next ball. Christophers would continue his anchoring role, now joined by emerging talent Nat Atkins, and together they rebuilt again. Nat, as usual, played a positive brand, and as the total neared 150, the game was in the batters’ hands.

Unfortunately, however, it wasn’t to be. The return of Max Hunt put paid to Christophers, gone for a well made 48 from an excellent diving catch from Patel, and a few overs later, Hunt would also get Atkins for a fighting 32. Both opening bowlers came back to finish off the tail, and when Sidwell was stumped off Patel with 32 still required for victory, the match was complete. Ashtead were 9 wickets down but the Stags’ overseas star, Lachie Stackpole, had picked up an injury earlier in the day and was unable to bat. We wish him all the best for what should (hopefully) be a short recovery.

This result sees Ashtead slide down to 8th in the league table, with results around the Stags providing some cushion below them (although that game is indeed closing). Next week sees the visit of Wimbledon to Woodfield Lane in the next long-format encounter. Wimbledon are currently 2nd in the table, and were victors in this format last year, but their last visit to the Stags ended in a rain-affected Ashtead victory.

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.