Ashtead’s last league win came on the opening day of the season against Esher. And, facing the same opponents, they reached the same result – this time by 5 wickets, in Round 10 of the 2026 Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division.

Ashtead, this time under the captaincy of Mark Stoneman, won the toss, and elected to insert the hosts on a surface that looked, initially, good for the batters, along with short boundaries and a fast outfield. But it would be the Stags who drew first blood, with overseas pro Travis Norris returning to the pavilion in the second over. That started a trend throughout the first hour of play, where the Stags were comprehensively on top – and Esher were left reeling at 37-5. Wickets for Adam Thomas, Sam Hunt and Tom Homes took the majority of the hosts’ batting talent out of the equation.

But… Ashtead never do things the easy way, and the rebuilding process would centre on the Esher captain David Brent. Always a prolific run scorer against Ashtead, he started to grind out an innings, with young wicketkeeper Adam Helwick beginning to hit Homes off his length. Trouble is, that rarely ends well, and as lunch loomed, Helwick would depart the crease – but via an edge to Adam Thomas off Sam Hunt. The final few overs before lunch were negotiated without incident. 119-6 off 32.

Esher’s task after the interval would be to continue the consolidation – but Homes, back into the attack, went on the rampage, demolishing the lower order and most of the tail to leave Esher teetering at 129-9. Brent took this as his cue to swing for the fences, including a spectacular slapped six off Thomas, but he could not completely protect his number 11, who would find an edge behind. Esher folded for 158 off 43 overs.

The Stags would have 77 overs to chase down the target, so the draw was never really in the conversation. The question was – could the batters get the runs before the Esher bowlers spoiled their party? Well, just as in the first innings, an opener (Nathan Farmer) would depart early, and the top order batters would find the going somewhat tough. After losing Mark Stoneman to a sharp caught and bowled, Joe Willis and Adam Thomas would steady the ship and start to build some momentum.

Enter young Esher spinner Fergus De Mestre. His first two overs found wickets, as both Thomas and Willis were found out by his spinning tricks. 59-2 became 66-4, and all of a sudden, the Stags were beginning to wobble. They needed someone to grab the innings by the scruff of its neck, batter a few boundaries, and put the result beyond doubt.

And that’s where the Ashtead overseas pro Lachie Stackpole entered the fray. Aided by some looser bowling, as Esher rotated their attack, he would crunch 31 runs off his first 20 balls – and the runs required now read 62. Losing Dylan Church at this point (again, to De Mestre) was not in the plan, but Nat Atkins showed maturity beyond his years to steady the charge again.

De Mestre might have had his fourth wicket if Atkins had been stumped (but with the bails still on the stumps), but Stackpole was not to be denied. He reached 50 off 48 balls, and decided to keep going, with tea looming on the horizon. A final trio of boundaries, including two sailing over the ropes, saw the Stags home by 5 wickets, with more than 40 overs to spare.

Given the momentum of recent weeks, this win is a huge result for the Stags, and sets up the second half of the season nicely. Ashtead now sit 6th in the league table, but just 8 points cover the Stags down to Reigate Priory in the relegation zone. Next week sees East Molesey visit Ashtead for another red ball encounter. The Moles are yet to lose a match in the league this year (9 wins and a rain-out), and last year’s match saw a 7-wicket win for the visitors.

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.