Claygate Cricket Week
Stoke D’Abernon 215 all out (40.1 overs)
Claygate 111 all out (29.5 overs)
Stoke D’Abernon beat Claygate by 104 runs
Last Sunday Jack Raimondo and Will Gudgeon shared a century partnership and Stoke won by 104 runs. History repeated itself as the in form pair, along with Adrian Mills who bagged 5 for 21, helped to set up a fourth successive win for Stoke in this annual fixture as part of Claygate’s cricket week.
The hosts gave the guests first use of a pitch that offered something for the bowlers if they pitched in the right areas. Rob Davis hit Webb for three fours to reach 15 but the bowler had his revenge when Stoke’s newest signing skied a catch to point where Price showed safe hands.
The same bowler delivered the ball of the morning to account for Rod Thomson; but James Trower and Raimondo moved the score to 65 by the end of the 13th over. Trower was particularly murderous of the bad ball, and raced to 35 before losing patience and losing his off bail to Webb, who returned figures of 3 for 41 from eight overs.
Gudgeon joined Raimondo and the pair batted through to lunch without further alarm, running good singles to fielders on the circle, and hitting boundaries when the all too frequent bad ball was served up. Gudgeon had already completed his half-century, so chose to go on the attack after the resumption, racing to 70 off 62 balls with ten fours and two sixes before edging a ball from the returning Jones to keeper Cope-Morgan, father of former Stoke player James.
Despite Gudgeon’s departure, Stoke were handily placed at 179 for 4, but the next passage of play was all Claygate as Jones and Price dragged the home side back into contention.
Will Dyer and Michael Dolman fell cheaply, and with Richie Parrett walking in as high as number 8 in a long tail, Raimondo went on the offensive and completed his half-century. However attempting a third four in what would turn out to be Price’s last over, he spooned a catch to Dear for 54. This was the first of three wickets to fall with the score on 201 as Parrett served up an easy catch to short leg and Adrian Mills dragged on.
Toby Tarrant struck the ball cleanly in a cameo 13 not out, including one cracking on-drive, but the innings closed with the total on 215 when Ralph Coleman was leg before to one that kept low. The last seven wickets fell for 36; Jones led the bowling figures with 4 for 68. Price chipped in with 2 for 29.
With only 215 runs to play with on a small ground, an accurate start with the ball was needed. Adrian Mills delivered the perfect start with wickets in his first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth overs. Legg edged the second ball of the innings to Gudgeon at slip; Price edged to Thomson; Webb was caught at the wicket by Dolman; Walker, (having not lived up to his name when he gloved a delivery from Coleman minutes earlier), edged to Gudgeon, and Guyatt tried a big shot to move the field only to fall to an excellent steepling catch from Davis who made good ground from slip. 27 for 5; Mills 6-1-21-5 with Coleman 6-3-8-0 tying things down at the other end.
Parrett replaced Mills and struck in each of his first two overs. Moorse wandered down the wicket and Dolman completed a smart stumping, then Dear edged to Dolman for just a single. 35 for 7. Tarrant replaced Coleman and his hitherto unseen off-breaks brought him the wicket of Harrington who skied to give Dolman his fourth dismissal of the afternoon. Thomson entered the attack and also beat the bat. It was 77 for 8 at tea.
Watching the carnage from the other end Ross played his shots and hit 49 of those runs, Parrett’s final figures of 4-1-30-1 being spoiled by two sixes.
Ross duly completed his half-century in the first over after the players returned, and he finally found someone prepared to stick it out at the non-striker’s end as Jones, who hit a patient 14, helped to add 50 for the ninth wicket before Ross called him for an improbable single and was well beaten by Raimondo’s throw to Dolman.
The very next ball Cope-Morgan was leg before to Dyer to complete the win. Ross finished unbeaten on 66.
Our thanks to Claygate for their excellent hospitality, particularly to their T20 captain Danny who laid on an excellent lunch; and to Becca Downs, still relatively new to the art of scoring, for keeping an excellent multi-coloured scorebook.
Thanks to Will Gudgeon for ‘agreeing’ to skipper the side at short notice and involving everyone in the match who kindly gave up their day to represent the club.
Scorecard : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11054393