Surrey Championship Division 5
Stoke D’Abernon 215 for 7 declared (51.5 overs)
Chertsey 135 all out (38.4)
Stoke D’Abernon won by 80 runs
No change at the top of Division 5 as the top three sides all won, Stoke ending 4th placed Chertsey’s slim hopes of promotion, thus confirming a three horse race with Dorking and Byfleet for the two promotion spots.
After being inserted, Adrian Taylor and James Trower added 44 for the first wicket, taking advantage of the wayward lengths from one end before Trower, (16), became the first of home skipper Burton’s three wickets.
Burton bowled a marathon 24 over spell in the heat and could easily have had 3for much earlier with both Taylor and Will Gudgeon dropped off his bowling before making double figures.
Taylor made the most of his early chance that went to ground to make 41 from 56 balls, and despite the loss of Shahil Ramdin for a duck, Gudgeon and Tom Frost moved the score past the hundred mark in good time.
Both fell to off-spinner Cooper for 22 and 28 respectively, but Jack Raimondo, (15), and Ian Hopton, (11), batted time as the bowlers started to tire. They set things up nicely for James Whitmarsh, (19 not out), and Matt Gottschalk, (44 not out), who plundered 59 runs in the last nine overs to prompt a 51.5 over declaration. Gottschalk hit an unretrievable six into the neighbouring gardens and six fours and faced 42 balls for his runs.
Burton returned figures of 24-5-75-3, stats that could have been better with more support in the field and his not stepping over the front foot line when ‘bowling’ Gudgeon.
In reply, Overseas Gardiner and Menon made steady progress against Adrian Mills and Gottschalk; but things happened quickly after the bowling was changed with just 6 overs on the board.
Ian Hopton and Will Frost shared three wickets, all with the score on 33, Hopton jagging one in to Menon to strike with his first ball before Frost bagged 2 in 1 over. The board was soon showing 53 for 5 when Hopton bowled Ogle, then caught Burton off his own bowling.
The pair bowled tightly searching for further wickets, but Wiggins and Mehtab, (45), added some respectability to the score with a partnership of 56.
Mills returned to ‘rob the fruit machine’ taking 4 wickets in 3 overs including a juggling catch off his own bowling and a well judged boundary catch by Raimondo. He would finish with 4 for 29 from eight overs.
Hopton, (11.4-3-49-4), returned to finish the match when Cooper hit to Tom Frost who took a sharp catch at short leg. Will Frost had earlier checked out with figures of 16-5-32-2.
Next week, form side Godalming come to the Stoke Rec for the last of the 100-over format matches.
Scorecard Link : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=11873542
Table Link : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/league_table?id=6728&season_id=72