Spreeth Hat-Trick as the 1st XI defeat Alleyn

Saturday 30th May 2015
Surrey Championship Division 5
Alleyn 179 all out (48.5 overs)
Stoke D’Abernon 183 for 4 (43.2 overs)
Stoke D’Abernon won by 6 wickets

Stoke D’Abernon’s 1st XI squad demonstrated their strength in depth to record a second successive victory at the Rec; chasing down Alleyn’s total of 179 with 6.4 overs to spare.

The afternoon started well with Will Gudgeon winning the toss for the 2nd week running and deciding to insert the visitors. Early inroads were made when Adrian Mills found the leading edge of Norris’s bat with the ball settling in Nico Spreeth’s hands at point and Toby Tarrant trapping van der Merwe leg before, the departing batsmen scoring 4 runs each. 14-2.

(Our motormouth fast bowler had made himself available late in the week in unusual circumstances when his planned trip to see Fleetwood Mac in Amsterdam was scuppered by a washing machine related incident ending the functionality of his passport. This didn’t seem to spoil his weekend too much though – see him showing his Big Love for Stoke in photo 1.)

Opener Eadon shared solid partnerships with Bevan and Foley to take the score close to 3 figures, but progress was slow as the home fielding was at its restrictive best, backing up mostly tight bowling. Will Frost removed both Eadon’s partners either side of drinks, Bevan in his first over edging a sharp catch to Jack Raimondo behind the stumps and Foley late in his 6 over spell when a filthy long hop was mistimed to Tarrant at mid on. Ian Hopton was next in on the act when Tarrant accepted a gift for a second catch. 100-5.

At this point Eadon started upping the pace of his innings, punishing any short bowling to bring up his 50 with 110 on the board. The score was raised to 140 before an over of carnage bowled by Nico Spreeth, who showed as much as anything the value of forcing a new batsman to play at the ball.

Spreeth’s first wicket was when Goodwin looped the ball to James Trower at mid on, the fielder taking a comfortable catch. Crucially the batsmen didn’t have time to cross so the new man was on strike. He played an ugly heave at his first ball which splayed the stumps, but that was second hand news very quickly as Nico’s hat-trick ball was every bit as accurate, trapping the new left hander leg before, making him the 10th Stoke player on record to bag a hat-trick.

Eadon made sure he scored the majority of the runs from that point onwards to get Alleyn to a defendable total. Tarrant had a 2nd spell and struck in his last over when Raimondo accepted a gloved chance, but the last pair still managed to add 18 to the total before Eadon called the tail ender through for a quick single to find his partner as missing as Peter Green following his infamous “trip” to/in Germany. Raimondo completed the run out to leave Eadon cruelly stranded on 99 having carried his bat through the innings.

(Curiously this is the 2nd time I’ve fielded at fine leg during a hat-trick, the 1st being taken from the same end of the same ground and also during an innings that saw an opener carry his bat, although that time the opener scored just 1.)

Stoke’s reply started off well with Jack Raimondo in particular continuing his form from the previous week, hitting 5 boundaries including one into the big fence at the Blundell Lane end, and passing 7,000 career runs in the process. James Trower offered good support, including 2 driven 4s as the pair put up 63 for the opening wicket in quick time and seeing off the opening bowlers.

The change bowlers had something about them and looked more dangerous than the openers. Goodwin bowled with lively pace, but it was Foley who got the breakthrough when he nipped the ball into Trower (15) to clip the bails. He then saw the back of Raimondo (43) in his next over, Eadon completing his day with a catch.

Thanks to the quick opening partnership, Gudgeon and Hopton were able to move the score along at a more sedate pace and take a look at the visitors’ 5th bowler. Gudgeon took the attack to Perkins straight away, hitting 2 4s in his first over, but Perkins got the last laugh when Gudgeon on 25 mistimed the ball offering up a catch. (Alleyn please help us with this; we didn’t get the catcher’s name.)

Spreeth came in at 5 and took on the bowling, not afraid to stand up to the on field banter encouraging him to go his own way with an array of attacking shots including a hooked 4 off the returning Goodwin. Foley also returned for a 2nd spell and removed Hopton leg before for 27 to earn himself the best figures of the match (3-27).

Stoke never looked in trouble though and Spreeth was joined by Marcus Mahne to finish the job in quick fashion, Spreeth finishing unbeaten on 39 with Mahne scoring 18 at better than a run a ball.

The crowd watching the victory was swelled by one of Stoke’s youngest supporters, wearing his new Stoke sweater knitted by Granny Mills (see photo 2) who says she is happy to supply the knitting pattern for anyone else who wants one, but she may not have time to knit more of them herself.

Next week Stoke 1s travel to Churt for the club’s first visit there since the Fullers League days.

Scorecard : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/website/results/2469075

Toby Tarrant v Alleyn 30 05 2015
Mini Po