Merstham first team are now within a set of bonus points of clinching the Fuller’s League Division Two title and could do so on Saturday, a day before they host Surrey Masters on their Family Fun Day in their 150th anniversary celebration match.

Captain Naveed Saeed, however, is determined to win the final two matches of the season, away to second bottom John Fisher and at home to bottom club Warlingham.

“I want to get to 300 points, I’ve never done that,” said the Magics’ skipper, whose side are on 273, 36 points ahead of Chaldon who lost at Wandgas.

Leaders Merstham are already promoted and, with 20 points for a win, are tantalisingly close to the title after taking a 13th win of the season.

Newdigate were the latest victims, but not before Merstham - who were asked to bat on a damp wicket - had been reduced to 37-4.

 

A downpour just before they arrived caused the tricky pitch, before Noman Javid and Wasil Mohar put in a superb effort for the side to reach 199-8 off 45 overs.

Newdigate, with the bat, were never in the hunt as they were bowled out for 69.

Ammar Tahir’s bowling proved unplayable with plenty of bounce.

 

Mohar bowled steadily and economically and Humayoon Nasir’s off-spin reaped three wicket. Asim Jafferi bowled with pace and bounce to finish off the innings.

The second team’s outside chances of promotion went with a narrow defeat at Shepperton.

Fourth-placed Merstham chose to bowl and watched their opponents score 207-3 declared with Stuart Fielder (1-25 off 5), Ameer Pasha (1-37 off 7) and Manish Patel (1-24 off 3) the wicket takers.

 

Opener Safyan Aslam returned economical figures of 0-13 off 9 including 4 maidents.

 

In reply, Jason Drewett and Liam Powell (16) put on 37 for the first wicket, a score which was nearly doubled at 64 when Bobby Sharp (6) fell.

 

At that point Drewett formed a 60-strong partnership with Patel before being caught on 64. Patel lost partners regularly but went on to make 34 as Mersham continued to make a great first of reaching their target, the ninth wicket to tall on 191.

 

Late in the innings Joe Connolly (9) James Lowe (11) and Imran Aslam (10) got the hosts to within a whisker of the target, but Merstham were all out 15 runs short of the target with one over left.

 

The third team, choosing to bat at The Ring, were all out for 51 in 32.5 overs, Jonathan Deans top scoring with 18.

 

Five bowlers were tried but no wickets were taken as Battersea Ironsides knocked off the runs without loss of wickets.

 

The fourths had yet another tight game which ended in defeat but in which they were only nine balls short of a draw at Beddington Park, where the hosts scored 230-7 after 42 overs.

 

Having won the toss, Merstham were captained by committee in the field as they tried to stop the flow of runs from Beddington skipper Paul Baker (48) and No 3 bat Umesh Nair (70).

 

After the openers, they rotated Bharat Sahani’s spin with Michael Pitcher’s straighter balls at one end while Tony Rickards bowled economical 0-16 off 6.

 

Pitcher (2-33) eventually accounted for both players, one being caught by Alex Goodey, who took three catches. Luc Stringer, one of four colts in the side, took 2-34 off 4 overs, while opener Sumair Qasim kept up his challenge to be top wicket taker in the division with 1-33 (caught Goodey) off 9 with 3 maidents.

 

In reply, Goodey blasted a quick 17, with fellow opener Sahani notching 21 before being bowled as Merstham made a bid to win.

 

Three more wickets fell cheaply, bringing Ian Lamont to the crease with Qasim, the latter determined to hit out while demanding a captain’s supporting innings from his partner.

 

Qasim played with the high rolling dice, rattled off sixes straight down the ground in his 39, his best score for Merstham. But after he was bowled, it became more a plan of survival for a draw.

 

Joe Rees-Davies notched seven and Rickards 12 as skipper Lamont (36 not out) stubbornly refused to give away his wicket or, indeed, play at much outside the off stump - unless he could guide it through the slips or covers.

 

The final two batsmen were caught as the close-fielding crows cackled round the batsmen and Merstham ended a thoroughly interesting game on 174 all out, a mere over and a half short of a draw, after a mammoth 46.3 overs.