Surrey County League Division One
Long Ditton 123
Merstham 127-5

A new face helped Merstham to a comfortable victory at home over Long Ditton to take the first team’s winning streak to five league and cup games.

Spinner Tharusha Tilakarathne took 3-24 from 7.3 overs having returned from a holiday in Sri Lanka.

“He’s a very good bowler and they just didn’t have an answer,” said captain Naveed Saeed who recruited him from Wandgas. “He’s a quality left-arm spinner who bowls with guile and gets a lot of turn.”

Saeed won the toss and decided to bowl on a damp wicket. Ammar Tahir bowled with pace, bounce and accuracy to take 2-19 off 8 overs (2 maidens) while Humayoon Nasir returned from working abroad to take 2-22 off nine. Asim Jafferi’s pace also reaped 2-18.

Having dismissed their visitors in 41.3 overs for 123, Arsalan Abass led the reply with 44 before being caught, assisted for most of his innings by Ed Dawson. The not out batsmen were Tilakarathne on nine and Imran Kakar on 15 as Merstham overhauled the target in 34 overs. 

Merstham remain unbeaten, but Saeed is not getting carried away. "There's no reason why we can't go up again, but let's take it one game at a time. We have great team spirit and there's not a superstar, everyone is contributing which is the way I like it." 

The second team beat Staines & Laleham by 38 runs while the third team lost heavily at Battersea.

The fourth team won their first game since 2013 with just one ball to spare, at home to Battersea Ironsides, who are new to the division.

Deciding to bat first, Battersea were 20-2 off 11 overs but their opener and captain Rich Holman then powered to 48 and Junaid Ahmad struck 35 as they amassed 166-7 on the variable bounce at The Ring.

Junior players Jamie Harrison, Dan Evans and Ryan Murrough all played their part in the bowling against the nine men of Battersea, while the main wicket takers were Omer Sjuha (3-17 off the maximum 9), Stephen Prior (2-15 off 4) and captain Tony Rickards (1-17 off 8).

Murrough also contributed 21 with the bat as his mum Simone, the club’s juniors  co-ordinator, led the cheerleading mothers on the sidelines, to the embarrassment of their children. However, this was to the delight of the fourth team, whose only usual support is the odd bee, fly or a momentarily interested dog and its walker heading for the quieter parts of Earlswood Common.

Tony Rickards’ team knew if they could maintain about four an over from 45 overs they were in with a chance, but had begun many an innings thus, only to collapse faster than England in a Twenty 20 World Cup match.

On this occasion, however, long-term club servant Kashif Noon led the steady accumulation of runs by carrying his bat through the innings for 66 not out. When Murrough, the last of the trio of colts, departed after making his significant contribution, the visitors perhaps thought they were on their way to victory. But in came Shuja to contribute 38 and keep pace with the run rate required of more than six an over to put Merstham in a position of needing six from the final over. The winning run was struck on the penultimate ball.

Having been handed a first win of the season with Trinity Mid-Whitgiftians withdrew a week earlier, the fourths now sit proudly atop the East Division for 4th teams.

On Sunday, the combined XI of normal first and seconds took on Spencer Earls in a friendly in another reasonably close and well contested contest, with Merstham scoring 180 but seeing the score chased down by Spencer in 36.2 overs for the loss of seven wickets.

Another reasonably close and well contested match by the Combies.  After winning the toss (a rarity!) Bill Ash, who has learnt to use emoticons which nevertheless don't transfer to the website, had no hesitation in opting to bat in the sun.  

Accumulating runs was a story of triumphs and disasters.  After the early loss of opener Jez Gray (big thanks for standing in) Ben Carter and Jason Kyte set about Spencer's bowlers to put on a 95-run partnership.  

Ben hit a brilliant and belligerent 62  while Jason supported with a well worked 36 .

Disaster struck again for vice-captain Jon White (more thanks for standing in) run out for just 1; He may not be speaking to Arsalan Abbas for a couple of weeks.  However the 'Bandit' made a business like 55 to keep the scoreboard ticking along at more than four an over.  

Sadly, Merstham's long tail could not wag to keep him company to complete the 40 overs and to gather the 200+ runs we seemed assured of.

In the field it was truly a full team performance with no fewer than eight bowlers employed and two wicketkeepers!  

James Lowe and Bharat Sahani both snapped up two wickets, and with 10 overs to go Merstham were in with a shout of shutting out the 'Earls' with a run of tight bowling: Skipper Ash (3 overs for 10 runs) and pick of the bowlers Ben Carter (5 overs for a miserly 11).  

A most memorable well clung onto catch of the early evening was taken by keeper Matt Mandell running back only to collide with Joe Rees-Davies charging in from short fine-leg.