After a terrific start to the season Merstham, who have won two promotions and titles in the last two years, came down to earth early in the campaign with defeat at Lingfield.

Captain Naveed Saeed won the toss and bowled, taking the risk - after an overcast morning on a pitch with some grass – that his pacey bowlers would inflict damage on their hosts’ top order.

Noman Javed struck early, trapping opener Tom Mitchell leg before, and Merstham did take a run out, but opener Callum Forbes struck 39 before he was bowled by Sunny Bowry (1-34).

Jack Unwin also struck 48 before becoming the first Gurpal Singh’s 3-60, buying wickets at a slightly expensive rate as expected of a leg spinner.

Suliman Younis took the other wicket as Lingfield finished their 45 overs on 200-8.

“We didn’t get an umpiring decision for a run out and there were a couple of dropped catches, including one on the boundary,” said Saeed.

Even so, Saeed was disappointed his side failed to reach their target. “There was no reason not to chase down that total,” he said. “We were 46 without loss and just lost wickets in clusters.”

After Joe Shinners (36) was caught, off first change bowler Tudor Carr (2-16), and Ashar Syed went for 19, the previous week’s batting hero Javed was run out for one.

There were no real partnership after the first one and the visitors were all out for 130 from 42 overs, with an unhappy Saeed not out at the close on 10.

Liam Powell struck what turned out to be a match-winning 76 runs as the second team defeated Lingfield 2s by 65 runs at Quality Street.

Number four batsman Powell found plenty of boundaries with well-timed shots and built a number of partnerships. He came in when Merstham were 30-2 and steering his side to 172 before being the seventh man out. The hosts were dismissed for 180 after 43.2 of their allotted overs. Joe Benson notched 22 and Richard Feist 26.

In reply, Imran Aslam struck early, having one opener caught by keeper Neil Maplesden for one, but Ameer Pasha (3-16 off 10 overs) and Benson (3-30 off seven, including a caught and bowled) were the main wicket takers. Hamed Rehman and Mark Beckford took the other wickets as Merstham dismissed their visitors in 40 overs.

The 3^rd XI returned to The Ring for the first time this season against Dorking CC, writes Laurie Nicholson. Fresh off the back of an opening day victory against Chipstead, the 3s were keen to continue with their brand of aggressive and clinical cricket, and were given the opportunity after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

On a much improved wicket, Merstham’s openers managed to build a solid platform, with Benjamin Baker dispatching a number of commanding off-drives to the boundary. Merstham reached 61 from 10 overs before losing the first wicket, Laurie Nicholson caught for 17. 

At this stage it seemed that any demons in the pitch had been well and truly exorcised following the great work done on it over recent months, and they looked set for another high total.

This optimism, however, proved to be short lived as the wickets began to tumble. Baker soon departed for a well-made 38. Struan Clark (7) fell shortly afterwards and Jason Kyte, Alex Nicholson and captain Mark Robson failed to trouble the scorers.

Merstham had slumped to 79-6 and were in desperate need of a revival, which duly came in the form of Shaq Khan. Khan managed to steady the ship with his patient approach, demonstrating solid and watchful defence matched with a ruthless disdain for any balls erring from an otherwise consistent line and length. 

Benjamin Snelling provided an entertaining cameo with some breath-taking stroke play, but fell attempting an uncharacteristic heave, more suited to the nearby 11^th teebox, for 15. Khan continued his measured innings, and with assistance from James Lowe (5) and then Ben Carter (15 not out), he managed to provide a late flurry of much needed runs before falling in the 45^th over for a pivotal 60.

Merstham had set a defendable target of 173, but with a fast outfield and seemingly limited bowling options the game was in the balance at the midway point.  

The Dorking innings started with a flurry of runs, with the usually miserly Marcus ‘Cobra’ Kyte falling victim to some early aggression from the Dorking opening batsmen. Lowe and Carter managed to provide some control, and both bowled economically, with Carter claiming the important first wicket.

The Dorking pair looked set to build a solid partnership, before captain Robson expertly turned to the spin options of Khan and Baker. Baker showed consistency and guile in his spell (9 overs, 2-15) and along with Khan managed to reassert the pressure on the Dorking batsmen. Whilst Merstham continued taking wickets, and felt the game was still theirs to win, the Dorking team managed to keep in touch with the run rate required.

As the game reached the final 15 overs the team looked to the returning Carter, in tandem with the ever dependable Snelling, to bowl under pressure and continue to take wickets.

Both managed admirably, and by the 36^th over both teams were still confident that it would be their day. James Lowe returned to complete his allocation, and whilst aware of the depleting level of runs Merstham had to play with it was clear that wickets would be vital if Merstham were to emerge victorious.

Lowe delivered two overs of at times unplayable seam bowling, culminating in a wicket and run out in his final over, and finished with figures of 1-13. At this stage Merstham had exposed the youthful Dorking lower order, and under pressure the experience of captain Robson and the Merstham players was in stark contrast to that of the Dorking batsmen. Khan returned and dismissed the remaining batsmen with his first two balls, which meant Merstham had taken four wickets in six balls to win the game.

Dorking’s final total of 149 somewhat concealed the close nature of the run chase, with an excellent bowling and fielding performance required in order for Merstham to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. 

Man of the match was Shaq Khan for his 60 runs and 3-34. 

Despite going to a ground practically next door to Denbies, the UK’s largest independent vineyard, the 4s stayed well away from the alcohol until they had defeated their former skipper, Tony Rickards, and his new team at Dorking.

New skipper Ian Lamont lost the toss and, inevitably, Merstham were asked to bat at Westhumble Playing Fields.

While Dorking found wickets hard to come by, so were runs initially against some tricky bowling. Opener Kashif Noon went for four and Merstham’s score was 40 from the first 20 overs when our club chairman Graeme Attridge and former committee member Chris Lowe came to visit. Bharat Sahani (24) and Khan Mohammed (29) dug in with determined and patient performances to produce a platform for others to push on.

Youngsters Hamza Ali notched 18 largely alongside Will Prior, whose 54 not out (six fours) did much to pull up the score to 162-5, Jon Coleman (11 not out) being sent in - ahead of his captain – to thrash for the final couple of overs.

Spurred on by hot sausages and an energy drink or three at tea, Merstham took to the field knowing they would have to bowl judiciously throughout their 45 overs to win. With field placings regularly rearranged, they managed to restrict their opponents’ run chase to a slow rate initially.

Coleman, who opened the bowling for the thirds last year, took an early wicket, having Robbie Howlett caught behind by Rob Wood. They say catches win matches, but, fortunately, the 4s still went on to win despite putting down three chances, which was about their average last season. One was particularly difficult, into the sun.

What was not average however, was an abundance of application, encouragement in the field, thoughtful field settings and bowling options, to add to a line up where everyone can claim to bat. 

The next wicket might not have been taken until 74 runs were on the board, but the hosts had only squeaked the run rate up to three an over, when their initial target was 3.5, a rate they never reached. Prior caught Aaron Butler (38) off John Young, who then forced danger man Tharindu Karmaratne (1) to play on in his next over.

Young, returning to cricket after four years, was the only bowler to be asked to use all nine overs in one spell and, despite an understandable claim of rustiness, was by no means expensive (2-38). The bowling had to be tight, and the other four bowlers had their overs split. Coleman (3-25) took himself off for a rest after three overs and bowled in three spells, including the final push despite being in a hurry to return home to watch The Eurovision Song contest.

His movement proved most effective in containing the hosts, whose opening batsman Dave Brook notched a heroic 74 in his unsuccessful pursuit of victory.

Hamza Ali (1-32), bowled two maidens in his first spell and, in his second, bowled Rickards, who had been given a guard of honour to the crease by his old teammates just a few moments beforehand.  

Opening bowler Shuja, another whose deliveries kept Dorking on their toes, returned at the end to ensure any momentum was quashed, bowled well without reward (0-29). Meanwhile Sahani (1-24) was the only bowler whose nine overs were split between both ends, as Merstham won a tight game by nine runs. Much bodes well for the season, but those who celebrated did so with a few hop-based beverages rather than the Denbies juice grown from the same grape from which Champagne is made, which can very much stay on ice.

On Sunday, Bill Ash’s Sunday seconds side put the bitter taste of the collapse to Sunbury Optimists a week before behind them with a comfortable win over Lingfield.

After winning the toss, acting skipper Ash put the visitors in to bat in a timed game.  After two and three-quarter hours in the field, the Merstham bowlers kept the opposition down to a miserly 135-7 from 41 overs.  

Pick of the wickets was a stunning diving catch by club treasurer Chris Clayson off his own bowling.  

In chasing down the runs it was a story for the young and the not so young.  John Turner, topping the order, top scored with 30, exiting with the score at 116 in the 31st over.  

Hamza Ali led the middle order charge with an accomplished 25 and it was left to Wayne Ryan and Toby Byrne to see the side over the line with five overs to spare at seven wickets down.

Pictures by Chris Lowe