Second defeat for first team. Thirds win again: Saturday round-up

Merstham suffered their second successive defeat of the season, at home to Byfleet, in the embryonic Surrey Championship Division Five campaign.

 

With multiple players not available, Merstham fielded a changed side to the previous week. After being inserted into bat, new look opening pair Naveed Saeed and George Neal were watchful against the new ball, and safely saw off the Byfleet openers’ first spells. 

 

With Byfleet’s South African overseas bowling a testing length this was no mean feat, and they had managed to set a good platform of 39 for the first wicket to achieve a competitive total.

Merstham then lost a quick flurry of wickets which threatened to undo the hard work. 

Imran Aslam lets fly at The Ring. Picture by Chris Lowe

 

The third wicket to fall brought Ed Dawson to the crease. He steadied the ship with Neal, and went on to accelerate the run rate. 

Lithon Tarafoder joined him and also played aggressively, moving the Merstham total forward, finishing on 29. 

 

With ten overs to go Merstham were threatening to get close to 200 and what would have been a par score, albeit on a Quality Street wicket that was playing well.

 

Unfortunately they were not able to capitalise and were instead bowled out for 163 from 47.1 overs, top scorers Neal (47 with the score 98-4) and Dawson (44 at 151-8)). Although a solid effort from a changed side it felt 30 runs short.

 

Byfleet started quickly, their opening batsman Tim Richards in fine form following an unbeaten hundred the week before. Although the Magics created a few chances through the consistent bowling of Asim Jaffry and the returning Imi Khan, Byfleet’s successful pursuit of the modest total began to look inevitable.

 

Merstham continued to bowl tidily, with Mohsin Ali impressing on his first XI debut, bowling with good variation.

 

The hosts managed to pick up a cluster of wickets when Jaffry came back in to the attack, and Bobby Sharp (1-3 off two overs) eventually removed Byfleet’s opening batsman for a well made 74. 

 

Ultimately, though, Byfleet got over the line six wickets down in the 32nd over. Merstham were left to rue the fact they didn’t have a handful more runs with which to pursue the remaining four wickets.

 

Overall it was an OK performance from a changed Merstham team, but they will hope the return of some of their top order will sure up the batting after two below par totals in the opening two games.

 

Three of the second team were involved in a minor car accident on the way to their game at Kingston - we wish them well with their recovery. However, with the trio taking medical advice against playing, Merstham took to the field with just eight players.

 

Opener Jason Kyte (12), Sunny Bowry (15), Arham Ali (37 not out) and Safyan Aslam (14) were the only ones to reach double figures as Merstham were unsurprisingly bowled out for a low score - 108, in the 30th over.

 

Ameer Pasha had an early success in the reply, having an opener caught, while Ali and Bowry took the other two wickets that the visitors were able to collect before Kingston won in the 20th over by seven wickets.

 

At the Ring, the third team took the club's only "on field" victory, Woodmansterne putting them in to bat.

 

This looked a good decision as they were gifted two early wickets with Lowe triggered LBW for a duck and Asif Akhtar running himself out without scoring.

 

Letts (34) and Murtaza (43) steadied the ship with a 50 partnership before another mini collapse left the threes on 90-7.

 

Merstham finished strongly against the change bowlers with an excellent half century from George Corrie (50) who was ably supported by Asfar Khan (33) and Imran Aslam (25), finishing on 223 when all out in the 41^st over.

Merstham then blew away Woodmansterne for 80 all out with the ball, openers Asim Ashraf (2-7) and Aslam (3-22) bowled with skill and aggression, with the only resistance coming from the opener Matt Joyce. Ben Carter eventually removed Joyce for 25 and mopped up the tail with on his way to a superb 4-6 in 6.1 overs.

Technically, the fourth team won - on Thursday when Alleyn conceded, bringing 20 points.

After a hastily arranged friendly instead, the club's final Saturday side sauntered off close to Heathrow to face Ashford fourth team, who were similarly left up in the air by their original opponents.

Inserting the hosts to bat, Merstham were soon rewarded with early wickets, the hosts being 15-3, thanks to two of Omer Shuja's 3-12 and Matt Greaves having an opener caught by David Grant.

The breakthroughs were frequent, until No 9 bat Kam Singh came in and rattled off 63 with nine fours and a six, before Shuja returned and, finally making a catch stick, had him caught and bowled.

Ian Lamont immediately handed the hosts the initiative by losing his concentration backing up and, acting impatiently, being run out on the fourth ball. John Young top scored among the top nine batsmen with 13, a relatively young visiting side found it hard to get runs away. Matt Skilton, who injured a finger while fielding, top scored with 20, including three fours, at No 10. He looked comfortable before, to home skipper and slow bowler Sean Cully, he tried to reverse sweep and somehow played on. Merstham had never looked like reaching the 178 target and were all out for 63.