The Llama opening bowlers Ed Russ & Jonny Flanders kept the lid on Oxted’s early run rate (25-0 after 4 overs). Bowling changes at both ends brought the breakthrough when Will Brewis got the 1st wicket (25-1 in the 5th over) & Harry Ellis got the 2nd wicket (45-2 in the 8th over).

After 11 overs Oxted were 71-2 and well placed to post a challenging score.

Harry Ellis got his reward for 4 good overs when he got his 2nd wicket (77-3 in the 13th over) as wickets began to tumble as the Llamas took a hold of the innings.
Dan Grant got the next two wickets to fall (80-4 in the 14th over) and a caught behind by Alex Wilbraham (94-5 in the 16th over).

Sam Hall’s leg spin got an lbw (95-6 in the 17th over) before Ed Russ got a wicket to make it 104-7 in the 18th over.

Alex Wilbraham meanwhile saved 4 wides with a brilliant full length leg side dive which 1st team keeper Sam would have been happy to have made. But Sam had the ball in hand and struck twice in the 19th over to give Alex 2 stumpings for 107-8 and 108-9 and Oxted’s innings finished after 20 overs on 116-9.

The Reigate reply quickly became the Sam Hall show as he raced to his 50 (I’m guessing from less than 20 balls) before he had to retire.

The Llamas didn’t lose their 1st wicket until the 7th over by which time they were going at 10 runs an over when Dan Grant was bowled by Matt Harrison. Another wicket in the same over made it 75-2. Matt’s 2nd over (the 9th) didn’t go quite so well and frequent wides made it a 12 ball over (I may well have lost count) and the 15 runs saw the Llamas close in on their target.

But the breaks were put on the Llama charge by Oxted speedster Alfie Cutmore (4 overs 1-10 and perhaps he should have bowled earlier) and spinner Matt Hedge who took 2 wickets before he went for 12 runs in 4 balls of the 15th over to see the Llamas to victory at 118-5.

The teams meet again at Park Lane next Friday.

Saturday morning and a visit to the posh surroundings of Esher’s New Road.

Will Hodson got the Llama’s off to an ideal start when he bowled Matthew Clarke (2-1).
Sam Hall then ran out Archie Stroud (0) to leave Esher at 10-2.

A brief fight back from former Sussex and now Derbyshire’s Fynn Hudson-Prentice (21) came to an end with a brilliant diving catch from Del for Hoddo’s 2nd wicket (38-3).
It was Will again when skipper Richie caught Alex Martin (2) to leave Esher on 40-4.

Luke joined in the wickets getting Ali Birkby (4) caught by Sam Hall (53-5)
Michael Munday replaced Will Hodson and immediately got William Edwards (23) lbw for 53-6.
Nathan Roberts played a couple of delightful and powerful reverse sweeps for consecutive 4’s and followed up with a 6 square of the wicket.

Luke then got Nicholas Winder (4) lbw for 68-7 before Michael Munday clean bowled Nathan Roberts (21) who was providing the only resistance.
82 for 8 was soon 83-9 when Luke dismissed Johnny Wright (0) caught by Richie.

The Esher innings came to a close at 91 off only 32 overs courtesy of a direct hit from the boundary by Bradley Scriven to run out Khurrum Irshad.

Unusually for the Llamas the bowling honours were shared by Will (10 overs 3 for 31), Luke (16 overs 3 for 38) and Michael (6 overs 2 for 19)

Brad and Sam got through a couple of tricky pre-lunch overs.

After lunch three 4’s and a 6 from Scriv took the Llamas to 44 before Scriv was caught for 28 off the bowling of Fynn Hudson-Prentice.
Five 4’s from Sam Hall in his 34 before he too was caught off the bowling of Fynn Hudson-Prentice to see the Llamas on 67-2.

Del (18 no) and Jake (13 no) settled any (Spectator) nerves to see the Llamas safely home at 94-2after only 19 overs to claim the 24 points

Back to Park Lane in time to take in the 2nd innings of the Match of the Day (Football season started) as the Llama 2nd team reply to Spencer’s 223 all out from 54.4 overs.
The wickets coming from Toby (2-45), Henry (3-55), Galer (1-8), Luke (2-34) and 2 run outs.

Nomi Bashir blew away our top order bowling Ashwin Bhat (4) and Neil Saker (0) off successive deliveries before getting Jordan Bunyan (0) lbw.
Henry was then controversially run out when he felt the ball was dead.

The relevant extracts from the Laws of Cricket are :-

LAW 20 DEAD BALL
20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.

THE PREAMBLE – THE SPIRIT OF CRICKET
Cricket owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket.

Galer (3) was next out getting another unplayable ball for Nomi Bashir’s 4th wicket.
Jonny Flanders (0) was caught for Nomi Bashir’s 5th wicket (14 overs 5-21) to see the Llamas at 38-6, but with Nomi Bashir having finished his 14 over allocation.

Both a win and a winning draw were out of reach when opener Luke Haughton-watching the mayhem from the other end- was joined by Will Hodgson and order was temporarily restored before Will (15) was caught.

George Elliston (15 no) joined Luke and Luke began to put away anything loose and despite cramp (In every muscle ?) and with a runner (Will), Luke was making his way to an excellent and patient 100 before he got an edge to be caught for 101.

The Llamas were now 8 down and still 10 minutes match time remaining.
George gets a 4 to give the Llamas a batting bonus point (for 150) when Toby (4) gets a tickle to be caught for the 9th wicket.

Could we hang on ?

Last man Elliott Lodge safely blocks the last 3 balls to see the Llamas survive at 151-9 after 52 overs-with man of the match Luke having scored 101 of the 151.