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Del ton sets up crucial win over Weybridge

Del ton sets up crucial win over Weybridge

Antony Ireland2 Jul 2018 - 12:00
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Munday rolls on with another four-for. By Paul Bridge (pic Dom Murtagh)

Reigate Priory beat second-placed Weybridge by 109 runs with 11 overs to spare Saturday, thereby increasing its lead at the top of the Surrey Championship table to 25 points.
It was a team effort with the runs scored by Andy Delmont, who celebrated his return to an opening batting position with his first hundred of the season, and Ben Shoare, whose 62 not out made certain the tail-end batsmen made their contribution to an innings total of 284-9 as well as batting out the full allotment of 66 overs.
When Weybridge batted, Tom Bruce, the New Zealand Twenty20 batting star, lived up to his Surrey Championship reputation by scoring 79 thereby pushing his run total for the season past the 500-run mark at an average of 104.2 runs. However, aside from Harry Cripps with 33, no other Weybridge batsman was able to withstand the Priory bowling onslaught with the wickets being shared between paceman Will Hodson (3-43) and spinners Luke Beaven (3-36) and Michael Munday (4-71).
It was like old times when Delmont went out to bat with Richie Oliver after Chris Murtagh had won the toss and decided to bat. From 2012 to 2015 Delmont was the Llamas’ regular opener, often with Oliver but in the main with Murtagh. However in the last two years the Australian overseas player has been batting further down the order as far down as number six or seven.
Two shooting stars in the form of Oliver and Michael Burgess, the Sussex batsman, lit up the crowd for a short while before falling in flames. Oliver scored a 4 and a 6 in an 8-ball stay at the wicket before holing out to Jack Winslade off the bowling of Philip Mann
Then Burgess entertained with an innings of 35 runs (30 of them in boundaries) from just 19 balls. Dropped off a skier when he was 8 not out, Burgess was out to a reverse sweep that plopped into the hands of Brent Kay off Ralph Day, Weybridge’s opening bowler.
Reigate had gotten off to a fast start – 72 runs in 9 overs – but in the process had lost two of its best batsmen.
Delmont and Sam Hall played more cautiously for the eight overs they were together adding 40 runs before Hall was well taken at slip by Thushara Managei off Weybridge left-arm spinner Francois Vainker for 16.
Unlike his innings last week for 93 runs against Banstead, when Delmont looked to be battling for a return to form, this week’s innings was more fluent – the form had returned – and while his batting was cautious as wickets fell around him, his 50 came up, nonetheless, in only 57 balls.
His partnership with Murtagh was for 37 runs before the Priory skipper became Mann’s second victim, caught behind for 17 at 149-4.
Angus Dahl, batting at number 6, and Delmont put on 19 together before Dahl was caught off Vainker for 6 at 168-5 in the 35th over.
But finally Priory found a batsman who could stay a while in Ben Shoare. He and Delmont moved the score past the 200 mark, but no sooner had Delmont hit the two runs for his century off 137 balls, than he was out straight away, next ball, caught behind by ‘keeper Matthew Laidmann off Vainker for 100.
At 213-6, after Delmont’s departure in the 45th over, Shoare now had to marshal the tail-end batsmen to ensure Reigate batted for the remaining 21 overs allowed as well as trying to add materially to the total.
This is he did successfully as the last four batsmen lasted the full 21 overs and added 69 runs to the total, 18 of them coming in the final over when Shoare hit the last two balls off Mann for 6 runs apiece, while Munday hit 5 runs from the two balls he faced.
Richard Stevens had made 6 and Beaven 8 before Hodson stayed at the crease for 48 balls for 12 runs, ensuring that the overs Weybridge were to face were the minimum possible.
Of the 69 runs added for the last three wickets, Shoare scored 37 runs, ending on 62 not out from 78 balls, his most important innings for the Llamas since his 98 against East Molesey in June 2017 led to a memorable five-wicket win.
For Weybridge, Vainker ended with 5-79 from 27 overs while Mann took 2-93 from 23 overs.
Weybridge went in to bat with 61 overs still to play. However they were missing two key batsmen in Will Jacks, the Surrey batsman, and Ben Curran, who opens for the home side.
Oliver Mills, who normally bats number five, moved up into Curran’s opening position, but he lasted only six overs before Hodson bowled him for 8 at 18-1.
This brought in Bruce to partner Harry Cripps. Initially cautious he hit a six off Hodson for his second scoring stroke and thereafter was off and running at a run-a-ball for his fifth consecutive half century for the club.
After Bruce and Cripps had just posted the 50 partnership together, Cripps was out to a magnificent caught and bowled by a wrong-footed Hodson at 68-2 in the 18th over.
In the next over that Hodson bowled, however, he dropped an easier caught and bowled chance off Bruce, when the New Zealander was 25 not out. A few overs earlier, Bruce had survived another difficult chance to Chris Murtagh running around in the mid-off position, again off Hodson’s bowling. Spectators must have wondered how much these two dropped chances might cost the Llamas.
Hodson came back to claim his third wicket when he had Laidman caught by Munday at deep point for 3 at 78-3.
And next over, Munday, now bowling his fourth over, turned the game the Priory’s way when he dismissed Jack Winslade for a first ball dismissal, stumped by Hall for 0, and then next ball won a leg before decision when Thushara Managei kicked at a ball that was in front of the stumps.
Weybridge, once 68-1 now were 83-5 but with the dangerous Bruce still there on 32 not out.
Weybridge 2nd XI batsman Alistair Stanley then put up a strong defence in order to allow Bruce to go after the runs. Stanley and Bruce put on 67 runs together in 19 overs for the sixth wicket, with Bruce scoring 47 of these runs and Stanley 15.
The breakthrough came in Beaven’s 10th over when Stanley was caught by ‘keeper Hall for his 15 off 68 balls at 150-6. And next over, the Llamas got the wicket they wanted, when Bruce became Munday’s third wicket when he was stumped by Hall for 79 from 86 balls also at the score of 150, but now for seven wickets down.
It took Reigate another 10 overs to finish the innings off, with Beaven claiming two and Munday one. Weybridge were all out for 175, 109 runs behind Reigate’s 284-9.
The 24 points for the win puts the Priory top of the league with 164 points, while Weybridge remains in second spot with 139 points. Sunbury currently are in third place with 111 points.
Next Saturday, the Llamas play fourth-place Cranleigh at Park Lane with an 11 a.m. start.

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