It’s the halfway point of the inaugural Surrey Cricket Championship and with the top six teams separated by just 17 points – less than one win – it’s boiling up for a ferocious sprint to the line in the Premier Division.

Sunbury v Reigate Priory

Two superb individual performances were the key to Reigate Priory’s victory by 129 runs, condemning Sunbury to a fourth straight loss in the process.

First came skipper George Ealham’s 150 from 148 balls, arriving at 23-2 after the early loss of Surrey’s Ollie Sykes and Richie Oliver for nine apiece and dominating the rest of an innings, which took up 59 of the revised 61 overs available to reach 290-9dec.

Ealham cracked 18 fours and six sixes, gaining assistance from Luke Haughton (39) and Tommy Bates (46). Kevin Smith and Tony Gilbey finished with three wickets each.

A possible 49 overs back were always likely to stretch the struggling hosts, who had chosen to bat second, losing captain Rajan Soni for a duck. Although opening partner Hugh Weibgen made 57 before becoming an all-Surrey victim – caught by Sykes off seamer James Taylor – the Australian negligible little support.

They had little answer to Kiwi Fraser Sheat, whose 7-29 from 13 overs despatched them for 161 with 12 balls to spare, leaving Priory in good spirits for their trip to Sutton on Saturday which director of cricket Gary Butcher labelled “huge”.

Champions two years ago, Sunbury are now engaged in a major fight against relegation.

Source: KiaOval.com