MATCH REPORT v ASHTEAD 2's

Ashtead won the toss and elected to bat.

Ollie Thilo opened the bowling and struck in the opening over, by clean bowling Kamran Mirza for a duck to start off with a wicket maiden (0-1). A welcome return to action saw Ben Donovan start with a maiden over when all 6 balls threatened to get a wicket and then in his 3 rd over Ben got Harry Williams (4) to nick one to slip where Captain Henry Tye took the catch (9-2). Two balls later Ben clean bowled Josh Pickering for a duck to complete a double wicket maiden (9-3).

Runs were hard to come by and after 10 overs Ashtead had reached 20-3 with Ollie’s 5 overs getting him 1-14 and Ben’s 5 overs getting him 2-6. With the score on 31-3 after 13 overs Henry changed both ends with Mobeen Tahir replacing Ben Donovan and immediately getting opener Sam Gale (13) caught behind by Rory Haughton (32-4). Mobeen’s next over saw Ahson Bukhari take him on only to sky one to Craig Johnson to give Mobeen his wicket maiden (35-5).

Harry McInley replaced Ollie Thilo and while Harry continued to restrict the runs -5 overs 0-23; he struggled with his line with 6 wides. Mobeen then had Dominic Venn feather a chance for Rory to grab (69-6). Ashtead skipper Seb Stewart, who was providing the only resistance, hit Mobeen for 2 sixes before Mobeen bowled the next ball a little shorter in length and Seb Stewart (42) tried to
repeat his 6’s only to sky one for Rory to claim his 3 rd catch (75-7). Henry reinstated Ben Donovan in the 34 th over and not for the 1 st time his bowling change brought immediate success when the Ben’s combined with Ben Donovan’s 1st ball being smartly caught by Ben Shoare to dismiss Tayler Young (5) to give Ben Donovan yet another wicket maiden (93-8). Ben’s figures were now 7 overs 3 wickets for 6 runs.

Ben Shoare, who had replaced Harry McInley, was giving little away and it was Ben Shoare who mopped up the tail having Amir Akberali caught by Neil Saker (100-9) and then getting Henry Elburn lbw to bring the innings to a close at 104 all out after 40.1 overs
In an innings where 3 bowlers (Ollie, Mobeen and Ben Donovan) had wicket maidens, it was Ben Donovan who took the bowling honours with 10 overs 6 maidens, 3 wickets for 10 runs.

Llama openers Jonathan Smith and Neil Saker also found the going tough when the Ashtead opening bowlers Tayler Young and Henry Elburn followed the example of the Llama opening bowlers giving little away with the 1 st 10 overs only producing 18 runs with both
opening bowlers having creditable final figures Tayler 8-2-13-0 and Henry 8-1-18-0.

Neil had bottomed edged a chance to Ashtead’s Captain/Wicket Keeper Seb Stewart who claimed the catch. Having been given out the decision was reversed when the Ashtead umpire at square leg was not satisfied the ball had carried.

With a change of bowlers at both ends, Jonathan and Neil gradually got a foothold taking the score onto 63 before Jonathan was dismissed for 23 by a smart stumping from Seb Stewart. Rory Haughton joined Neil who began to accelerate taking 19 –including 2 sixes- off a Dominic Venn over to bring up his 50. In the process the ball was coming apart at the seam and had to be taken out of the firing line.

While Rory was not yet off the mark; Neil continued to edge the Llamas to victory until Rory, in attempting to get off the mark, was run out for a 25 ball duck when he gave himself up when both players found themselves at the same end. 92-2 in the 30 th over.

Although we didn’t know it at the time having taken 30 overs to reach 92, there were only 4 more balls left in the match as Ben Shoare joined Neil. Ben who had finished off the Ashtead innings then did the same again with a dot and a two before he dispatched Ahson Bukhari for
a huge 6 last seen disappearing over Park Lane (the ball not Ahson). The lost ball was replaced by the ball that had been previously taken out the action and this one suffered the same fate when Ben duly smashed it for another 6 to finish the game.

Ben’s 14* off 4 balls and 8 overs 2 for 15 and a catch, pushed Neil’s 68*, but the performance of the day belongs to Ben Donovan for 10 overs 6 maidens 3 wickets for 10 runs.

A solid start to the season!