The Captain’s Dilemma

While most of the Surrey Championship teams were heading towards Noah’s Ark, Simon Brewis and Steve Cross were busy with towels in hands to mop up as much rain as they could at St Albans Road in an attempt to play the 3rd eleven fixture at home to neighbours Ashtead.

The Llamas were keen to play as they were sitting in 2nd place 21 points behind leaders Spencer (next week’s opponents). By 2pm Spencer’s game was already cancelled and the 6 points for an abandoned game lifted Spencer’s lead to 27 points; but the potential 24 points for a win meant the efforts to get the game on were worth the risk even if a defeat could mean as little a no points. Our opponents were equally keen to play in their own efforts to pull away from the relegation places.

Their efforts were rewarded as the rain eventually eased and the match got underway at 2pm (Any match that cannot start by 2pm because of weather conditions shall be treated as an abandoned match). Not the best of starts as Ashtead won the toss and put the Llamas into bat in a reduced game of 68 overs with the side batting 1st allowed 39 leaving a minimum of 29 for the team batting second.

On a wicket that was slow and sticky and on an outfield where the grass was wet and long, a high scoring match was unlikely. Will Timmons and Fraser McGuiness opened and with the score on 21 Fraser (10) was out first blasting a ball to point where Daniel Geddes (Ashtead’s best fielder) took the catch off Tayler Young’s bowling . This soon became 24-2 as Will Dahl (5) was bowled by William Gillespie and 26-3 as Will Timmons (11) was caught by Adam Geddes for Tayler Young’s 2nd wicket.

The Llamas were struggling to gain any kind of momentum to the innings and with the score on 40 Captain Simon Brewis (5) was the 4th out bowled for William Gillespie’s 2nd wicket. Waqas Wali (8-1-29-1) then had Sam Clark (2) caught and Reigate were 47-5.

A stand between youngster Alec Martin and Charlie Forbes got the Llamas up to 89 before Charlie (23) was 6th out caught off the bowling of Colin Hemachandran (4-0-28-1). Ollie Harris joined Alec Martin and the hundred was passed before with the score at 109, Alec’s good innings was halted on 34 as he was 7th out caught by Dom Venn to be William Gillespie’s 3rd wicket (8-1-27-3). Ollie Harris continued his about a run a ball innings and now joined by Ed Russ also scoring at about a run a ball; the Llamas pushed the score up to 128 when Ollie (21) was the 8th wicket to fall when caught by Dom Venn off Tayler Young (10-2-35-3).

With the overs bowled now in the early 30’s Captain Simon Brewis now had the difficult decision on when to declare. Batting the full 39 would only leave 29 overs to bowl out Ashtead. A carrot needed to be dangled to entice Ashtead to chase the win rather than defend. Declaring at 33 overs leaving Ashtead to bat 35 could guarantee the Llamas a winning draw providing of course Ashtead didn’t win the game. A (small) element of caution meant the Llamas batted for 35 overs as Arthur Thilo, attempting a 2nd run, was run out by Adam Geddes to see the Llama innings declared at 137 for 9 after 35 overs.

With 33 overs for Ashtead to get the runs and for the Llamas to take 10 wickets, Ashtead openers faced Steve Cross who was soon into the action getting Ashtead 2nd teamer Dom Venn (11) lbw for 15-1. Crossy again, this time with the help of an acrobatic catch from Ollie Harris, to dismiss Lucas Kher (5) for 20-2.

While not quite mirroring the acrobatic catch of Ollie Harris, Captain Simon Brewis leapt to his full height and at full stretch, running backwards, caught opposition Captain Thomas Culhane (4) off the bowling of Ed Russ (8-1-30-1) and the Llamas had Ashtead at 37-3.

Nat Atkins joined Daniel Geddes and took Ashtead to 76; mainly thanks to Daniel Geddes, before Nat Atkins (9) was 4th wicket down, bowled by Ollie Harris. Steve Cross bowling 14 overs unchanged then had James Graham (8) lbw for his 3rd wicket (14-3-44-3) to have Ashtead 89-5.

With the Geddes brothers together (and they do have a bit of cricketing pedigree with Ashtead 1st team Captain Ben Geddes currently making his way into the Surrey 1st team) Ashtead were still looking to win the game but Ollie Harris (5-1-24-2) then intervened and with the score on 97 got the 6th wicket having Daniel Geddes (48) lbw for his 2nd wicket. Daniel had been particularly brutal to Charlie Forbes whose 2 overs cost 20 runs.

Rain breaks had brought the starting 33 overs down to 31 and then down to 29 as the winning target looked further away the winning draw (target 114) was now in Ashtead’s favour and would require a maiden from Ed Russ bowling the last (33rd) over. It was not be as Ashtead passed their target and finished on 123-6 from their 29 overs.

With just 2 points for a losing draw and 1 bowling bonus point, the 3 points the Llamas took from this game were less than the 6 points had the game not taken place at all. Nonetheless with a potential 24 points on offer this approach was a gamble well worth taking.

With 4 more overs to the full 33 overs Ashtead may well have scored the 15 runs required for the win and the Llamas may have taken the 4 wickets they needed; but with a game full of what ifs we will never know. Nonetheless once again a good close game for the players and spectators (and there were a few) on a day when most of the ducks at most of the cricket grounds would have been the feathered variety.