Four wickets in seven balls by Priory’s left-arm spinner Luke Beaven killed any hopes Wimbledon might have had of overhauling Reigate’s total of 240-5 at the Park Lane ground on Saturday, as an easy win for the Llamas by 108 runs puts them in joint top spot in the Surrey Championship Premier Division.
Earlier, Chris Murtagh, the Llama skipper, had held the home side’s innings together with 67 not out from 77 balls, after an opening stand of 78 at an average five runs an over between Richard Oliver (39) and Danny Miller (54) had given the Priory a swift and solid start.
In the three wins the Priory has had season to date, Beaven has taken 11 wickets overall for 83 runs in 28 overs, while Murtagh has scored 165 runs for once out.
Reigate had won the toss and batted first, finding few fears in Wimbledon’s opening attack of Kieron Bunting, the ‘Norfolk Flyer’, Jonathan Speller, the club’s new Director of Cricket, formerly with Spencer, and Ryan Patel the Surrey County cricketer.
After Oliver was bowled by Patel for 39 at 78-1, Miller and new batsman Andy Delmont carried on with a partnership of 53 in just over 12 overs before Miller, who had hit three huge 6’s, was stumped by keeper James Brown from the off-spin of David Scott, Wimbledon’s best bowler on the day.
By now (138-2) Wimbledon was using its considerable spin attack, rotating between Matthew Spriegel, the former Surrey and Northants all-rounder, Sanjaya Arilchchige, the Sri Lankan overseas professional, who took 5-49 in this fixture last July, Amit Patel and the afore-mentioned Scott.
These four spinners managed to slow down the Priory’s rate of scoring from five runs an over after 25 overs to less than four runs an over in the next 20 overs. In the process, Scott nabbed both Miller and Delmont (leg before for 38 at 179-3), while Spriegel accounted for Angus Dahl, caught by Scott for 5 at 197-4 and Amit Patel had Haughton caught by Oliver Swann for 2 at 209-5.
Through these 20 overs Murtagh was the glue that held the Reigate batting together. At first he was cautious, scoring only 16 runs in the first 35 balls he faced. Then he accelerated to score at over a run a ball as his deft shots pierced the field for one’s and two’s.
With only three 4’s in his innings, Murtagh had a flurry of 2’s, 13 of them, with many coming from his favourite shot against the spinners, the finely timed and delicately placed late cut.
Murtagh’s mastery over Wimbledon’s spin attack meant that the Priory ended on 240-5 from its 50 overs, the last five of which yielded 42 runs.
For Wimbledon, Scott, an Oxford MCCU cricketer, returned by far the best figures of 2-21 in his 10 overs. Arachchige, by contrast, had 0-47.
In the last two games Wimbledon has opened with Ryan Patel, the Surrey professional, and James Johnston, the medium paced bowler, formerly a lower order biffer.
And while Johnston did hit his side’s third highest score with 29, it took him 45 balls to do so, as Wimbledon’s top order were unable to score quickly against Reigate’s opening attack.
While Reigate were 56-0 from its first 10 overs, Wimbledon were 36-2, with Ryan Patel back in the pavilion, bowled by Hodson for 5 in the sixth over at 16-2 and Liam McKendry falling in the next over leg before to Andy Delmont for 0 at 17-2.
Johnston and number four bat Spriegel put on 42 runs together in just over 8 overs before Johnston was bowled by Delmont for 29 at 59-3. Wimbledon skipper Swann left three overs later, caught by Priory wicket-keeper Ali Raja off Richard Stevens’s bowling for 0 at 62-4.
After 22 overs, Wimbledon were 79-4 as Spriegel and Scott tried to hold the Wimbledon innings together. By now the run rate was slow (3.6 an over) and the target was 162 runs away, at an asking rate of 5.8 runs an over.
It was here that Beaven began to work his magic, his bowling armoury lacking, it seemed, only a top hat and a rabbit.
With the second ball of his second over he bowled Scott for 3 runs from 21 balls at 80-5. Two balls later he bamboozled number seven batsman Brown by bowling him around his legs for 0, now at 80-6.
After a Stevens over yielding five runs, Beaven had Spriegel well caught by Murtagh, a former team mate at Surrey, for 34 from 48 balls at 85-7. Then, with his next ball, the second of his third over, Beaven had Amit Patel leg before for 0 at 85-8. At the end of this over Beaven’s analysis read: 3 overs bowled with 4 wickets for 3 runs.
Arachchige, batting at number 7 despite an average of 36 in 2017, then formed a ninth wicket partnership of 39 runs in 12 overs with number 10 bat Speller (average 8.80 in 2017). With Speller in double figures Reigate’s other spinner – Michael Munday – found the way through, having Speller caught brilliantly by Murtagh in the outfield for 15 at 124-9.
Bunting lasted three balls before being bowled by Stevens for 1, leaving Arachchige unbeaten on 30 in 41 balls as Wimbledon folded at 132 all out, losing by 108 runs.
Next Saturday sees the Priory visit Normandy in the first of the 120-over games that are played in June and July (start time of 11 a.m.). Champions last year, Normandy were beaten by Weybridge on Saturday and the memory of that and Reigate’s narrow win at home in the final game of last season will add spice to the fixture.
Meanwhile, please spare a thought for East Molesey CC who were bowled out on Saturday for 28 runs in 16.3 overs, with Kevin Smith, the Sunbury fast bowler, taking 9 wickets for just 8 runs.