Horley Cricket Club round-up: First are one win away from promotion

Put in to bat, Newdigate started brightly, but the first wicket fell when Ruki Wickremasinghe (10) skied one to cover off Will Taylor and Ben Davies took a good catch. A stand of 42 between Alex Kurobasa (14) and Scott Dunkerley was broken when the former nicked off to wicketkeeper Ant Puttick off Matt Gainsford and then Dunkerley (26), who had played well, was lbw to Davies with the score on 86.

With not much happening in the next eight overs, captain Charlie Robins threw the ball to Derham and then wickets started to tumble. First Derham bowled David Arnold (10), then Robins bowled Stephen Kehl (11). In the 37th over two lovely deliveries from Derham produced two bowled wickets, making the score 141-7.

Only 19 more runs were added as Derham took all three remaining wickets, two bowled and one caught by brother Regan Derham, to wrap up the innings at 160.

Horley’s reply started well until Regan Derham fell lbw to Cooper for 23 and Dunkerley picked up the wickets of Puttick and Sam Bracken, then Davies was caught at cover, having made 24 enterprising and swift runs in a partnership of 61 with Matt Ware. The score was 107-4 after 25 overs and when Ware went for 45 with more than 30 runs still needed, Horley needed to be careful. However, there are always fireworks when Gainsford comes to the crease and it was immediately evident that he intended to finish the match off quickly. After he holed out at cover for 22, only three more runs were needed and Richard Waddington (14 not out) smacked the ball through the covers to close out the match.

If Horley win at home against eighth-placed Woodmansterne next Saturday and third-placed Lingfield, who are eight points behind Horley, lose, then Horley will need just one bonus point from their final match to finish at least second and secure promotion after narrowly missing out a year ago.

A terrific century by opener and skipper Andrew Thomas and five wickets from Rob Woodward helped Horley 2nd XI romp to a 155-run win against Teddington Town.

He and opening partner Aryan Patel began with a stand of 118, scoring at a similar pace and reaching their half-centuries in quick succession. Patel then fell for 50 off 65 balls (eight fours) but Thomas batted on with Jon Barnett, who is looking in better form each week having returned from a torn Achilles tendon. He hit nine fours in an innings of 52 from just 37 balls, and Thomas was still looking secure on 85 not out when Barnett was caught.

Horley’s captain reached his ton off 109 balls, finally falling in the 38th over for 103, including 15 fours.

Jordan Robins was caught in the next over having blasted 31 off 16 balls, including one six and four fours, then Kieran Childs and Woodward had a great go at getting Horley to the 300 mark, with Childs making 31 from 25 balls before being run out off the final delivery of the 45 overs with the score on 294-6.

Horley were in charge of the reply from the outset, reducing the visitors to 39-7 by the end of the 18th over. Opening bowlers Chris Cosham and Woodward both bowled out their allocation of nine, with Woodward taking 5-20 – snapping up the fifth off his final ball – and Cosham 2-19, helped by catches from Alex Field, Thomas, and Childs.

Khyan Patel picked up the next wicket, caught by Barnett, but Teddington’s tail then wagged with Ralph Meyer making 38 at number eight before Ben Stewart bowled him, and Rob Elliot hitting 37 at number ten. Trevor Stevens came on to bowl the 39th over, thought he had Elliot out lbw from his first ball, but the decision was reversed when the umpire realised he had hit it, so Stevens promptly bowled him with the next delivery and Teddington were all out for 139.