Winning double for Horley 1st and 2nd XI

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Horley 1st XI welcomed Streatham and Marlborough to Horley Row and cruised to victory by eight wickets in Surrey Division Four East.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first on a used but good-looking wicket and were soon piling on the runs after the first two overs had been maidens. The 50 came up in the next 7.2 overs and it wasn’t until the 15th over that Irfaan Baksh took the first wicket, when Dan Ellis (46 off 54 balls) tried to sweep and was bowled, with the score on 79.

Sam Remfry had already made a well-timed diving stop at cover in the 22nd over, and when a diving catch was presented to him by Dominic Friel (36) off Baksh (2-30) in the 23rd over, it was duly taken.

The Horley bowlers were then frustrated by Josh Crine (56) and Chris Leech (34) who amassed a partnership of 76 before Leech was bowled by Udith Molanguri to make the score 174-3.

Next to fall was Neneto Davis (5) lbw to Charlie Robins and two runs later Jonathan Kay (1) was out to Robins in the same way.

Crine, who had held up the innings so well, fell with the score on 209, to an amazing bit of glovework, stumped by Luke Smith off Robins (3-44). Lloyd Edwarda could only add two before being well caught on the boundary by Regan Derham off Ben Davies (1-38). Only 42 runs came from the last nine overs and the innings closed on 237-7, with Aru Kathegesu 13 not out and Alex Waring 15 not out.

The early prediction had been for a score of something approaching 275 and, with par being upwards of 250 at home this year, Horley were pretty pleased to have restricted Streatham to that total.

Horley had a stacked batting line up and on a very good wicket knew they could play positively. They started their innings in a similar vein to the visitors with 50 up in the eighth over, and Remfry carrying on from his century in the previous home game. His 50 came up in the 12th over with Molanguri at this point unbeaten on 24.

Three runs later Remfry was victim of another excellent stumping, this time by Friel off the bowling of Leech (2-54) with the score on 84. CP Singh came in to join Molanguri and the 100 came up in the 16th over.

Molanguri, who had also looked set, was lbw to Leech for 34 in the 17th over and that was the last wicket to fall.

Singh (77 not out off 55 balls, one six, 14 fours) and Derham (65 off 54 balls, 10 fours) set about the opposition bowlers, rattling away at 10 and 11 an over at times. The pair lived a charmed life with Derham being dropped no less than four times and Singh just the once!

Derham smacked the ball to the boundary in the 34th over to complete a resounding victory and the visitors will look to their failings in the field as to one reason why they lost. They say catches win matches and Saturday’s game was living proof of what happens when you drop them…

Horley remain in third place in the table at the halfway point of the season, one win behind the top two. Next Saturday they entertain fourth-placed Purley, who are level on points with them.

Horley 2nd XI came out victorious in a top-of-the-table clash in Division Eight East at Kenley, winning by three wickets in a low-scoring thriller.

With captain Chris Webber unavailable, Toby Davie deputised and won a crucial toss and elected to bowl at a ground that has been very friendly historically for bowlers.

Guy Derham (3-21) found the first breakthrough for Horley in the sixth over, clean bowling Krithick Manoharan to get Horley off to a great start.

Ryan Smith (1-20) wasn’t far behind his opening partner, getting Praveenkumar Sureshbabu caught by Will Hofmann in the next over to quickly turn 12-1 into 19-2. Kenley then started to build a partnership thanks to Thomas Sullivan-Ferrain (26) and Bradley Gilchrist (27). With some watchful batting, Kenley had moved on to 59 by the time Adam Stephenson (2-21) found Horley’s next, with Sullivan-Ferrain only able to glove one into the air, straight into the hands of keeper George Hyde.

Gilchrist now looked to be the key wicket if Horley were going to limit the Kenley total. Step up Henrick Cook (2-26), finding a way through Gilchrist’s defences in the 26th over to get Horley’s fourth. He then found his second in his next over, trapping Barry Dean lbw, to reduce Kenley to 77-5 after 28 overs.

Stephenson had been working well at the other end and claimed another, this time caught and bowled, in the 31st just after the second drinks break had been taken. At 81-6, Kenley were in desperate need of any kind of partnership, but the returning Derham wasn’t about to let them off the hook, as he had Shanmugam Murugan caught behind by Hyde in the 33rd to pile more misery on the home team.

Sujeet Sanzgiri (28) had been trying to counter-attack, but was quickly running out of partners. Will Hofmann (1-21) was the next to get in on the action, getting Kenley skipper Manoharan Masilamani caught behind to leave the score at 109-8 after 40.

With five overs left, Sanzgiri and Arun Prabhakar (10 not out) guided their team up to 128 before Sanzgiri fell to Derham, caught by Will Hofmann in the last over of the innings, with the hosts eventually ending up on 133-9.

Horley’s reply got off to the worst possible start with Matthew Ware getting his stumps rearranged by Murugan (2-33) in the first over. Skipper Davie and Aryan Patel (41) were attempting to steady the ship for Horley until Manoharan (2-25) found a way under Davie’s bat to reduce Horley to 20-2.

It wasn’t getting any better for Horley, as 20-2 became 25-3 after Hyde could only pick out mid-off in the seventh over.

Richard Waddington (38) joined Patel at the crease, knowing if they both stuck around, they would slowly accumulate runs. They took a patient approach, picking off runs where they could as they began to frustrate the Kenley attack. With Patel closing in on his 50, Sanzgiri (1-13) picked up Horley’s number three caught and bowled in the 30th over.

At 78-4, Horley still felt confident, especially with Waddington anchoring the innings. Unfortunately in the next six overs Kenley would find another two wickets. Firstly Cook fell lbw to Prabhakar (1-17) followed shortly by Manoharan clean bowling Waddington with the first ball of his second spell.

Derham came to the crease and bludgeoned 22 off 21 balls, and with the help of Stephenson at the other end, they put Horley on the verge of victory with five overs to go. Derham fell to Kumar Venugopal at the start of the 41st, but from 129-6 Stephenson and Oscar Hofmann saw Horley home to secure the 20 points.

League leaders Horley travel away to second-placed Epic CC 1st XI next weekend, looking to continue their season-long unbeaten streak.

Horley fielded possibly their strongest 3rd XI ever but they still weren’t a match for Ram’s bowlers on an awful, deteriorating pitch at the Warninglid ground where Ram 3rd XI play.

Horley went into the match in second spot in Sussex Division Four West but after this 27-run defeat they ended the day in fourth after Serendib and Ram both overtook them.

Horley put Ram in and had them 33-2 after ten overs. Alex Field took the first wicket, trapping Dev Limbachia lbw and he bowled his nine overs in one spell, which included three maidens and only cost 19 runs as Ram’s batters shut up shop against him.

At the other end, Matt Reid had Pinkesh Desai caught by Kieran Childs, then when Dan Sired (2-37 from seven overs) replaced Reid in the 11th over he got Tarun Patel out lbw, followed by Rakesh P Patel in the same fashion in the 13th.

Ram put on a stand of 41 for the fifth wicket which Shrey Vaid broke by bowling Krishna Dholakia for 18. Vaid struck twice in the 26th over, having Surinder Singh caught by Dan Farmer then bowling Mehul Patel to make the score 109-7.

An excellent throw by Childs and sharp glove work from Rayan Patel had Pranav Kulkarni run out for 28 in the 28th over. Liam Adams clung on to a very fast caught and bowled and Vaid (4-27 from 6.1 overs) bowled Praveen Ragha and Ram were all out for 135 at the start of the 32nd over.

Horley were optimistic about chasing that down, despite the variable bounce which had been in evidence at times, but conditions went from bad to unplayable as the reply went on and they were all out for 108 in 26.1 overs.

Ryan Bunn was first to go, bowled by Ragha in the fifth over. Farmer managed to hit three fours before a delivery from Ragha reared up unexpectedly, hit him on the chest and then rolled onto his stumps, and Childs was out lbw just after Horley had passed the 50 mark.

Reid became the fourth victim of Ragha (4-33) when he was bowled by a ball which jagged in from outside off stump, but Horley moved on to 76-4 when drinks were taken after 15 overs.

Opener Andrew Thomas was still there, and had reached 39 at the start of the 17th over but was then hit on the grill by a length ball from Mitesh Patel and fell lbw to one that kept low later that over.

Adams was caught on the boundary off Abhijit Kulkarni in the next over and Sired fell in the 19th, bowled by Mitesh Patel, and suddenly Horley were reeling at 90-7.

Field and Vaid stayed together at the crease for 6.1 overs, trying to nudge the score towards the target, but at the end of the 25th over, keeper Desai just managed to cling on to a sharp chance from Field off Mitesh Patel (4-13).

Skipper Rob Rigby was caught by Desai off Dholakia exactly one over later, and the Desai-Patel combination accounted for Vaid off the first ball of the 27th to end Horley’s innings.

Horley hope to get their show back on the road away at second-bottom Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching next week.