Long Ditton won the toss and put Claygate in to bat on what turned out to be a dull, lifeless wicket. Batting was a slog against initial medium paced accurate bowling. Runs were at a premium and Claygate were 20-2 in the 10th over and struggling to make any inroads against the hosts. The arrival of Taggart to the crease saw the run-rate edge higher and despite the slow outfield he started to score more freely. Ross was also starting to find some rhythm at the other end also, and it was only an unfortunate run out that ended an excellent partnership of 94 and an excellent 50 from Taggart. Ross managed to continue the momentum and soon crossed 50 himself despite losing partners at the other end. Eventually he went for an excellent run a ball 70. A late flurry from Singh and Prickett took the score to a very competitive 190 off 40 overs.

Cross and Law opened the bowling for Claygate and succeeded in making life difficult for the hosts who were struggling to score at more than 2-3 runs an over. It was only because of a couple of missed chances and some interesting umpiring decisions that things didn’t look even better than they did. Claygate didn’t allow this to affect them though and Beresford was to produce a sublime bit of fielding for a run out to break the opening partnership. Prickett then settled into an accurate spell that would include two catches off his own bowling and an excellent catch by Beresford to finish with another 3-wicket spell. Beresford and Singh then took a wicket each as the run rate continued to climb before AvK for the second week in a row took two wickets in two balls – Labacik taking an excellent catch in the deep and Prickett taking his 4th catch of the game to finish the innings and ensure a comfortable victory.

Another excellent performance and well deserved win.

Claygate CC U14 Girls win by 5 wickets

Claygate CC Girls U14 secured an impressive 5-wicket victory over Cobham Avorians CC after a strong all-round team performance.
After winning the toss and electing to field, Claygate produced a disciplined display with the ball to restrict Cobham to 95-7 from their 20 overs. Cleo Colyer and Effie Smith were the standout performers, both claiming two wickets apiece. Colyer bowled with great control to finish with 2-13 from three overs, while Smith’s excellent spell of 2-14 from four overs kept the pressure firmly on the visitors.
There was also some tidy supporting bowling across the innings, with Molly Coleman and Grace Colas-Allen both keeping the scoring rate down superbly.
In reply, Claygate chased down the target in confident fashion, reaching 96-5 in just 15.3 overs. Molly Preston anchored the innings brilliantly, finishing unbeaten on 33* and guiding the team home with a composed and mature knock. Her innings proved the difference as Claygate sealed another excellent victory with plenty of overs to spare.
A brilliant team effort all round from the Claygate girls.

Claygate CC U14 Boys lost by 9 wickets

Claygate CC U14 Boys were beaten by a strong Long Ditton side by 9 wickets, but there were still plenty of positives to take from the game.
Batting first, Claygate posted 120-8 from their 20 overs. The standout innings came from Thomas Jacob, who produced an excellent unbeaten 32* from just 28 balls, including five boundaries. Thomas batted with confidence and composure throughout the innings to hold the score together and give Claygate a competitive total.
There were useful contributions from Eddie Gilchrist (12), Barney Girling (10) and Conor O’Hare (9), while the team also benefited from a number of extras as they battled hard against some accurate Long Ditton bowling.
In reply, Long Ditton chased the target down quickly, reaching 122-1 in 12.4 overs. Claygate kept going in the field and Harry was rewarded for his efforts with the team’s wicket, ensuring the boys continued to compete right to the end.
Despite the result, there were encouraging performances throughout the side, particularly Thomas Jacob’s impressive knock and Harry’s breakthrough with the ball.