Effingham off to Action-packed Start as Raffaelli Completes Twin 100s

Effingham CC’s season has set off at high speed and the club will be hoping to maintain such momentum for the rest of the summer! Fresh from a Bank Holiday Monday triumph over Sussex Slam champions, Slinfold Rams, to win the so called Slam Down (Sussex vs Surrey Slam champions), the midweek T20 Ships (155-7 from 20 overs) began their title defence with a dominant victory over Horsley & Send Mustangs (128-7 from 20 overs).

The back-to-back T20 wins were followed by both Saturday XIs completing victories in the first round of their respective Fuller’s Surrey County League fixtures. The 1st XI this year will compete in Division 1 and started in empathic fashion; dismissing Southern Railway, Kenley & Selsdon CC for a mere 43 runs in challenging batting conditions and knocking off the total in 14.3 overs for the loss of three wickets. This allowed plenty of time for the victors to head back to the Calburn Cricket Field where the 2nd XI were hosting Claygate CC. After being a touch unfortunate in the field and conceding a total of 198-4 in the reduced 37 overs aside encounter (one of those four wickets falling to 15 year old debutant Charlie Tebbitts), Effingham had made a solid start reaching 60-0 from the first 18 overs. This left the Ships requiring nearly 140 runs from 19 overs; a tough ask. Up stepped 16 year old opening batsman Jake Raffaelli, who played an innings far beyond his years, accumulating to begin before smashing five sixes en route to 121 not out as Effingham chased Claygate’s total with 3.5 overs to spare for the loss of four wickets.

The weekend’s cricket did not stop there; in the morning there was a close defeat for the Under 13 mixed team as they hosted Dorking and the Under 10s side defeated Blackheath by 105 runs. In the afternoon, the seniors were back in action with the 1st XI playing Roehampton CC in the Fuller’s League Cup and the Sunday XI in a Village Cricket League clash with Peper Harow. Unfortunately, both sides went on to lose close games however their must be honourable mentions for 1st XI stand in skipper Jordan Bond who led Effingham’s resistance with 77 out of a total of 163 and youngster Raffaelli. Raffaelli, playing for the Sunday XI, completed an extraordinary weekend with the bat by adding to his Saturday ton with 111 runs from 108 balls (this time with only three sixes) in the Ships’ first innings total of 192 from 45 overs.

On Monday night, ECC capped off the week as the Under 14 Girls’ team hosted Sanderstead. This was an historic evening for the club as the match represented the club’s first ever age group girls’ fixture. Effingham were unfortunate to lose closely by 18 runs and showed significant promise in the field and with bat and ball as they faced up against far more experienced opposition. As with each of the other Effingham sides to have been in action over the previous week, the team left the ground with much to be optimistic about.

By Ed Cooper