Effingham Turn Up the Heat on Hottest Saturday of the Year

By DUNCAN MITCHELL

Wins for both Saturday sides secured 40 points for Effingham CC at the weekend, with one match going right down to the wire.

The 1^st XI travelled to local rivals Ripley, as part of the revised Surrey Championship Challenge Cup competition; with plenty to play for, as they will face them again in next season’s Fullers Division 1.

On a sweltering afternoon, captain Ed Cooper won the toss and elected to bat. The away side lost opener Cameron Walters early on but Joel Stroud continued his excellent early season form with a fluent 83.

A mid-innings wobble curtailed the momentum only briefly as Benji Thomas and Chris Fewson then steadied the Ships with 45 and 54* respectively, including some mighty blows; to set Ripley a challenging 258 for victory.

In reply, Ripley started well and were looking well placed to mount a strong chase, with the openers putting on 71 for the first wicket. However, young Ollie Tebbitts broke the deadlock for the Ships, bowling Toby Baddock to begin a procession of wickets that sent the home side tumbling.

Man of the match Fewson followed up his bullish fifty with a clinical 5-wicket haul and captain Cooper took an excellent catch on the boundary to dismiss top scorer Jon Primmett. The home side were eventually bowled out for 189 inside 32 overs to give Effingham a comfortable 68 run win.

There was similar success at the Calburn Cricket Ground for the 2^nd XI where a fine collective fielding and bowling effort restricted opponents Godalming to 155 from their 40 overs, Adam Iqbal and Owyn Haylings the pick of the bowlers.

In reply, Iqbal stabilised an early loss of wickets with a patient innings but a constant flow of wickets falling, left Effingham with it all to do at 126-8, with three overs remaining.

But Alec Muggleton and Haylings had other ideas and picked off the required runs with great maturity to leave just a boundary needed from the final ball of the match. In a dramatic finish, Haylings duly delivered, with a scorcher of a six off the final delivery to ensure a well-deserved two wicket win and a maximum weekend for Effingham, as the sun took its final bow.