Surrey Cricket Championship | ECC Week 16 Report

Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, the ever-consistent duo of Benji Thomas (46) and Jordan Bond (40) put on 69 for the second wicket before the former was dismissed, as the home side looked set to impose a challenging total.

Effingham subsequently struggled to fully get ahead in the game, as partnerships got going, but never fully materialised beyond promising starts.

Despite this, former captain Adam Burlison steered the Ships innings well with a measured 33, helping Effingham post 190 from their 50 overs.

In response, Chessington found it similarly hard to put together partnerships of note, as an all-seam Effingham bowling attack continually pegged them back with wickets.

The father-son duo of Anthony and Dominic Brown removed an opener each, and the pace of Alex Cooper and Ben Shaw shone as they picked up three wickets apiece, with Chessington not putting together any enduring resistance.

Although a partnership of 41 for the ninth wicket looked to be taking Chessington close to the target, Sam Cobb (2 for 11) mopped up the final two wickets to leave the away side 28 runs shy.

This win propels Effingham to 3rd in the table, as they just about stay in touch with the promotion spots..

Second XI

The 2nd XI, in need of a win to stay ahead in the fight for survival, travelled to play Surrey Warriors 2nd XI.

Winning the toss and bowling first, Effingham got off to a flying start with Nick Bond (2 for 13) and Ishtiaq Muhammad again tearing through the top order of the opposition.

It was another stellar day out for Muhammad, who bagged his second five-wicket haul of the season, taking an extraordinary 5 for 5, finishing his spell with Warriors floundering at 22 for 7.

A fantastic all round bowling effort was capped off by the spin triumvirate of Dominic Carpenter, Freddie Fox and Mark Ransom picking up a wicket each.

When Bond clean bowled their final batsman, he ensured that no home batsman reached double digits, leaving the Ships needing a scarcely believable 37 to win.

Although off to a shaky start, with Effingham left at 2 for 4 after an incisive opening salvo from the Warriors’ opening bowlers, Chris Fewson (22*) and captain Carpenter (12*) made light work of the low target.

Their sixth victory in seven matches brings Effingham 22 points clear of the relegation zone, meaning just one win from the last two games will be enough to secure survival.

Effingham 1st XI 190-9 beat to Chessington 1st XI 162 all out by 28 runs

Effingham 2nd XI 37-4 beat Surrey Warriors 2nd XI 36 all out by 6 wickets