Esher Cricket Club

Under 15s take 2010 West Surrey League Title

32 teams competed in the under 15 West Surrey league, split into 4 pools. Esher were top in Pool B, having beaten Sunbury by 1 run in the deciding match. A comfortable 8 wicket win against Pool A winners Bagshot, meant a championship decider against Stoke d’Abernon, the winners of the Pool C vs Pool D playoff.

Having won the toss Esher elected to bowl. Two former Esher players opened the batting for Stoke and had an early let off as Esher spilled the first catching opportunity. The two openers then fell in quick succession in overs 4 and 5. Jack McClean first knocking over middle stump and then Thomas Burnett taking a good catch off Aran Easwaramohan’s bowling. From 22 for 2 Stoke progressed steadily with Jack McClean narrowly missing out on a second wicket when a catch was disallowed as a result of a no ball.

Stoke reached 70 for 3 before 2 quick wickets in the 15th over, one run out and one viciously turning ball from Tom Burnett picthing outisde off before clipping leg stump after a play and miss by the batsman. There was another dropped catch in the 17th over before Tom McClean picked up the sixth wicket near the end.

Although there were a few mistakes in the field, some tight bowling from the Esher attack meant that Stoke had at times struggled to score runs. Their final total of 99 for 6 off their allotted 20 overs looked like it was probably a little short.

With a target of 100 to win, Esher started their innings strongly reaching 26 for 0 by the fourth over, albeit with a slice of luck as Tom McClean was clean bowled on a no ball. The fourth over saw the first wicket fall, and Jack McClean joined brother Tom at the crease. With some strong hitting from both, Esher moved to 64 for 1 after 8 overs and looked set for a comfortable victory.

Then Stoke brought their spinner into the attack, taking Jack’s wicket with his first ball. A further 2 wickets from the same bowler in his second over and another in his third saw Esher slump to 86 for 5, including the wicket of Tom McClean for 44. Another bowling change at the opposite end saw another two wickets fall, leaving Esher 88 for 7.

Some good bowling from Stoke and lax batting from Esher had evened up the game, but the odds still favoured Esher with only 12 required from 6 overs with 3 wickets in hand.

Stoke gave Esher a helping hand when two Stoke players collided when attempting a straightforward catch, but Esher were determined to make a close finish of the game. With the scores tied on 99 the 8th wicket fell, followed quickly by the 9th on the following ball. Spectators were now on the edge of their seats with Stoke needing one wicket and Esher needing one run. Will Campbell batting at 9 and Aran Easwaramohan at 11 held their nerve to block four balls, before Will succeeded with an off drive to score the one run required to make Esher Under 15s the West Surrey Youth Cricket League champions.

2010 Summer Coaching Courses

Details of Summer coaching courses are now available. Please visit the Documents section of the website for details and an application form.

U15 Cruise to Victory over Old Rutlishians

Having had the match against Hampton Wick Royals rained off on Sunday, the under 15s were back in league action against Old Rutlishians on Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May. Still short of a number of first choice players due to injury, illness and school commitments, the team again included two under 13 players. Batting first, Esher set a blistering run rate, with Tom McClean scoring an unbeaten 60 off just 9 overs. (Mid Surrey League rules requre batsmen retire at 60).

Stefan Ullrich and Jack McClean kept the scoreboard moving along with knocks of 31 and 28 respectively before Chris Parrish arrived at the crease. In typical fashion Chris scored a rapid 60 not out before also retiring. Some suspect running between the wickets resulted in the late loss of wickets, with Esher reaching a massive 240 for 6 off their allotted 24 overs.

After a brief shower delayed the start of the second innings, the Old Ruts openers took to the crease, with the Esher fielders not enjoying the cold weather in the field. Old Ruts found runs hard to come by, averaging just 3 per over in the first 10 overs. Four wickets also fell early in the innings. The fifth wicket partnership steadied the ship, aided by a three dropped catches - the Esher fielders blaming cold hands. Old Ruts batted through their 24 overs reaching a final total of 118 for 6 - a very comfortable 122 run victory for Esher. The pick of the bowlers was again Thomas Burnett, with figures of 4 overs, 2 maidens and 2 wickets for just 7 runs. Cameron Walker also captured 2 wickets after the winter rustiness had worn off!

The victory leaves Esher joint top of the Mid Surrey Under 15 league.

Under 15s Steal Victory in Dramatic Fightback

Esher Under 15’s began their 2010 Mid-Surrey League campaign with a home fixture against Ashtead played at Hersham Cricket Club on Sunday 26th April. Due to the early start to the season a number of players were unavailable due to commitments to rugby and football, resulting in Esher fielding a team containing two under 13 players.

Having lost the toss, Esher were put into bat by Ashtead. Batting through a number of rain showers, the under 15’s reached a respectable 135 for 6 off their allocated 24 overs, thanks largely to an unbeaten 62 from Alex Waghorn. This was backed up by a rapid 22 from Chris Parrish, the runs coming quickly from a characteristically aggressive batting approach.

Defending their 135 total, Esher got off to a flying start with Alex Waghorn bowling the top Ashtead batsman in the first over. After the early loss, Ashtead progressed steadily, reaching 100 for 2, scoring ahead of the required run rate, and looking set for a comfortable victory. Alex Waghorn then returned to the bowling to break the crucial third wicket partnership, sparking a dramatic Ashtead collapse. The main damage was done by spinner Thomas Burnett who took 5 wickets in 3 maiden overs, twice having the opportunity of a hat-trick. The first of the five came from an outstanding one-handed overhead catch by Stefan Ullrich and was followed up by an LBW, a caught and bowled and two clean bowled.

Having looked destined for defeat, the Under 15’s captured the last 8 Ashtead wickets for just 15 runs, leaving the opposition with a total of just 115 - a 20 run victory for Esher. The win was made all the more impressive by the fact the team included two under 13 players (Edward Campbell and Jack Simpkin, both of whom performed admirably) and that Esher fielded a large proportion of the innings with only 10 men as a result of an injury to Sam Nutt.

Fixtures for 2010

Fixtures for all Youth teams are now available. Please click here to view.

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