Horley men's cricketers start with a trio of wins

Gritty middle-order batting from Ben Davies and Jon Barnett helped Horley 1st XI beat Sanderstead by 22 runs. Sanderstead, who play two leagues above Horley in the Surrey Championship pyramid, elected to bowl first at the Old Sawmill, on what looked like being a difficult track to score on in the first innings.

After four early wickets fell, Davies and Barnett steadied the ship, taking Horley to 63-4 at drinks after 20 overs. Both scored at a steady rate and pushed the score beyond 100 before Barnett attempt one big shot too many and holed out to mid-off. Davies continued to keep the score ticking along, now with the help of Will Taylor and he reached his 50 with a brutal strike over the sightscreen.

With overs starting to run out, Davies went after the bowlers more regularly until he smashed a loose ball straight to short fine leg. Luke Smith and Taylor saw the innings out, getting Horley up to a more than respectable total of 197-7.

Taylor and Davies opened the bowling for Horley and Davies picked up a wicket in his first over. Sanderstead still moved the score along, mainly due to Jake Scarisbrick (50) who was the pick of their batsmen. When skipper Charlie Robins replaced Taylor and Guy Derham replaced Davies, Horley started to slow the run rate down and Robins picked up two LBWs while Derham clean bowled Tyler Ward after he left a delivery that jagged back off.

Smith came on to bowl his consistent line and length and the teenager was rewarded with a wicket to leave Sanderstead 93-5 in the 25th over. Scarisbrick was still chipping away, until Matt Gainsford had him caught by Robins at square leg. Sandeep Kuckreja (26) made a quick cameo but soon fell to Davies, with Smith taking a good high catch. Davies and Barnett picked up the final few wickets to dismiss Sanderstead for 175.

This was a good first run-out for Horley, before their first league game of the season next Saturday, away at Cobham Avorians. Horley 2nd XI beat South Nutfield by 62 runs at Horley Row with new batter Dave Dyer top scoring with 85 not out.

On a damp ground, Horley were put in and initially struggled with the ball coming slowly off the pitch. Dyer joined skipper Andrew Thomas at the wicket at 24-2 and they put on 34 for the third wicket before Thomas fell for 28 from 43 balls, including four fours. Dyer batted on to the end of the 40-over innings, losing six more partners for single figures on the way. He faced 74 balls and hit four sixes and seven fours in a terrific return to cricket after a few years away from the game.

Horley’s total of 145-9 from 40 overs wasn’t the biggest, but as South Nutfield play a couple of divisions below Horley in the league pyramid, it proved to be too much for the visitors.Chris Cosham (9-2 from six overs) bowled two batters in consecutive balls in the third over, with opener Jan Skarbek offering no shot and Muhammad Fayyaz taking an almighty first-ball swing and missing. Dan Sired took two wickets for nine runs, the first caught by Dyer and the second an excellent leaping one-handed catch by Will Hofmann. Alex Field then had Mark Pereira caught behind by Andrew Reid to reduce South Nutfield to 18-5.

Robin Paullett and Matthew Lewis put on 25 for the sixth wicket before Ben Stewart took the first of three catches, giving Hofmann (31-3) the first of his three wickets, dismissing Paullett for 13. Dylan Campbell was bowled off the next ball and Stewart later took another catch off Hofmann to end Lewis’s innings on 28. Trevor Stevens (13-2) accounted for two wickets, caught by Stewart and Field, as South Nutfield were bowled out for 83 in 30.3 overs.

Horley 3rds beat the Mighty Greys by a massive 142 runs in a friendly 40 over game at Horley Row on Sunday.Horley elected to bat and started with an amazing opening partnership of 81 by Josh Mason and Rob Rigby. Mason retired on 50, but the momentum continued and Horley made 263-5 off 40 overs, with Rigby retiring on 53 and Jack Poplett (46), Dirk Douglas (33) and Aidan Spalding (30) also in fine form.

Horley struck 35 fours and five sixes, while Ben Newland took four wickets for the Greys. Horley’s innings ended with Max Heise perfectly timing a reverse sweep for four. Sam Terry and Darren Croft opened the bowling for Horley, setting a perfect example for the rest of the team to follow. Terry picked up two wickets in his first five overs and Croft got two in eight overs while only going for 21 runs.The skipper, Kieran Childs took one wicket and Spalding and Rigby then took an end each and a wicket each before Terry (4-17) returned, picking up an extra two wickets in one over. Khyan Patel took the final wicket, a stumping by Douglas, as the Greys were all out for 121 in 31 overs.