Match Report - Surrey Slam v Merstham Magics

A balmy Wednesday evening saw South Nutfield Mavericks host Merstham Magics. Can you have more than one magic? My spellchecker says no.

Anyway to the game. Having had limited success at the toss this season, Jack ‘Useless Tosser’ Bellars walked out with the Magics’ skipper and after a bit of sleight of hand, South Nutfield were asked to field.

9 off the first over including a six and it looked like Merstham meant business. But Matt ‘The Glass Man’ Lewis saw that this was just an illusion. He kept it tight in the second over, with just 2 runs off the first 5 deliveries. Then a shout for LBW on the last ball. As the umpire considered, the ball hit the back of the batsmen’s bat and rolled slowly towards the stumps with just enough force to dislodge the off bail.

The first dagger had been plunged into the cabinet. Matt ‘MoM’ Lewis collected his second wicket in his second over courtesy of an Alex ‘Safe Hands’ Smith catch and followed it up quickly with his third by bowling the Merstham no.4. This time the ball didn’t so much as trickle towards the stumps as hit them with tremendous force, off stump sent cartwheeling. It was looking less likely the Magics were going to perform an escapology trick.

The pressure was beginning to tell on the remaining Merstham opening bat and an injudicious second run to Chris ‘Don’t take on my arm’ Wigley saw him run out.

A few quick runs from Jawad Riaz (16) gave the visitors a bit of hope, but a slower ball from Matt ‘Disguise is my Middle Name’ Lewis (4 for 21) again found the target and Merstham had lost their top 5 within the first 8 overs with less than 50 on the board. The rope had been cut and it was looking less likely it would be restored.

A change of strategy required perhaps? No! Merstham continued to aim for the maximums and to little avail. Alfie ‘The Kid’ Wainscoat (1 for 16) striking next, Matt ‘Keep in the Game’ Lewis pouching the catch at long off. Chris ‘Forget the First Over’ Wigley (1 for 21) next up induced a top edge safely held by Glenn ‘Up at 4am’ Pearson. Then a run out for Darren ‘Come on’ England from short fine leg and it felt as if South had found all the aces in the pack.

8 down and Billy ‘I don’t just perform at weekends’ Saunders (2 for 3) was introduced. A dodgy double-bouncer first up. Second ball smashed hard and high to the bowler’s left. Billy levitated horizontally and what a catch! Sadly with the double-bouncer now a no-ball it was a free hit, so no wicket. Third ball straight this time and clean bowled, fourth ball straight again, LBW. Caught, bowled, LBW in three deliveries sadly no hat-trick. Innings closed 75 all out in just 13.4 overs.

How would South fair in return? Without much problem as it turned out. Chris ‘Your Correspondent’ Walker and Alex ‘2 balls in the bush’ Smith opened up. Walker hitting two fours in the first over which went for 13, followed by 9 off the next. The introduction of Jaffri increased the pace of the bowling and slowed the pace of the scoring. But runs still flowed with Smith putting one delivery nearly into the gardens in Cricket Hill for a massive six. Jaffri trapped Walker LBW for 14 off 11 balls, but thanks to Smith (35no off 23) and extras the score was already on 60. Jack ‘6th ball is a single’ Bellars (11no off 6) found the boundary twice to see the side home for the loss of only 1 wicket in just 7.4 overs. Merstham had been well and truly sawn in half.