Winning start at East Horsley

Old Cranleighans 159 for 5 (Gates 48, Watkinson 42) beat East Horsley 158 for 9 dec (Chetwode 4-40) by five wickets

After two cancellations by the opposition, our season finally got underway at East Horsley where we overcame the home side and showers to record a five-wicket win. Boss and employee, Henry Watkinson and Johnny Gates, provided the bulk of the runs while the old warhorse Mike Chetwode was the pick of the bowlers.

The Horsley innings was unremarkable, much like Graeme Brown’s innings which was brief. Chetwode was as he always is at the start of the season, heavier but metrognomic, Damien Hill and mini Crump chipped in with two a piece, and just to show that life was returning to normal, Gates recorded his first drop of the summer, a skier that the slips left for the keeper, the keeper left for Gates, and Gates spilt. Nine fielders got the giggles, Henry produced his first teapot of the summer – believed to be a record as it has never been sighted before May – and the reprieved batsman went on to make 75.

Matt Crump and Rob Merry made good progress until Crump’s patience snapped and he was bowled shaping to belt a straight one over midwicket and then Merry was bowled just missing a similar delivery. Gates continued his involvement by running Rob Campbell out and when Hill was bowled we were wobbling on 40 for 4.

But the Headtstart twins took control, attritionally at first with Watkinson taking almost 20 minutes to get off the mark, but they did all that was needed. Once he had started, Watkinson cut loose and although he holed out to midwicket, Gates stayed until the end to make amends for all that had done before.