There were two more trophies up for grabs at the weekend as East Molesey once again came out on top. Richard Spiller reports on how they clinched a treble this season.
Champagne is in fashion at East Molesey after a wonderful finish to the season.
Having claimed the AJ Sports Surrey Championship Premier Division title a week earlier, for the third time in five seasons, they faced two cup finals – and won them both.
First came the Raman Subba Row Plate, a competition started this year to give players outside first-team level an opportunity to play T20 cricket, a sibling for the league’s well-established Edwards Cup.
Subba Row, the former Surrey, Northants and England opener who became one of world cricket’s most influential administrators, died in April aged 92 and it was an ideal opportunity to commemorate a man who inaugurated the first meeting of clubs that went on to form the Surrey Championship in 1968.
East Molesey B overcame Ashford B by five wickets in their semi-final and found themselves up against Cheam B, who had beaten Reigate Priory B by 30 runs.
Nomaan Ali (34) and Muhammad Faizan (33) were chiefly responsible for Cheam making 128-8 in their 20 overs, Jack Miller claiming 3-15. Tiam Afshar’s 40 led the chase, Moles winning by three wickets with nine balls to spare.
Miller received the Plate from Anne Subba Row, Raman’s wife, on a day excellently staged by Horsley & Send at Twinn’s Field.
That sent Moles on to Bexley for the Conference Cup final, where they were taking on fellow Surrey Championship Premier side Banstead, both sticking to the youthful sides which had taken them to the final rather than recalling established players who had not featured earlier in the competition.
Surprisingly sent in, Moles were indebted to Kieran Burge (77) for a firm foundation to their innings, substantial contributions from Michael Shean (36), James Cake (47) and Cole Campbell’s breezy 51no from 40 balls for reaching 251-7 from their 45 overs. Ben Butterfield claimed 3-33 from three frenetic overs in the final stages of the innings, which saw Gareth Macaskill helped off after ripping a hamstring in the outfield.
Ayush Patel (76) and Arjun Gill (28) set about taking advantage of the 15-over powerplay, putting on 89 before the latter was bowled by Toby Porter.
Patel maintained his speedy rate and had just hit his fourth six – along with eight fours – with a giant straight blow. But left-arm spinner Jonny Fawcett floated the next delivery higher and wider, the opener stranded way out of his ground and Sam Burge whipping off the bails to reward his wily colleague.
East Molesey’s depth of spin paid a premium as Luka Woods trapped Harri Aravinthan (18) leg-before. Max Tomlinson took a vital return catch to remove prolific Australian Patrick Rowe for 18. Butterfield’s 21 was key to keeping Banstead in with an outside chance as Fawcett claimed three more wickets.
Macaskill finally limped to the wicket at 213-9, with time running out, and is clearly no quitter. When the sides met in a T20 earlier in the season, he collapsed in the field with what was feared to be a heart attack and the match was abandoned. Happily, it turned out to be a more minor ailment and he was back in action soon after.
It was pacer Porter, the leading Premier wicket-taker with 44 victims as he led the Moles’ attack, who had the final word by bowling Macaskill to earn his side victory by 35 runs in a competition which combined the old Bertie Joel competition with what was once the Evening Standard Challenge.
Banstead, who finished sixth on their return to the top flight, can look back at a fine season but it was Shean who stepped up to receive East Molesey’s latest piece of silverware.
Amid the regular improvements made at Graburn Way, an enlarged trophy cabinet will have to be the next priority.
