Old Woking 215 (45 overs) Ockham 216-3 (43.5 overs) Ockham win by 7 overs

NICK COLLINS’ 84-run stand could not steer Old Woking to victory on the opening day of the Surrey Downs League Division 1 season.

Captain Matt Coomber’s first game in charge of the first XI started well with the hosts winning the toss and choosing to bat first.

Collins and Lee Stenning started confidently, hitting at a good rate against Ockham’s opening pace bowlers.

The former scored freely during the opening 10 overs, smashing boundaries all around the wicket at regular intervals.

Stenning caught up with a series of 4s and both batsmen reached the 40s at around the same time. A nervy edge brought up Collins’ 50 but he then hit a confident six and four off the next two deliveries. A short time later Stenning also brought up his much deserved half century.

Ockham responded by bringing on their talismanic off-spinner Andrew Grimshaw – and it proved to be a pivotal moment in the tie.

Stenning fell and was quickly followed by Collins. Old Woking were then in for a massive middle and lower order collapse, and from 140 without loss they whimpered to 215 all out.

After teas, Dean Stenning and Adam Mascarenhas led the bowling, but Ockham’s openers buried in and scored boundaries at regular intervals during the first 15 overs.

Coomber took the pick of the wickets when they did start to tumble, diving to catch Richard Slater off Collins’ delivery.

But as the game wore on Ockham’s confidence began to grow and soon they were within 15 runs of winning with more than five overs left.

Successive boundaries an over or so later off Mascarenhas condemned Old Woking to defeat in the season’s curtain raiser.