VALLEY End closed the gap on AJ Sports Surrey Championship 1st XI Division One leaders Banstead thanks to a crushing win over Old Wimbledonians last Saturday.
Second-placed Valley were awarded 24 points for their 148-run success in Raynes Park and took advantage of Banstead being held to a draw by Malden Wanderers.
Now only 13 points separate Valley and Banstead, with five rounds of matches remaining.
The Surrey Heath side were inserted at Old Wimbledonians Sports Ground and piled up 284-6 declared off 59 overs, South African Josh Dodd again earning his corn. This time the opener whacked 152 – featuring three sixes and 15 boundaries – off 171 balls.
Wicketkeeper George Freeeman made 74 not out – he and Dodd put on 165 for the fifth wicket – but the third-highest scorer was extras (16).
Dylan Ransi was the pick of the home team’s attack, snapping up 3-31 from 11 overs.
The lowly Londoners slumped to 25-4 in response – and despite Brandon McCabe’s undefeated 82, they were dismissed for 136 in 38.3 overs.
Valley’s Jamie Stephens starred with 4-20 off 11.3 overs and Charlie Dunnett bagged 3-32 from 11 overs.
Woking & Horsell climbed two places into fourth spot in 1st XI Division Four by seeing off visitors Kempton by four wickets.
The Brewery Road men reduced their guests to 61-5 after instructing them to take first knock and had them back in the hutch for 167 in 43.4 overs.
With Kempton’s top five failing to fire, Joel Miah (30), Ellis Miah (29) and Deen Yousaf (26) prevented total humiliation.
Calum Chisholm and Tim Keene were Kempton’s nemeses, swooping for 5-32 from 14 overs and 4-33 off 11.4 overs respectively.
Woking & Horsell did not have everything their own way in reply and found themselves 86-5.
But number three Keene hung around to craft 67 not out from 119 balls and see his team to victory at 171-6 in 45.1 overs.
Byfleet maintained their Shepherd Neame Surrey County League 1st XI Premier promotion push by getting the better of Roehampton by four wickets at Parvis Road.
Craig Schlemmer’s 111 from 109 balls was key to the Londoners posting 217 all out from 48.4 overs after being put in.
Skipper Jack Reinbach weighed in with 49 and shared a 145-run stand with Schlemmer for the third wicket.
Most successful with the ball for the hosts were Sam Tyler (3-9 in six overs) and Riley Coutts (3-75 off 12.4 overs).
Alfie Mickley (58), Ashley Rannie (50) and Tyler (35 not out) were the chief run-getters as Byfleet hit back with 220-6 in 44.5 overs, Paul Fuchs claiming 3-60 from 14 overs.
Chobham recovered from 99-5 to reach their target of 163 without further loss against guests Mitcham and consolidate second position in 1st XI Division One.
The travellers were skittled for 162 in 42.3 overs after electing to bat at the High Street Ground, number three Raj Joshi holding the innings together with 65.
However, Mitcham lost their last six wickets for 30 runs.
Oz Henry (2-21 from nine overs), Hammad Shabbir (2-35 off nine overs) and Matt Silk (2.23 in 3.3 overs) grabbed the bulk of the wickets.
Chobham were 22-2 in response but the innings seemed to have been turned around by a 61-run stand for the third-wicket between Harry Bowman (49) and Alex Kurobasa.
A mini-collapse ensued but an undefeated sixth-wicket partnership worth 65 from Henry (33 not out) and Ben Storey (27 not out) propelled the Surrey Heath team to 164-5 from 34.3 overs.
Mitcham’s Shami Rabbani snaffled 2-34 in nine overs.
Ripley climbed into third place – despite losing by 19 runs at Putney. With Merrow failing to take any points against top dogs Merstham, Ripley’s eight points lifted them above the Guildford outfit.
Putney clocked up 204-9 in 45 overs after being inserted, number five Alex Hope the mainstay with 80.
Yasir Rehman returned 2-33 from nine overs, Sam Burgess had 2-18 in four overs and Toby Zapp took 2-41 off nine overs.
Braydon Pink (40) and Burgess (30 not out) led the way in the Ripley response but could not stop their team being ripped out for 185 in 42.2 overs, Chin Ratnayake celebrating 3-20 off 8.2 overs.
Ottershaw thrashed struggling hosts Englefield Green by 91 runs in 1st XI Division Three, the result condemning the losers to bottom spot.
The Otters racked up 248-8 in 45 overs, having been inserted.
Suresh Kaushan top-scored with 78, Matthew Park made an unbeaten 49 and Waqas Zahid chipped in with 34.
Englefield Green’s Richard Back bagged 3-48 in nine overs.
Then Ottershaw’s Raja Rafaqat claimed the impressive figures of 3-7 from nine overs and Hasan Raza picked up 3-65 in nine overs as the home team were removed for 157.
Andy Dare and Joe Bowman notched 34 apiece in the 39.2-over innings.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Faisal hammered another big score as Ottershaw seconds again clocked up a breathtaking total in 2nd XI Division Three.
Having scored 249 not out from 120 balls in the Otters’ 409-1 against Hook & Southborough seconds on July 8, he belted an unbeaten 145 – with eight sixes and 14 fours – off 93 deliveries as they posted 346-2 against their Englefield Green counterparts and won by 232 runs.
Sanjeev Bidur and Nico Theologo bowled Old Woking to a 56-run success at Salfords in Surrey Downs League Division One.
Bidur collected 4-18 in eight overs and Theologo bagged 3-31 from eight overs as the Redhill-area side were sent back for 148 in pursuit of 205.
The visitors, who were put in, made 204-7 in 40 overs, Ganesh Bollineni’s 65 not out from 46 balls the highlight.
Bidur scored 38 and Matt Jeffrey made 32.
Ramprabhu Rajasekar, Anand Murali and Oliver Miles each took two wickets.
Leading scorers for Salfords in their 38.3-over knock were Nishanth Sankaralingham (33) and Miles (29).
Pirbright secured their first victory of the I’Anson Cup Division Two season when they thumped hosts Tongham by nine wickets.
With Neel Das pocketing 3-29 from ten overs and Robbie White, Anu Raj and Ruwan Wickramanayaka taking two wickets apiece, Tongham were shot out for 118 after being told to bat. Liam Gadd (42) led the way in the 44.1-over innings, the final four wickets tumbling for three runs.
Pirbright lost skipper and opener James Thompson for a duck in the reply, caught off Lewis Spittles.
But second-wicket pair Alex Houghton and Rob Percival showed their mettle, sharing an unbeaten stand worth 118 to steer the travellers to 121-1 in 24.3 overs.
Houghton carried his bat for 68 not out. Percival put together an undefeated 41.
Division Four title-chasers Worplesdon & Burpham were held to a surprise home draw by bottom side Chiddingfold seconds.
The hosts, who were inserted, made 217-6 declared from 40 overs, Jack Lenton (45 not out), Tom Blaxland (41) and Oliver Schofield (35) the leading contributors.
Chiddingfold’s Nick Harman returned 3-21 off nine overs.
Despite Worplesdon & Burpham’s George Hargreaves snaring 3-12 from nine overs and Thomas Hinch managing 3-26 in nine overs, the travellers replied with 133-8 off 40 overs.
Top-scorers were Simon Schollar, who carried his bat for 52 not out, and Harman (43).
Bad weather ruined last Sunday’s Village Cricket League programme, but Westfield Saints started their Division Two match at home to Ottershaw seconds and were 93-2 from 19 overs at the close after deciding to bat. Umar Younis cracked 55 off 48 balls.