Dan Chrystie scored a magnificent 111, his first for the 1st XI, in this bottom v top clash in the 4th division at Church Lane. His 120-ball innings was full of scintillating strokes that bought him15 fours as he refused to be dominated by the Woking & Horsell bowling. The visitors won the toss and invited Warlingham to bat on a damp pitch and with the threat of rain. Chrystie and Monish Patel continued from where they left off last week and put on 84 for the first wicket before Monish was trapped lbw to the slow-left armer Damien Honey for 26. The fragile Warlingham batting then did what it has been doing all summer and failed the capitalise on a good start and Chrystie’s efforts at the other end. Skipper Shane Patel was the only other batsmen to reach double figures as wickets fell regularly. Honey took 2 wickets in an excellent spell ten overs for 25 runs and he was followed at the Church Yard End by James Woods who did even better with 4-33 in his ten overs – including the wicket of Chrystie who was seventh out at 168. Connor Chisholm then wrapped up the innings at 172 with two quick wickets as the home teams tail capitulated.
Warlingham captured the prized wicket of Woking’s most prolific batsmen, Tom Dunbar, with the first ball of their innings and soon had Hubble caught behind by the makeshift keeper, Nishan Naidoo, for 9. Tom Green and James Woods then took the score steadily up to 69 before Naidoo had another victim: Green stumped for 22 off Mahesh Amin. With a steady drizzle making things difficult for bowlers and fielders, Warlingham managed to keep the scoring rate down and below the par score that would have become applicable if play was halted, in fact Woking were behind the rate until the 39th over. Amin got a second wicket, dismissing Woods for a patient 51 at 104-4 and with the drizzle becoming heavier and the light decidedly murky, Warlingham could almost have snatched an unlikely win by the workings of the “mini Duckworth-Lewis” formula. However, the weather gods favoured the league leaders, as did the cricketing gods when a key moment arrived with the score on 129-4. Mansoor Mirza came back for a second spell and his first ball brought a confident appeal for caught behind against Ryan Pogson, which he survived and then promptly hit 14 runs from the rest of the over. Pogson finished with 57 not out to see the visitors home by 5 wickets with seven overs to spare and they lead the division by 5 points with two games remaining.
Warlingham 172, 47.1 overs, Woking & Horsell 173-5, 42.5 overs.
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