Jeffery hits landmark but Charterhouse can’t quite follow suit

Charterhouse 199-9 and 224-3 dec
Cranleigh  162-9 and 258-8    Match drawn

Charterhouse’s last match of the season was the now traditional two-day game against neighbours Cranleigh on June 30th and July 1st. Played in sweltering heat throughout the game covered the full gambit of cricketing possibilities and ended in a spine-tingling last few overs with both sides desperately seeking victory.

The contrast between the two days play could not have been more marked. On the first day both sides played as badly as they had all season and then on day two the standard of play rose dramatically. What they had had to eat in between can only be left to conjecture but it certainly worked.

Charterhouse won the toss and chose to bat. They then produced a lamentably inept display of batting and reached lunch on the first morning struggling at 115-7. After lunch James Kinsey and Julian Hornby showed their more illustrious forebears what was possible with simple application putting on 75 for the eighth wicket and restoring some degree of respectability. Hornby was stumped on 31 but Kinsey went on to make a fully deserved maiden 1st XI fifty. It was not the first time this season that he has rescued his side and his fine innings promised much for the future.

Poor as Charterhouse had been, Cranleigh were little better as they struggled their 55 over allocation losing wickets steadily. Only the youngsters Burgess and J Scriven showed any real resistance and it took a late flurry from Cross and Wilson at the end of the innings to put them within sight of the home team’s total. Tom Kimmins was the pick of the home bowlers with 3-25 leaving the coaches wondering why he had not been tried out earlier in the term.

The first part of day two belonged to Charterhouse and, more specifically to Ben Jeffery and Jamie Rumball. Jeffery began the second innings knowing that he needed 113 runs to pass Peter May’s total of 1794 for the 1st XI. He also knew that he would not have all day in which to get them, for on this flat pitch Charterhouse would need a long time to bowl out their opponents. He set his stall out to achieve his target and, having survived a couple of scares, went into lunch on 62 not out. Rumball, meanwhile, had seen two wickets fall for just 19 runs and his task was to make sure that Charterhouse did not suffer the same agonies as the day before. He batted initially with circumspection and then with ever-growing confidence to overtake Jeffery and lead his side into lunch on 135-2.

It was clear after the interval that Charterhouse would only bat for another fifteen overs or so and the question became one of whether Jeffery could score quickly enough to reach his personal milestone and whether Rumball could finally make a century on Green. For some time it looked as though only the latter result was likely as Rumball batted with great composure and control. Slowly, however, Jeffery began to press the accelerator and the distant possibility became increasingly more feasible. Tragically for Rumball he fell to an excellent caught and bowled by Allan when on 92 and then all eyes turned to Jeffery. He passed his century comfortably and then with perfect timing struck the first ball of the fiftieth over back over Cross’s head for a long six and considerable personal satisfaction.

Charterhouse declared immediately and set about trying to win the match in the 60 overs that remained of the day. Bray struck early, Gloak picked up two in his first five overs and, when Robert Cowdrey was bowled by Tom Kimmins offering no stroke, Charterhouse appeared to be in total control. Tea came with the score at 78-4 and victory a distant dream for Cranleigh. Shevi de Soysa snapped up a brilliant chance at short leg to reduce the opposition to 104-5 and it looked to be only a matter of time.

Ironically, time was what Cranleigh had and Austin and J Scriven took full advantage of it to drag their side back into the game. Initially just irksome their partnership blossomed well and by the time it had reached 100 Cranleigh were contemplating an unlikely victory with 58 needed off the final eleven overs and five wickets still in hand.

In the next over Scriven was caught off Tom Kimmins leaving his partner to nurse the tail to victory. It had been an excellent innings and he had the pleasure of being the only batsman on either side to produce two good innings in the match. Austin was joined by Davies and the two looked to have things completely under control as they took the target down to just 30 runs off the last five overs.

Charterhouse are nothing if not fighters, however, and they were not going to lie down and die at this stage. De Soysa took another excellent catch off Bray to dismiss the dangerous Austin and, when Gloak had Cross caught behind in the penultimate over, Cranleigh found themselves facing an uphill climb and Charterhouse were the ones with the scent of victory in their nostrils. In the end neither side triumphed and the game ended in an honourable and deserved draw – Charterhouse’s only draw of the season.