Banstead 1st XI came away with a winning draw from their Surrey Championship Premier Division encounter with Cheam on Saturday, writes Michael Taylor.

On a typically flat Cheam wicket, the visitors chose to bat first and 156 from Ali Jaffer with support from skipper Jak Martin (76) and Sam Woodward (74) enabled them to post a startling 378-5 off only 55 overs.

Having lost Surrey pair Tom Lancefield (29) and Rory Burns (14) early, Banstead rebuilt through Martin and Jaffer, who put on over 120 for the third wicket. Martins departure didn’t deter the Banstead line up as Sam Woodward continued where his captain had left off with an explosive innings that included eight fours and four sixes. Him and Jaffer put on 155 in only 73 minutes leaving Cheam facing a mammoth target.

Jaffer’s innings included an astounding twenty seven boundaries and a further four sixes, as he continued his excellent early season form against a Cheam attack struggling to find its feet in the top division.

Cheam began their chase at a blistering pace with David Houpapa and Bradley Scriven putting on 44 for the first wicket, in next to no time. Richard Bedbrook broke the partnership, having Houpapa caught by Daniel Sutton for 23. That brought Chris Salmons to the crease and he and Scriven continued the Cheam chase with aplomb before Mohammed Fahim Jan bowled him.

Cheam’s captain Danny Miller entered the fray and attacked the seamers and spinners from the off. The quality of the wicket shone through as both Salmons and Miller dispatched the Banstead attack to all parts of the ground and at one point they seemed destined to chase down the mammoth target. Banstead’s trio of left arm spinners, Tom Lancefield, Dan Gale, and Freddie Van Den Bergh tried to calm the storm and Lancefield finally broke the partnership when he had Salmons caught behind by Rory Burns for an excellent 93.

This sparked a mini collapse as Cheam went from 261-3 to 307-6 courtesy of two wickets from Gale and one from Van Den Bergh. Miller’s dismissal came after he brought up a brilliant hundred and brought an end to any hope the home side had of winning the game. They finished on 324-6 off their 65 overs, as Banstead took the four points for the winning draw.

Next week Banstead host Normandy, whilst Cheam travel to Wimbledon.