OLD MID-WHITGIFTIAN 214 M Roberts 6-63

LEATHERHEAD & COBHAM 215-3 S Cush 65, N French 76*

Leatherhead & Cobham won by 7 wickets

Matt Roberts took 6-63 and Nick French hit an unbeaten 76 as Leatherhead & Cobham’s young guns heaped further misery on struggling Old Mid-Whitgifitan with a seven-wicket win on Saturday.

Whilst a total of 214 represented an improvement on Mids’ previous display, it was still well below par on a pitch which offered little assistance to the bowlers.

Mids could hardly have made a better start as openers Ben Shorten and Richard Piggin cashed in on some ragged bowling from the Leatherhead opening attack to score 78 from the first 12 overs of the match.

Shorten was dropped twice but his good fortune was cancelled out when he was caught in the slips off the seventh ball of an over from Michael Wakefield.

Wakefield was the only bowler in the match to squeeze anything out of the wicket and his consistency was rewarded with the further wickets of Piggin (lbw) and Jesse James who was out bowled as Leatherhead hauled themselves back into the match.

As the bowlers began to stem the flow of runs too many OMW batsmen then threw their wickets away when seemingly set for big scores and this ended up being the difference between the sides.

Robert Warne hit a ball from Roberts straight to Weller and Stewart Sales (38), who had looked a genuine threat, then scooped a delivery from Wakefield up into the air and into the hands of Peak.

Malcolm Sales (21) and John McSherry (16) added useful runs but they too were unable to go on to post scores of the necessary substance.

Roberts, who bowled economically throughout, finished with 6-63 while the impressive Wakefield took 4-50 as Mids were dismissed in the 53rd over for 214.

When Australian opener Stephen Cush hit James Carpenter for an enormous straight six off the third ball of the Leatherhead reply it was a signal of things to come.

Mids spent the next two hours haplessly chasing leather in the field as Leatherhead’s attacking batting line-up took their bowling apart.

Cush hit 65 off as many balls, timing the ball beautifully throughout, while fellow opener Peak scored 24 as the home side got off to a flying start.

The introduction of the new ball finally gave the batsmen something to think about and a fine delivery from Mark Roberts eventually broke the stand when Peak was caught behind by James.

However, incoming batsman French proved just as dangerous as balls continued to disappear to the boundary with regularity and after 20 overs Mids already looked a beaten side.

Mids captain Stewart Sales used a total of seven bowlers but to no avail as the match hastened to an inevitable conclusion and only Roberts and Matt Winter emerged with much respectability.

Cush was caught at slip by Carpenter off McSherry and Brewer (29) was stumped charging down the wicket to Carpenter but these two further wickets were nothing more than consolation as Leatherhead reached their target in just 34 overs.

Mids welcome Egham to Lime Meadow on Saturday as they seek to stop the rot.