Reigate Priory demolished Sutton by 46 runs in the round two game of the Surrey Championship T20 cup at Sutton in a win dubbed as 'clinical' by director of cricket Michael Foster.
Almost from the first ball of the game Richard Oliver and makeshift opener Henry Tye dismantled the Sutton attack scoring at a rate of over ten runs per over.
Oliver was scoring at a strike rate approaching 200. So easy does he make batting look, it seemed as if the game was a mid-week net, hardly worth breaking sweat over, rather than a scheduled cup match. Wherever the opposition captain placed his fielders, Oliver simply found other areas of the field in which to hit the ball.
Oliver's demise for 51 off 26 balls came after he hit the second ball from Sutton's South African professional Garth Davson into the pavilion for six runs, scattering home and away spectators alike. As if he was pleased with that result, he tried to repeat the stroke next ball and was caught on the boundary.
But it was Tye who was the surprise package in this 86 run opening stand. Tye couldn't match Oliver's strike rate, of course, but with 32 not out off 25 balls when Oliver lost his wicket, Tye then upped his own strike rate from 128 to 167 in a 58-run partnership with Craig Cachopa that took but five overs.
Cachopa, who captains this T20 side, played a delightful cameo innings scoring off all of the 12 balls he received. When Sutton's captain Sam Woods came on to bowl Cachopa hit his offbreaks for two successive sixes over long-on, threatening a group of home spectators watching by their cars. He attempted the third 6 in three balls, missed the ball and was bowled for 22. At 144-2 off 13.3 overs the Priory were looking at a final total over 200. Murtagh and Raja tried to help Tye push the score along towards this target but in overs 17 and 18 all three of these batsmen perished. Tye top-scored with 76 runs off 53 balls as Reigate finished their 20 overs at 189-8.
Sutton never came to grips with such a daunting target. Opener Dan Douthwaite, one of Keith Medleycott's protégés at Reed's School at Cobham, was beautifully caught and bowled by Robbie Williams for nought in the first over.
Neil Saker came on to bowl as first change in the fifth over and with the last ball of his first over bowled Sutton wicketkeeper Russell Coombe for 17. Within three balls of his second over Saker had Luke Smith leg before for 6 and got rid of danger man Davson for 13, thanks to a fine running catch by Chris Murtagh. Those three wickets by Saker for one run in four balls knocked the stuffing out of Sutton and left them reeling at 34-4 after 6.3 overs.
Sutton did show some middle order resistance when Ross Goodwin 18 (off 13 balls), Sam Schofield 25 (off 29 balls) and Kiwi Warren Barnes 31 (off 25 balls) all scored runs. However long before Barnes was out (caught Oliver off Saker) at 123-8 in the 19th over, the game had in essence been lost.
Saker finished with 4-19 off his three overs and was the standout bowler of the six bowlers tried. Sutton finished their innings after 20 overs at 143-9, 46 runs behind.
