​Horley 1st XI 82 all out (36.2 overs), Shepperton 1st XI 83-2 (20.2 overs), Surrey County League Division One, Saturday 31 August, Horley Row. Horley lost by eight wickets.
Horley Cricket Club 1st XI secured promotion to the Surrey County League Premier Division despite a heavy defeat in their final league match of the season.
Sitting in second place in the table before the game, nine points ahead of third-placed Putney, Horley were skittled out for 82 by Shepperton and were unable to return the favour, as their visitors made 83-2 to win the game. Horley then had to endure a long wait to find out Putney’s result and, to their delight, when the news came through during the evening it was good, as Putney had picked up just six bonus points in a loss to bottom-placed Old Tenisonians, so Horley had hung on to the second promotion spot behind champions London Gymkhana.
This was Horley’s second season in Division One, having been promoted at the end of 2017 after three seasons in Division Two. They won six of their first seven matches this year then went off the boil a bit with three draws mid-season and only two wins out of their last five games.
Nevertheless, skipper Charlie Robins was obviously delighted they had secured promotion.
“After we lost the last match, when we thought we might have blown our chance of going up, we were saying to each other that to finish third would be all right – we would have been happy with that at the start of the season.
“But, after the way we started the season, we had hopes, and so we are buzzing to be going up.
“Anybody can beat anybody in this league – all the top teams lost their last match and all the bottom teams won.”
Horley’s second team had already sealed the County League 2nd XI Division One title with a match to spare, and with their T20 team finishing as losing finalists, it has been an extremely successful season for the club. They expect life in the Premier Division to be tougher still, but Robins said: “Our team is really young – the average age is about 25, so we can get better.”

Horley Under-13s in the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival
Horley Under-13s had to play some tough fixtures in last week’s Sussex Festival, with matches against last year’s finalists Horsham and Cuckfield and a very strong Lingfield team.
The boys performed superbly, drawing with Horsham on Tuesday in the first match but coming so close to a win with only two runs needed off the last ball (Horsham 167-9 declared, 32.5 overs, Horley 166-8, 37 overs).
Highlights included a hat-trick from Evan Grimwood in a four-wicket haul, plus brilliant bowling from fellow paceman Edward James with three wickets of his own. Ben Ware batted at number four on his Horley debut and made a masterly 80 not out with a mixture of big hitting and sound defence.
Cuckfield came to Horley Row on Thursday and batted first, building a big total even though Horley got their strongest batsman out relatively early, the brilliant catch at mid-wicket by Jack Love giving them the start they hoped for.
Cuckfield eventually declared on 217 and left Horley 39 overs to try and beat it. Horley skipper Harry Grimwood hit a majestic 90, bravely batting on with a foot injury and came so close to bringing Horley the victory they wanted. In the end an exciting finish saw another drawn game, with Joe English and Jack Love surviving the last over surrounded by the Cuckfield fielders, seeking the elusive last wicket, as Horley finished on 203-9.
Lingfield away on Friday ended with the game being abandoned due to rain, but only after Love made headlines again with his first ever half-century, hitting a quick-fire 60 in response to Lingfield's 170 all out. Under-11 player Aidan Spalding took two wickets and Tim Holt only gave away one run in his speedy three-over spell. At 84-2 when the rain stopped play, Horley were in a strong position but the win they so richly deserved over the three matches proved elusive.

​Horley Under-14s – Sussex Junior Cricket Festival Under-14s Shield
Horley Under-14s batsman Harry Grimwood scored his first century during an exciting Sussex Junior Cricket Festival week, making 112 not out at Barns Green.
The Horley team did themselves proud against four strong opponents in the Shield competition, winning one game, losing one and securing two losing draws to end up mid-table.
Harry Grimwood made 86 not out in the win over Burgess Hill (Burgess Hill 194-8 from 42 overs, Horley 198-9, 34 overs) and 61 in the draw with Lindfield (Lindfield 260-6, 35 overs, Horley 152-8, 45 overs) before finishing the week in style with 112 not out (18 fours) in the defeat at Barns Green (Horley 230-2, 42 overs, Barns Green 231-7, 38 overs).
He made his century in partnership with Evan Grimwood (no relation) who scored 78 not out in an incredible unbeaten third-wicket stand of 201. Evan Grimwood had retired hurt in the first losing draw of the week at Ansty (Ansty 262-4, 35.2 overs, Horley 204-8, 44 overs) after being hit in the chest while batting, so to come back and make 17 against Lindfield then 78 at Barns Green was fantastic.
Horley had looked like starting the week with a defeat at Ansty after conceding 262 runs, but under-12s player Luke Smith batted superbly to make his first half-century and finished on 80 not out. He faced 123 balls to see Horley home for the draw, with another under-12s player, Ryan Bunn, making 16 from 35 balls.
Horley’s team was bolstered for the week by three Newdigate players – Oliver Brien, Henry Wells and Thomas Clark – and they all contributed well. Brien took two wickets and two catches, Clark one catch and a run-out, and Wells a wicket, a catch plus 19 and 13 with the bat.
After beating Burgess Hill in their second match, Horley had to work hard to bat out a draw versus Lindfield after conceding 260 runs. Harry Grimwood, Evan Grimwood (17) and Smith (24) all contributed before Bunn stubbornly faced 35 balls for one run while three partners came and went, and saw Horley home.
The Grimwoods’ batting was the headline from Friday’s loss at Barns Green, but two under-11s players, Ali Khan and Henry Grimwood took a wicket each and Alex Field got a direct-hit run-out off the first ball and took two wickets.
During the week, Edward James bowled well to take three wickets, Ben Stewart took two and a catch, Bailey Warren one wicket and two catches, Tommy McKenna a wicket and a direct-hit run-out and Joe English one wicket.

​Horley 2nd XI 165-8 (45 overs), Shepperton 2nd XI 102 all out (37.4 overs), Surrey County League 2nd XI Division One, Saturday 24 August, Horley Row. Horley won by 63 runs.
Horley 2nd XI fulfilled their season’s target by winning the Surrey County League 2nd XI Division One title thanks to a 63-run victory over Shepperton 2nd XI.
Horley are an astonishing 45 points clear of the second-placed side, London Gymkhana, with a game still to play and have lost just one league match out of 15.
The triumphant skipper, Darren Croft, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of everyone who has played, be it in one game or every game. It has been an amazing season for Horley Cricket Club, showing that with hard work, team ethic, dedication, support and commitment you can achieve anything.
“Andrew Thomas has done a great job behind the stumps as wicket keeper and scored his first hundred this year, Andrew Burbidge has done a great job with the bat and scored two league hundreds, Chris Cosham has been outstanding with his bowling, taking his personal best 8 for 53.
“A massive thank you to everyone involved, especially the colts that have played for the 2nds, Aryan Patel, Zack Collins, Christian Kelly and Alex Field - all of them have stood up and done a fantastic job in senior cricket.”
In the title-clinching match, Shepperton put Horley in and the hosts made 165 for eight from 45 overs, with Lewis Tomkins top-scoring on 57, Matt Gainsford making 24, Stewart Warren 22 and Josh Mason 21.
Horley then bowled Shepperton out for 102. Matt Puttick (22-2) removed both openers while Cosham (24-4) dismissed batters three to six - two bowled, one lbw and one caught by Fizul Nadir - as well as taking two catches.
Skipper Croft took three wickets and Andrew Burbidge joined the attack and took the final wicket with his fourth ball to secure the league title for Horley.

​London Gymkhana 1st XI 275-6 (45 overs), Horley 1st XI 117 all out (31 overs), Surrey County League Division One, Saturday 24 August. Horley lost by 158 runs.
Horley 1st XI’s chances of winning the Surrey County League Division One title ended with a big defeat against top-of-the-table London Gymkhana, but Horley can still secure the second promotion spot if they beat Shepperton on Saturday.
At Gymkhana, the hosts batted first and an early breakthrough from Charlie Robins didn’t stop them from scoring quickly. Trevor Stevens (33-2 from nine overs) and Jordan Robins (27-0 from nine overs) both bowled good spells but Gymkhana made 275 for six from their 45 overs.
When Horley batted no one got in properly and Richard Waddington’s 18 was the top score in a disappointing total of 117 all out from 31 overs.

​London Gymkhana 2nd XI 165-9 (45 overs), Horley 2nd XI 158 all out (45 overs), Surrey County League 2nd XI Division One, Saturday 17 August, London Gymkhana. Horley lost by seven runs.
Horley 2nd XI secured promotion from the Surrey County League Division One despite suffering their first defeat of the league season, and need just one point from their remaining two games to be crowned champions.
On a damp track, skipper Darren Croft put London Gymkhana in and good bowling from Matt Puttick and Tom Livermore saw a few flashes go tantalizingly close to hands in the backward point region.
Wickets fell regularly throughout the innings with every bowler chipping in. The pick of them was Alex Rooney (three for 18) who, for the second week running, was unlucky not to take a five-for.
Gymkhana finishing strongly and made 165 all out, with Horley knowing the bonus points they had amassed were enough to secure promotion.
Horley’s chase started shakily as they struggled to three for three, then Aryan Patel and Sam Bracken looked to rebuild the innings and rotated the strike well, waiting for the bad delivery. A mix-up saw Bracken run out for 38 and Patel then kicked on but was bowled for a good 47.
Horley’s tail did their best to wag but ultimately fell just short as Basheer took six for 20 on a minefield of a track and Horley were bowled out for 158.

​Horley 1st XI 199-6 (45 overs), Whiteley Village 119 all out (43.4 overs), Surrey County League Division One, Saturday 17 August, Horley Row. Horley won by 80 runs.
Horley 1st XI kept themselves in the hunt for the Surrey County League Division One title with a win over Whiteley Village, who are fighting for survival at the foot of the league.
In perfect conditions for bowling, Horley were put in but started well by not losing any wickets in the first ten overs and working hard to rotate the strike. At the drinks break Horley were in a strong position as they were only two wickets down and had built a good platform.
Opener Matt Reid pushed the innings along smartly by knocking boundaries when needed and working the scoreboard with relative ease. The rest of the Horley batting line up assisted Reid well by rotating the strike and looking to push the fielders as much as they could for that extra run. Horley ended up on a respectable total of 199 for six after their 45 overs. Reid was very unlucky not to get his 100, as he was out for 96.
As a bowling unit Horley knew they had to put Whiteley under pressure early by starving them of runs. Charlie Robins and Guy Derham started as they have every week, bowling the right lines and conceding few runs. As each over went by the required run-rate pushed up and up, making the batsmen play shots they didn’t need to.
The first three wickets fell with less than 40 on the board, but the fourth wicket partnership showed determination and good understanding of what was needed. Robins brought himself back on to bowl to break this partnership and did so with the second ball of his spell. From there, the opposition struggled to find runs and the Horley bowlers continued to apply the pressure, eventually bowling them out for 119, for an 80-run win.  Trevor Stevens took three wickets for 21, Jonathan Barnett and Robins took two wickets each.
With two league matches to go, Horley are just seven points behind first-placed London Gymkhana and they play them away on Saturday. Horley have a 23-point cushion over the third placed club, so a handful of bonus points will guarantee them second place and promotion.

​Horley Strollers 233-5 (40 overs), Felbridge and Sunnyside 69 all out (37.3 overs), Sunday 11 August, Horley Row. Horley won by 164 runs.
Christian Kelly scored his first century in senior cricket when he made 101 not out for Horley Strollers in their win over Felbridge and Sunnyside.
Kelly, 15, has made two age-grade centuries for the club and this first senior ton came in just 79 balls. He came in when Horley were 30-2 and mixed classic shots with some hefty slogs in a very impressive innings which included 13 fours and one six.
Another colt, 14-year-old Udith Molanguri made 49 in the Strollers’ total of 233 from 40 overs and Tom Livermore was 40 not out.
Felbridge and Sunnyside, who also had a clutch of colts in their team, never looked like matching Horley. Alex Field, 14, took the first two wickets, both caught by Kelly, then skipper Dave Childs got a caught and bowled before Colin Terry claimed a wicket with another Kelly catch.
Saleem Nadir dismissed the next batter, caught by Tom Clargo, then Molanguri took three wickets with his spin, one caught by Livermore and two clean bowled, before Childs cleaned up the last two, lbw and bowled, to dismiss the visitors for 69. Childs’ figures were three for eight from 6.3 overs, Molanguri took three for five from four overs and Field two for 15 from seven overs.

​Lingfield Sunday XI 187-6 (42 overs), Horley Sunday Strollers 145 all out (31.2 overs), Sunday 4 August, Newchapel.
A great knock of 70 by Bharath Reddy was not enough to take Horley Strollers to victory over Lingfield on Sunday.
Lingfield set an imposing total of 187 on the small Newchapel ground, recovering from losing opener James McLean to a direct-hit run-out by Richard Waddington in the first over.
Callum Tester and Colin Terry bowled an excellent opening spell for the Strollers, conceding just 15 runs from the first 12 overs, but then the other opener, Martin Britt, started to swing the bat and he scored a fine 79 before Terry had him caught by Naveed Sherwani.
Evan Grimwood, playing his first Strollers match at the age of 13, got the second wicket, having Imtiaz Trask smartly caught by Reddy. Grimwood later took a catch for one of Lauren Waddington’s two wickets and Richard Waddington took the Strollers’ other scalp.
After losing Graham Brookes early, Horley’s reply went well with Reddy and Michael Ryan putting on 98 for the second wicket in quick time.
Then a swarm of flying ants began to plague the batters and they all found it difficult to concentrate and keep up with the require run-rate, with fading light not helping matters. Ryan made 30, but apart from him and Reddy, no one else got out of single figures and Horley’s last seven wickets fell for less than 20 runs. 

​Horley Strollers 243-6 (40 overs), I Don’t Like Cricket XI 177 all out (32.2 overs), Sunday 4 August, Horley Row. Horley won by 66 runs.
The previous weekend, Horley Strollers were put into bat by the I Don’t Like Cricket Club and the visitors probably regretted that decision when Abdul Razzaq made 87 not out. Kieran Childs made a handy 20 and Andrew Burbidge hit a quickfire 86 as the Strollers finished on 243 for six in 40 overs.
IDLC didn’t start their reply well as Dave Childs took two wickets in his first over and finished with figures of 35 for three. Saleem Nadir also took three wickets, for 16 runs, and the other wickets were taken by Zack Collins (two for 20), Kaine Stephens (1-22) and Kieran Childs (1-32). The Strollers won comfortably as IDLC were bowled out for 177.