| 2020 was a rollercoaster. It was also the first time Esher entered a 4th XI in the Surrey Championship and testament to the momentum of the club. Expecting to start at the bottom rung, we found ourselves at the 4th XI top table due to the late start to the season and the restructuring of the leagues – what ensued was a highly enjoyable season where we found out what was required to be competitive at that level. This was something we achieved on several occasions, particularly in an exciting, low scoring game against Wimbledon on their 1st XI pitch, with us being bowled out for 88 and winning by 10 runs, thanks largely to a battling, top scoring 23 by new signing Gareth Narinesingh and some intimidating opening bowling from Salaar Shabbir and William Malet de Carteret, both fearsome prospects coming up through the esteemed Esher youth setup. East Molesey, Sunbury and Reigate Priory resulted in one sided losses that can be looked back on as steep learning curves, but there were other positives with a 165 run victory over Weybridge, thanks to Max Simpson’s swashbuckling 80 off 64 and David Rebetzke, one of the most emphatic of jug avoiders, scoring 49 and then moving to Australia just to make doubly sure. (David we miss you!) Aside from the Wimbledon nail-biter, Banstead was also an exciting affair in a shortened game, chasing 114 off 25 overs we came up two short – possibly some run chasing lessons to be absorbed for next season. Also worthy of note is the first attempt at the Sunbury game which was rained off as match abandoned just as Sunbury were closing in on victory. According to the umpire Andrew, it was the first time since the 1968 Ashes series that both captains were unable to finish the match due to injury…! The intention of our 4th XI is to blend a healthy mix of ‘seasoned veterans’ with an abundance of youth making their first steps in to adult cricket so it was heartening to see more talent role off the YC conveyor belt, testament to Duncan Pauline and the Esher coaches and management team. Rohan Gupta particularly stood out with bat and ball and it was great to see so many others contribute during the season. Every week the game was played in the right spirit. This season we had the benefit of umpires and scorers in nearly every match and expect this to be the case next season. Combining this with regular use of the Imber Court 1s pitch next year and we’re already looking forward to an exciting year on the pitch and a couple more beers off it. |
