Esher 1st XI – Introduction
A hugely competitive group, playing very strong league cricket in the Surrey Premier League. Suitable for first class cricketers, strong club players, and some of the county’s finest youth products alike.
Cricket played in the right spirit is complimented by strong leadership at both club and team level. A strong social scene away from the pitch mixes the group very well with the rest of the club, and top class coaching at team nights on a Thursday mean this is a great place to play cricket for those in South London and Surrey.
In 2025, the 1st XI will be captained by Rob Honeybul (honeybulr@gmail.com 07432 590745)
1st XI – Season Report – 2024 (Rob Honeybul)
Season 2024 was kicked off with a strong win to start the season at Sutton, followed up with an incredible performance at home against Wimbledon. Against a star studded Wimbledon lineup, thanks to a destructive 148 from overseas pro Teague Wyllie the 1st team managed to make a very strong 293. With a disciplined bowling performance we managed to get off the mark with a decisive win at New Road. Cricket is a cruel mistress though and we were quickly brought back to reality away against Reigate, before closing out the white ball cricket with another great win at home against a strong Ashtead outfit.
As the weather got slightly warmer, the points on offer got bigger and the ball changed color, we started to lose our winning momentum. We failed to chase a low total at Banstead, got outplayed at East Molesey, and failed to bowl out a struggling Weybridge side after a destructive first innings performance, we were slowly dropping down the table into third place.
However our spirits remained high, as our performances in the T20 competition had been exceptional. A sensational performance away to the national T20 champions Wimbledon managed to see us through to finals day, mostly thanks to a wonderful exhibition of finishing batting by young Oliver Hunt. Finals day was an exceptional display of skill, as Teague Wyllie, David Brent and Don Butchart demolished a seasoned Sunbury attack, taking us to an unbelievable 262. This was comfortably enough to take us through to the final against Reigate, and after another closing performance by Oliver Hunt, we managed to secure the Edwards cup for the first time in Esher CC history.
As July drew to a close, we entered an inflection point of the league season. If we were able to finish out the red ball cricket with a couple of strong wins, we would be able to climb the ladder and really challenge for the Surrey Premiership. Sadly at home we faced top of the table Reigate, and failed to chase a low total after a strong bowling performance. Following this, we traveled to Ashtead and were again unable to chase a low total. The narrative for the season was slowly starting to turn against us.
Heading out to Guildford the pressure was on. Starting to consider the possibility of relegation we reached a deflating 7-87. But thankfully due to one of the best innings we’ve probably ever seen in an Esher shirt, Fred Harrison powered his way to a hundred and we had a strong total to defend. This was backed up by a fantastic bowling performance from Joe Lavender, and Esher managed to leave Woodbridge road with a win.
As I reflect on the season, I think there’s no doubt we didn’t meet our potential. We had great contributions from our new faces, in Joe Lavender who was outstanding week in week out, Don Butchart who showed brilliance across all three formats, and of course Teague who I think we can all agree had an incredible season across all formats and we were very lucky to have. And our vice captain David Brent, who whatever the situation of the game, whether we were in the field or with the bat was unwaveringly brilliant. We also had some fantastic young cricketers come through the side, including Oliver Hunt, Alex Chambers, George Baldwin and Fred Price. No doubt names who will play massive roles moving into the future for Esher CC.
As I look forward to 2025, I see a very bright future ahead. The strength of the group and club is incredibly exciting, and preserving the positive momentum of this season will lead to a lucrative next phase for this group of players.
1st XI player of the Season
We all know the impact Teague Wylie had on the 1st X1 this year. From an incredible 148 against Wimbledon in the white ball, to an incredible hundred in the T20 semi final against Sunbury, I think over the summer Teague convinced all of us the next time we see him might be in whites at Lords.
But given the season Teague had, for him not to take home the player of the season means that somebody else has had an incredible year. Just about every time the side needed him, with the bat, with the ball, and in the field, David Brent was simply outstanding. Averaging 55.5 with the bat with 7 50s and an incredible hundred away against Weybridge, 18 wickets with a best of 4/19, the player of the season is vice captain David Brent.