Surrey Championship

Premier Division

Sutton 256

Reigate Priory 259-7

THIS top-of-the-table clash lived up to all the expectations and a superb game of cricket was produced.

However, the game was less important than it may have been, as Sutton had wrapped that up the title the week before, forcing the Llamas to accept second place.

The stand out teams of the league were nevertheless playing for a huge degree of pride as they were both four wins ahead of the third-placed side.

Priory skipper Ian Hewett won the toss and invited Sutton to bat and they calmly eased their way to 64 before Toby Briggs found the outside edge of Zoheb Sharif's bat for Stuart Mills to take a great catch behind the stumps.

Richard Stephens then clean bowled both David Sampson for 36 and Josh Allan to leave Sutton on 100-3.

This soon became 121-5 as Simon King picked up the wickets of Muse and Butt. Priory looked to be right on top.

Concentration dipped, however, and both Gary Outram and Russell Combe were dropped in the slips, when in single figures, and they went on to score 52 and 48 respectively before falling to Briggs and Hewett.

The Sutton innings closed on a very competitive 256 in the 48th over. The wickets were shared between Hewett (three) and two each for Simon King, Toby Briggs and Richard Stephens with Daryl King taking the other.

The Priory reply was not ideal and they lost Jonathan Perkins at 22 and Michael Foster on 45, and his 23 suggested he was in great form again before he was caught behind.

Jason Roy joined Chris Murtagh and the two Surrey boys took the total to the infamous 111 before Roy attempted to attack the spin of Sharif and was stumped for 23.

Hewett fell at 126 and Priory looked to be in trouble.

Murtagh and second-team skipper Jon Gale kept the score ticking over but the spin of Sharif and Butt was tying the Priory men down, particularly Gale.

The asking rate was rising rapidly but after the spinners had bowled their 10 overs each the whole game changed as the quicks returned.

Gale smashed them to all parts and was particularly severe on Andy Sartor, who he hit for two huge sixes.

When Gale fell for a superb 65 Priory were only 21 short with five wickets and four overs remaining. Sartor took three wickets in the same over as King and Mills came and went but more importantly the over had gone for 10.

Throughout all this pandemonium Murtagh had quietly been crafting the match-winning innings and while Toby Briggs' 11 not out included the winning runs in the final over there was not a shadow of doubt that Murtagh's 92 not out was the match winning innings.

Following his 101 not out against Sutton earlier in the year Murtagh again demonstrated why he is possibly the best batsman in the Surrey Championship.

Certainly over 600 runs at an average of 76 takes some disputing. Priory have no doubts as to his superb value to their side.

Sutton have played some great cricket to win the league, and the manner in which their whole team clapped Hewett from the field, after his last innings in the Championship, was a credit to them and a reflection of the high regard in which the Priory skipper is held.

He will be sorely missed in Surrey cricket and particularly at Reigate when he returns to Australia shortly.

Priory's attempt to win their third successive title was a huge effort and floundered on some early defeats, but at least they can console themselves at having beaten the eventual champions in both league encounters and taking the honours in the cup.