Surrey Championship

Division One

Ashtead 326

Brook 202

GARY Martin hammered the Brook bowlers to all parts to set up a massive win for Ashtead that puts them right back in the Surrey Championship Division One title race with just two games to go.

Martin scored 152 off 149 balls, hitting six sixes, as the Stags roared to a 124 run victory.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first Martin and Andy Roberts made a solid start taking Ashtead to 41-0 after 10 overs.

Soon, however, both upped the rate and by the time that Roberts finally succumbed to the bowling of King, caught in the circle by Oliver Pike for 62, the score was 133-1 after 26 overs and Ashtead were set for a huge target.

New bat James Cameron continued the attack, as Martin crafted an innings that the other batsmen could work around.

However, when Tom Hicks (1-75) came on, followed shortly by the second spell of Bristowe, Martin decided it was time to let fly and proceeded to smash the ball out of the park as the 200 came up in the 39th over and Martin reached a deserved century.

Cameron went past his 50 with a big six but perished the next ball, stumped by wicket-keeper Harry Schofield.

Martin finished on 152 when he was eventually dismissed by Adolphus, allowing Brendan O'Connell (25no) to launch one last onslaught to see the Stags to a daunting total of 326-3 off 50 overs.

A demoralised Brook came out to bat, and immediately Ashtead were on the offensive, using openers Marlon Cornelius (0-64) and John Vaughan-Davies (2-16) to great effect as George Adolphus and Oli Pike came under heavy fire early on.

By the end of the fourth over, both openers were back in the clubhouse again - both victims of a terrific start by Vaughan-Davies. At 14-2, and with two new batsmen in, Brook were staring an embarrassing defeat in the face.

Jamie Hall and captain Tom Hicks started the fight back, attacking Cornelius, and the score reached 66-2 in the 11th over. Brook sniffed the faintest glimmer of hope. But this was squashed flat with the arrival of the spin attack, as O'Connell (0-31) and Josh Pickering (1-25) put the squeeze on proceedings.

The partnership was broken after a mix-up with the calling, Hicks ended up stranded in the middle of the wicket as Roberts whipped the ball in from mid-on, and from there things ended quickly.

Just three balls later Hall was also out, trapped in front by a straight ball from Pickering.

Tom Deighton (4-52) and Cameron (2-13) came into the attack, and viciously wiped out the rest of the Brook line-up to hand Ashtead a vital 10 points.

Saturday sees the return of Dulwich to Woodfield Lane. Last time, the game ended in a dismal draw, but recent form suggests that Ashtead are hot favourites to take maximum points - a result that would leave them within touching distance of the Premier Division.