AFTER nine consecutive wins, I’Anson leaders Grayswood suffered their first loss of the season, and it was perhaps no surprise that it came at the hands of Frensham whose unpredictability makes them a potential banana skin for the championship contenders.

On this occasion, Grayswood failed to get enough runs on the compact Hollowdene ground and Frensham, after a shaky start (25-2) against Andy Gloak, chased down the target quite comfortably, thanks to half-centuries from James Wood and captain Sam Farncombe.

Grayswood, invited to bat, were threatening one of their late assaults at 70-3, but Jordan Frost claimed the important wickets of Rhys Dodson (39) and Alastair Gloak and without Andy Major, their most dangerous batsman, the visitors lacked conviction against the slow bowlers, Tim Knight and Ray Clarke.

Both were difficult to get away (27 overs between them for 74 runs and 5 wickets) and it took a late unbroken stand between Iain Jackson and Andy Gloak to get Grayswood up to 164-9 from 48 overs.

After Gloak’s early breakthroughs, opener Wood and Farncombe showed the required application on a tricky surface and, no doubt relieved that spinner Jon Ashworth was missing from Grayswood’s attack, looked fairly untroubled while adding 67.

Gloak then had Wood caught for 54 (77 balls), but Farncombe batted on and Jack Richards joined him in another vital 50 partnership. Farncombe finally became Gloak’s fourth victim, but his 95-ball 60, including 10 fours, had taken Frensham to within 14 runs of victory and Richards and Jordan Frost completed a five-wicket win with nine balls to spare.

The Grayshott track was hard and true and skipper Stuart Kennedy, with a strong attack behind him, inserted Pirbright. Mark Richards and Kieran Wells ran in with pace and precision, troubling the batsmen from the start. Jon Swinney departed in the first over, but then Awais Khan and Ivan Wright dug in and saw off the new ball with a stand of 33.

That, however, was the high point of the innings and in a disastrous sequence, six wickets fell for the addition of seven runs as change-bowlers Chris Brophy and Danny Brown allied accuracy with sharp movement. Skipper Ian Milton and Ryland Kelly offered some resistance, but Richards returned to snap up three quick wickets and Pirbright were hustled out for a paltry 71. Richards recorded outstanding figures of 4-10 in 10 overs, while Brophy, on his return to first-team duty, took 4-14 in nine and Brown had 2-11 in seven.

Pirbright needed to take quick wickets to have any sort of chance and they did get Gary Hunt early, caught by Ian Milton off Aman Khan. That was their lone success. Andy Wheble (31 not out) and James Cavannagh (32 not out) were quickly into their stride and their unbroken partnership saw Grayshott home in 17 overs.

A hat-trick by Saeed Ahmed fired Puttenham to a comprehensive 134-run victory at Lurgashall. The visitors were inserted and Lurgashall did well to reduce a powerful batting line-up to 171-7, this despite a half-century from number 1 Ahsan Awan. Aaron Evans and Drew Clark shared the wickets, supported by fine catching, but Lurgashall’s good work was undone by Seamus Leonard and Aks Ilyas. Leonard hit six fours and two sixes in a rapid 50 and Ilyas declared at 239-9 after 42 overs, Evans finishing with 6-82 from 13 overs.

Lurgashall were in contention at 54-2, with Oli Rose (31) and Alex Wadey (21) going well. But Ilyas dismissed them both, paving the way for ‘Sid’ Ahmed to do his demolition job on the late order. Darren Hodd held firm with 18 not out, but Ahmed’s spectacular all-bowled hat-trick hastened the end and Lurgashall slumped to 105 all out in the 34th over. Ahmed recorded figures of 12-4-20-4.

Tilford, after their last-over thrills in recent weeks, won easily by 118 runs at rock-bottom Witley. Put in to bat, Tilford soon lost Nathan Sprittles to Ben Dobson, but Gavin Nesbitt and Mark Ramesar forged a useful stand of 62 in challenging conditions.

Although there was movement for the bowlers, Witley conceded too many extras (46) and their cause was not helped when skipper Dobson suffered an ankle injury and took no further part in the match. Denis Hounsham top-scored with 40 and Guy Wilson and Huw Town-Jones made useful contributions before Tilford declared on 191-7 from 45 overs.

Witley struggled from the moment Billy-Jo Duddell was run out in the second over. The miserly Jason Stones took 2-12 off 10 overs and Town-Jones and Nigel Martyn picked up three wickets apiece as the home side’s 10 men crumbled to 73 all out in the 23rd over.

Blackheath remain in the bottom two after a heavy defeat at Chiddingfold. Blackheath’s top order all got starts, but only Rob Parrott went past 30. Paul Ward dismantled the middle order with 4-21 in 9.1 overs, while spinner Ben Evans took 2-42 from 14 teasing overs. A late collapse to Ed Willis and Ward left the visitors all out for 141.

Dean Spencer (57) and skipper Ward (47 not out) put that score in perspective with their second-wicket partnership for Chiddingfold who cruised to an eight-wicket victory in only 32 overs.

Dogmersfield, put in by Headley, collapsed to 42-6 against the new-ball pairing of Matt Hall and George Ellis. Hall took 3-38 from 12 overs, while Ellis picked up two wickets and yielded just 16 runs in 12 very tight overs. Stuart Smith (2-11 in 8.5) then bottled up one end as Imran Abbas (41) and Illyas salvaged something from the wreckage. Dogmersfield were dismissed for 122.

An early wicket for Miraj Shinwari did nothing to dissuade Headley from attacking the bowling and Smith and Ellis took the score rapidly to 45 before Shinwari struck again. That only brought in Gavin Arend who blasted 63 not out off 42 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes. It was all over in just 16.3 overs, Headley winning by eight wickets.