Arun returned to winning ways on Sunday with a reasonably comfortable victory over Molesey.  Played in excellent conditions, as well as in a good spirit, the game started a little late due to traffic problems and was limited to 35 overs a side.

Winning the toss, Laurie had no hesitation in batting and his decision was soon validated by a quick start to the Arun innings.  The return of prodigal son Matt Staight to the batting line up gave us the start we have needed in recent weeks and the first 40 came in 36 balls, a run rate almost unheard of in recent weeks.  However the loss of Matt for 36 led to a minor collapse to 61-4.  Cometh the hour, cometh the man, or in this case Laurie.  Skip steadied the ship with a resolute 20 that combined solid defence with the occasional single and, on at least 4 occasions, he was tempted to run 2, (at which point the scorer offered the use of a chair to him!).  

Skip laid the foundations for a recovery that included a quick fire 23 from Simon and was ably supported by Jonty and John Boothby.  The final total was a decent 140-9 that was felt to be sufficient, although perhaps 35-40 short of what was hoped for earlier in the innings.

Molesey were never really close to achieving victory, after losing their first 5 wickets for 24, and, despite a fighting knock of 52 from Chris Harp and a spirited performance by young Alex Blythe, they fell 31 runs short.

On the bowling front, honours were shared between Jamie carter, who took 3 for 6 runs in 7 overs, and Knopfler Newey who took 4-42.  Good support from David West and John Boothby was enough to gain a stranglehold on the game pretty much throughout.  Overall it was a fine performance, both at the crease and in the field.  The next game at East Preston offers a very different test and a strong side will be needed to allow us to give a good account of ourselves and to hopefully justify a continuing fixture.