VALLEY END will finish no higher than fourth in the AJ Sports Surrey Championship 1st XI Premier this year.

They were pipped by one wicket in their penultimate game, against title-chasing Sutton, last Saturday (August 26) – and a season that looked for so long as leading to promotion could end with them as low as sixth.

Valley were shot out for 134 off 44 overs after being put in at Woodlands Lane, Ralf Beer (37) and skipper Tom Nevin (33) scoring more than half the runs between them. 

Fabian Cowdrey pocketed 4-10 from ten overs for Sutton.

The visitors were in trouble at 52-5 in response. They got back on track thanks largely to Cowdrey’s 42, but then fell from 123-7 to 123-9. 

However, last pair Connor Griffin and Aneesh Jhalla saw them to 138-9 off 32.1 overs to keep the heat on table-toppers Banstead, who they face in their finale today (Saturday, September 2).

Ed Young (4-27 from ten overs), Joe Hill (3-37 in 7.1 overs) and Charlie Dunnett (2-27 off ten overs) took the wickets.

Woking & Horsell recorded a vital five-wicket success in a rain-affected match at fellow strugglers Kingstonian to pull away from the fringes of the 1st XI Division Four drop zone.

Kingstonian were all out for 83 in 34.1 overs after choosing to bat, Jai Kedia (42) doing his best to prevent a humiliating total. Calum Chisholm (4-20 in ten overs) and Kapil Dubey (3-22 from ten overs) were in fine form against a home side who plunged to 14-5.

The visitors won at 62-5 from 12.1 overs, Shehan Fernando top-scoring with 17. 

Chathuranga Arachchige (3-28 in 6.1 overs) was the pick of the Kingstonian attack.

Byfleet missed the chance to go second in the Shepherd Neame Surrey County League 1st XI Premier when they lost by five wickets to guests Woodmansterne in a rain-affected game. But the six points the Parvis Road side collected enabled them to narrow the gap on second-placed Sheen Park,  whose match against Lingfield was abandoned.

Inserted, the hosts were dismissed for 181 in 33 overs, George Mickley striking 47. 

They had been 71-1, Mickley and Tim Richards (29) adding 70 for the second wicket.

Despite Sam Crabtree’s 3-19 from four overs, Woodmansterne reached their new target of 127, closing on 129-5 off 18.1 overs.

Chobham confirmed their third successive promotion when they got the better of Ripley by six wickets at The Green in 1st XI Division One. 

Ripley were removed for 111 in 35 overs after being told to bat in another rain-hit game; they had been 24-3. Number eight Stewart Burgess (23) top-scored and there were three wickets for Gabe Henry.

The revised target was 92 – and Chobham made their way to 93-4 off 23.4 overs, skipper Giles Henderson out in front with 29 not out. His Ripley counterpart George Geaves claimed 2-18 in four overs.

Bad weather meant Ottershaw did not get the chance to bat against travellers Kenley, who were skittled for 105 off 37.4 overs after opting to bat.

Rafaqat Hussain snapped up a superb haul of 4-8 from nine overs in the abandoned fixture, Kenley lurching to 38-6 and being shored up by Hari Kallepalli (36).

Old Woking thumped visitors Woldingham Village by 55 runs in Surrey Downs League Division One, skipper Sanjeev Bidur hitting 95 off 90 balls.

Aaron Freeland weighed in with 48 from 34 deliveries as the home side posted 252-7 in 40 overs, having decided to bat. Sharon Sathyamoorthy was the best of the travellers’ six one-wicket bowlers.

Woldingham tumbled to 53-4 in response and were all out for 197 off 37.2 overs, Kurukulasuriya Fernando (37) providing the most resistance.

Aditya Patwardhan picked up 4-27 from seven overs. 

There were two wickets each for Jack McArdle and Justin Bradley.

Pirbright are back on the bottom of I’Anson Cup Division Two. Their 47-run home defeat by The Brook combined with a win for Tongham seconds pushed them into the basement position after just a week in ninth spot.

The Brook made 158-8 in 41 overs after being asked to bat at The Gardens on the Green, Prince Kumar contributed 50 and Tim Lindberg (3-30 from nine overs) and Ruwan Wickramanayaka (2-35 off eight overs) took the bulk of the wickets.

Only four Pirbright players managed double figures in the reply, which ended at 111 all out off 33.3 overs in the face of deadly bowling from Neil Cooper (4-13 in eight overs) and Anwah Shah (3-14 from nine overs). Elex van Rensburg (27) was leading run-maker for the hosts.

Worplesdon & Burpham go into their final match of the Division Four campaign with the championship still up for grabs – despite a 74-run reverse at Headley seconds.

Already promoted, the men from Worplesdon Memorial Ground need a crushing win over Kingsley plus a favour from bottom side Chiddingfold seconds against leaders Frensham thirds if they are to  take pole position.

Headley racked up 239-7 in 40 overs after being inserted, Ben Homewood smashing an undefeated 135 at number six.

Thomas Hinch snaffled 3-22 off nine overs.

Captain Matthew Lambert crafted 51 in the response. But the rest of the batters did not have much to offer and the guests were ripped out for 165 in 35.5 overs, John Canning and Patrick Stephens each bagging three wickets.