Sunday 31 May 2026
Surrey Cryptics 221 for 7 dec (36 overs)
Vagabonds 208 for 5 (39 overs)
Match drawn
Declaration match
Vagabonds won the toss
Scorecard
Daddy Grinders writes:
The Cryptics made, for most, the long trek south to take on the Vagabonds in the Clash of the Blazers match. A second declaration game of the season was agreed and the Cryptics batted first.
Skipper Dom and Ingo, the latter resplendent in kharki green shorts having left his whites at home, opened up. The pair looked untroubled against the coolly named C Hill (geddit?) and his fellow opener, until Dom missed a straight one on 31.
He was replaced by Pencil Seeckts, returning after recent iron-manning exploits. We were now facing M Hill who bagged himself a ‘Michelle’ last year. Ingo’s uncharacteristically patient 31 ended when he tried to pull a ball that hit him on the shin, plumb in front to set Hill off again. Toby looked in good nick until he yorked himself for 24, Andy Raynor somehow got bowled behind his legs, Keith decided running was not for him so smashed 6 boundaries before being caught and Rory Goss preferred the company of Ricky the Duck than batting with dad. All succumbed to Master Hill who took his Cryptic victims up to 11 in two games.
Watching all this from the other end was Dwighty, who in typical Cupit style cut, edged and turned behind square for all but three of his runs. If he couldn’t bat with his son, Gossy made sure neither would Dwight by running him out on 49.
Debutant Titus Cupit and Gossy(34*) took the total up to 221 before the declaration.
After a splendid tea, the Cryptics set out looking for 10 wickets. Grinders Senior and Goss Junior opened up and kept things tightish for the first 10 overs, before Rory benefited from a poor leave by the opener that clattered into the middle stump and Grinders snaffled only his 8th caught and bowled from now 299 victims.
Thereafter Gossy claimed one victim, Dwight fulfilled his role of cannon fodder provider and Ed produced a double wicket maiden just a bit too late to make things interesting. That lad Hill once again showed his appreciation for our visit, stroking the ball to and over the boundary all too regularly to finish on 96* to add to a half century in 2025. Vagabonds finished only five down but 13 short, with all the overs, probably for the first time, being sent down by three father and son combos.
What we learnt : Max Hill likes playing the Cryptics and the dads (Grinders/Gossy/Dwight 16overs 2 for 113) are being shown up by theirs lads (Ed/Rory/Titus 23 overs 3 for 75) 😳. (See West End Esher report for a different conclusion – Ed)
Editor’s dynastic note: Titus Cupit’s debut makes them the first recorded three generation family to represent the Cryptics, father Dwight being a living legend and grandfather Tony having taken a wicket with his first ball in the thrashing of Kingstonian in May 2003.
The only known previous instance involves former Somerset and Lancashire opening batsman Graham Atkinson who played once at Headley in the 1980s (before records began) his son Peter turning up twice (1992 and 2014) and grandson Tom once (2014). Their aggregate four caps is somewhat dwarfed by Graham’s other son, Richard, who captained the club in the early 1990s and played well over the 109 caps in the records. Like all who played in the 1980s, he claims his best performances were lost in the Great Fire of Penner Close.
Onwards to Ripley.