What began as a friendly proposal at the start of the 2026 season has quickly developed into a series to look forward to.
Cranleigh Villagers XI captain Rob Denton proposed a home-and-away series with Newdigate Sunday XI, and Newdigate captain Monjur Elahi was quick to accept. The two clubs had already enjoyed a good few years of cricket together, so formalising the fixture into a series felt like a natural next step.

The inaugural series began on 13 September, when Newdigate hosted Cranleigh and claimed victory. A week later, Cranleigh responded in style at Oakwood Hill, securing a 37-run victory to level the series at 1-1.

Winning the toss, Cranleigh elected to bat and produced a well-constructed 35-over innings, combining patient top-order batting with powerful acceleration through the middle and late overs.

After Marc Byrne was dismissed for 4, James Fairweather settled the innings with a composed 31 from 50 balls, building a useful platform alongside Stuart Singleton. Singleton then took centre stage. The Cranleigh middle-order batter produced an assured 65 not out, eventually retiring, with his innings containing six boundaries and two sixes. He was involved in the major partnerships that kept the home side moving forward and ensured the run rate continued to climb. Thomas Hall added valuable momentum with a brisk 31 from 29 balls, including four boundaries, before Tom Hufton provided a powerful finish. Hufton's unbeaten 50 from 50 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes, was complemented by Steve Neal's 26 not out.
Cranleigh closed their 35 overs on an imposing 220 for 4.

Newdigate's bowlers faced a confident Cranleigh batting line-up but continued to work hard throughout the innings. Khatib Hashim produced the most economical spell of the afternoon, returning an excellent 7-0-23-0 and maintaining tight lines throughout.
Khatib was ably supported by his 10-year-old son, Umar Hashim, who bowled five overs for 30 runs — another excellent contribution from one of Newdigate's emerging young players. Mohammad Ali bowled with good rhythm, claiming 1 for 30 from seven overs, including two maidens. Dencil Antony took the important wicket of Fairweather, finishing with 1 for 33, while Steve Edwards removed Hall and ended with 1 for 30.
Despite those disciplined spells, Cranleigh's middle and lower order found enough opportunities to push their total beyond 200.

Newdigate began the chase with determination but suffered an early setback when David Callcut, having made 12, was undone by a sharp bouncer which he gloved through to the wicketkeeper.
Christian John then provided stability, scoring a patient 26 from 53 balls, while Andrew Posner supplied the aggression at the other end.
Posner's 30 from 34 balls, including two sixes and two boundaries, combined caution with his trademark attacking intent. The pair added around 40 runs for the second wicket, taking Newdigate to 68 for 1 at the 20-over mark.
At that stage, Newdigate required a significant acceleration to stay in touch with the asking rate.
And that is exactly what Mohammad Ali attempted to provide. Ali launched an extraordinary counter-attack, smashing an unbeaten 79 from just 43 balls, with 10 boundaries and four sixes. As the innings entered its final stages, the ball began disappearing — and on occasions, quite literally getting lost — as Ali took the attack to the Cranleigh bowlers. It was another outstanding batting display from a player who has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 season with both bat and ball. His unbeaten 79 gave Newdigate genuine hope of an unlikely chase. Dencil Antony provided valuable support with a lively 23 from 21 balls, including four boundaries.
But Cranleigh refused to allow the momentum to completely shift. Their bowlers held their nerve, restricted the scoring opportunities and ensured that Newdigate could not sustain the required acceleration.

Newdigate eventually finished on 183 for 7, falling 37 runs short.

Series All Square
Cranleigh's victory was built on a superb collective batting effort, with Stuart Singleton's unbeaten 65, Tom Hufton's 50 not out and Thomas Hall's 31 providing the foundation for an imposing 220.
For Newdigate, Khatib Hashim's economical spell and Mohammad Ali's spectacular unbeaten 79 were among the highlights of a spirited performance.
More importantly, the result leaves the newly established series perfectly poised.
After Newdigate won the opening encounter on 13 September, Cranleigh responded strongly seven days later to make it one victory apiece.
The 2026 home-and-away series has therefore delivered exactly what both captains hoped for when the idea was proposed at the beginning of the season: competitive cricket, new memories and another fixture for two clubs with a growing cricketing relationship.
Series score: Cranleigh Villagers XI 1 – 1 Newdigate Sunday XI.