ROWLEY Marshall gave a stellar all-round performance as Churt dug deep to complete a 20-run win over Chertsey and preserve their lead at the top of the Surrey Championship Division Five.

Not content with a valuable 33, batting down the order, Marshall spun the visitors to defeat with spectacular figures of 7-29 in 12.1 overs.

With rain clouds circling the Rec, Churt were predictably asked to bat first by Greg Burton and on a slow, but demon-free track, the home team never got going until Marshall’s late onslaught.

Will Hucker was run out when called for a third run by Toby Finneran and Jon Palmer lost his middle stump to Luke Westcott: 12-2. Ben Mitchell and Finneran then held firm, but the latter could not break the shackles and Mitchell had scored 49 of Churt’s 72 runs when he was caught in the 29th over.

Finneran’s vigil ended soon after and Churt slipped to 94-6 and then 107-7 in the 44th over, with newcomer Ed Gyde out for 16.

However, Marshall was joined by Dan Higgins and positive running and Marshall’s power-hitting accelerated the score to 142.

Marshall fell in the 51st over and, no doubt mindful that Churt had twice fallen just short of taking all ten wickets in recent weeks, Higgins declared before the end of that over, leaving his side 50 overs to bowl out their opponents.

That looked like being a misjudgement as Chertsey openers Ben Hanger and Zeeshan Mehtab plundered 49 runs in 11 overs. Hanger was then well caught by Higgins off Oli Plaistowe, but with less than 100 required and nine wickets intact, there was no need for Chertsey to panic.

However, they began to unravel when spinners Mitchell and Marshall came into the attack. Mehtab (37) fell leg before to Mitchell and Marshall snapped up three wickets to reduce the visitors to 77-5.

The dangerous Burton (28) took his side closer before Marshall claimed another lbw victim: 110-8.

Churt didn’t count their chickens, though, because overseas man Leon Van Vuuren was playing well. But he was powerless to prevent Dan Shepherd missing a straight one and Westcott skewing a full toss to give Marshall his seventh wicket and figures of 12.1-3-29-7.

With more than 10 overs still to play, Higgins’ gamble could have backfired. As it was, Churt were able to savour an important win in front of the club’s president and vice-presidents.