Batting first, Elstead found themselves in trouble at 69-5 before the lower order came to the rescue. Jacob Stratford turned the innings on its head with a stunning 40 off just 18 balls, slogging four huge sixes to swing the momentum firmly back Elstead's way. Freddie Austin (27 not out off 14) and Jamie Juniper (11 not out) kept the foot down at the death, lifting Elstead to a competitive 160.

Cranleigh's chase started brightly, but Charlie Mullins produced a superb spell of 2-3 from his two overs to peg them back, while Kit Jowett was miserly with 1-15 from his full four. There was also a great catch from Jamie Juniper, who held on to a fine take on the boundary to remove Alexander early on.

A half-century from Cranleigh's Johnson kept the game alive, and some sloppy fielding from Elstead allowed the visitors firmly back into the contest — the match going right to the wire before Elstead held their nerve to close out the win.

A great start to the season for the defending league champions, though with some work to be done in the field as attention turns to next week's second match against Woking.